Good karma is not the only thing you can build by volunteering. You can also build a great resume.
Adding volunteer work to your resume is especially helpful if you're just starting out, changing careers, or returning to work. And even though volunteer skills don't pay the bills, your volunteer experience could be the ticket to your next paycheck.
In an article for CharityGuide.org ("Use Volunteering to Try Something New"), Susan G. Ellis points out that volunteer work places new graduates a notch above fellow students who can only list classroom studies and summer jobs on their resumes; enables career changers to show employers that they not only want to make a change, but have already made the change and are now ready to take it into a full-time role; provides a way for people returning to work to ease back into the workplace, build self-confidence, and get their skills back up to speed; and gives you current contacts and references to help you land a paying job.
If you're still caught up in the notion that it's somehow cheating to put volunteer work on your resume, get over it. I like the way they put it on the Ask a Manager blog:
Your accomplishments are your accomplishments. It's no one's business how much you got paid for them, even if that amount is zero. But perhaps it would help to think of yourself as "taking on pro bono work" rather than "a volunteer."
Successful career changer Barbara Dozetos explains in a Monster article ("Volunteer Work Does Your Resume Good") how volunteering to write for a community newspaper helped her make the shift from bookkeeping to writing. Although she knew she had great writing skills, her resume was filled with bookkeeping jobs. Through volunteer work, she helped a cause that was meaningful to her and built a portfolio that launched her writing career.
Where Does It Go on Your Resume?
Typically, volunteer jobs can go right in with paid jobs, structured the same way (title, dates, brief description, accomplishments). In addition, you should consider mentioning it in either your Objective or Professional Summary.
Examples:
Objective: To apply the direct mail expertise gained as a volunteer marketing coordinator for the Cystic Fibrosis Society to a full-time position as ....
Six months' experience teaching Internet skills at Springfield Assisted Living....
Volunteer work that is unrelated to your targeted position (but still makes you look good) can go under a heading such as Community Service at the end of the resume, and/or in your cover letter.
How to Become a Volunteer
If you're interested in finding a volunteer position and aren't sure where to start, visit VolunteerMatch.org or Idealist.org to be matched up with organizations in your area, or check the web sites of organizations you'd like to work for "pro bono."
Has volunteer work ever helped you land a job? Or has it affected your career in a positive way? Share your experiences with us.
I run Alpha, a volunteer workshop to teach teens how to write science fiction, fantasy and horror. I was just asked to teach students at St. Vincent College the same thing as an adjunct faculty member. Sweet!
Please volunteer! When trying to choose between multiple candidates I have often hired the individual with volunteer experience because I am impressed by people that volunteer and think that more Americans should volunteer their time and expertise and stop thinking of only themselves.
Thanks for the great information to job seekers.
@Diane The Alpha program sounds like a great way to get teens writing. Congratulations on parlaying your volunteer work into a paying gig!
@Camille You make a really good point -- volunteer work in general can make a favorable impression on hiring authorities, even if it's not necessarily related to the job you're seeking.
And one other benefit of volunteering: it can help keep up your sense of productivity and usefulness, which may stave off the depression that so often accompanies (and hinders) an extended job search.
Thanks for the comments, Julie
I am so glad to see this. I am trying to make a transition from Real Estate to planning and have volunteered for 3 years planning. I have gained some very helpful experience and am glad to hear that it may help!
@Jennifer It will definitely help, Jennifer! Three years of donating your time sends a loud and clear message that you really want to be planning! Your experience puts you way ahead of the game. Good luck, and let us know how it goes! Julie