Sharing your volunteer experience on your resume has many benefits for job candidates. It shows that you are a responsible, charitable, and caring person. Also, it aligns you with organizations that will garner attention from hiring managers. Volunteer work can help you stand out in a competitive job market.
You can show your volunteer experience in many effective ways with your resume format. The best formatting option for you depends on the type of volunteer work you do or have done. It also depends on why you want to include this experience on your resume.
We’ll show you how volunteering can land you an interview or help change your career. We’ll also explain where to list your volunteer work on your resume. Let’s get started!
Read more: How to Write a Resume for Today’s Job Market
Why should you list volunteer experience on your resume?
If you are a high school or college student, or new to your career, consider volunteering. It can help boost your experience. This is definitely a smart move.
Read more: How to Make Your Resume Stand Out to Recruiters
Regular volunteering shows you are reliable, hardworking, and eager to learn. It also shows you are ready to go above and beyond. Listing these qualities on a resume is easy. But, having a regular volunteer activity proves them.
“Volunteer in areas where you will be able to gain experience or ask for an internship,” says Jane Jackson, a career coach.
Volunteer experience adds keywords to your resume
Gaining experience in your field helps you impress those who can give referrals. It also gives you the opportunity to bolster your resume using keywords.
Showcasing your experience on your resume can boost your chances of landing an interview. Recruiters and hiring managers using applicant tracking systems only have a few seconds to parse through your experience. That’s why you need to make sure your resume content matches up with the job description.
Use keywords from the job description to make your volunteer experience stand out. This is where Jobscan’s resume scanner can make a big difference. The scanner reviews your resume and volunteer roles. Then, it compares them to the job posting. It finds keywords that you may have missed or not used enough for the job you’re aiming for.
Step 1: Paste your resume into the scanner.
Step 2: Paste the job description into the scanner.
Step 3: Click “scan”.
The tool shows important skills to help you stand out in applicant tracking systems (ATS). After scanning your resume, you’ll receive a match rate report. This report shows how to improve your resume for more interview chances. Below is an example image of what that score looks like.
And below is an example of the skills part of the match report. It matches the skills on your resume with those in the job description. This shows you immediately what your resume is missing so that you can tailor it for the description.
Jobscan helps you optimize your resume. The scanner gives instant feedback on keyword alignment, resume format, and section headings. Try it out to make sure your volunteer work is parsed and ranked properly.
Volunteer experience on a resume can help you change careers
Volunteering can help if you’re a mid-career or late-career employee wanting to change careers. You can add volunteer work to your resume. This shows skills you may not use in your current job. Volunteering can serve as an effective stepping stone in your transition to a new field.
Read more: Resume PDF vs Word: Which Should You Choose?
If you want to get into event marketing, many ways can show your motivation for that industry. Non-profits often need great event staff. So, volunteering is a perfect way to start. Contact one near you and gain experience that you can add to your resume. For example:
- Set-up and take-down of events
- Arrange for speakers and venues
- Manage volunteers and staff tables
- Help with outreach
These are the experiences that people seek for event marketing roles.
Plus, volunteering helps with networking. To switch to another industry, you likely need to meet more people in it. Volunteering introduces you to people who can help you do this.
Read more: How to Write a ChatGPT Resume (with Prompts)
How to create your resume volunteer experience section
Your volunteer experience doesn’t have to be relegated to a paltry mention at the end of your resume. Instead, you want to make sure you draw attention to it. Adding volunteer work to your resume will make you stand out if done correctly, so don’t hide it!
Separate “Volunteer Experience” section
If you have a lot of volunteer experience, make a separate section. This helps, especially if it relates to the job you want. When listing the roles and responsibilities, always use the past tense.
The easiest way to add volunteer experience to your resume is by creating an entirely new section for it. After scanning your resume with Jobscan, go to “Volunteering” in “Editing.” Then, click the “+” button to expand.
Just add the details below: your position, the organization, and your start and end dates. The new section will automatically be added to your resume.
If you want to know how to include volunteer experience in your summary, it’s like a resume summary. Your summary should highlight your main skills and achievements in the organization. Write it while keeping your career goals in mind.
Integrate with work experience
When you make your resume, include your volunteering gig. Add details about your tasks and accomplishments along with your other experience. Name this resume section “experience” rather than “professional experience” or “paid experience.” Choose the right resume file type. This way, your formatting stays intact when you submit it online.
- Organization name
- Location
- Volunteer title/role
- Dates of involvement
- Brief description (optional)
- Bulleted responsibilities and achievements (optional)
Volunteer work is a valuable experience you can bring with you to a job. It shows you different work environments and helps you learn to navigate them. If you have the experience, you should include it, even if it means you might have to adjust to a two page resume format.
Read more: How Long Should a Resume Be?
Volunteer experience resume examples
A well-formatted volunteer section can show your skills. This is really helpful if you’re new to your career, switching fields, or filling in gaps in your work history.
Below is an examples of how to present volunteer work effectively on your resume:
Here’s another example with added details. It includes responsibilities and achievements in bullet points:
Key takeaways
Here’s how to effectively include volunteer experience on your resume:
Organization name and location: Include the name of the organization you volunteered for and its location.
Dates of involvement: State the correct dates you volunteered for the organization.
Your role and responsibilities: Briefly describe your role and what you did while volunteering.
Highlight accomplishments: Emphasize your accomplishments and measurable results. This highlights the impact of your volunteer work.
Connect to job requirements: Link your volunteer work to the job requirements when you can.
Before you submit: Make sure your resume file name looks professional and is easy for recruiters to find later.
FAQs
Use a professional format. Include the organization name, your title, dates, location, and an optional summary.
Example: Local Animal Shelter, Toronto, ON Volunteer Dog Walker | Sep 2021 – Apr 2022. You don’t need to include the exact address on your resume.
Include volunteer roles that:
Use or develop job-related skills.
Highlight leadership, teamwork, or organization.
Involve a long-term commitment or make a significant impact.
Integrate your volunteer work as evidence of your character and values. Share how this experience changed your perspective. Did it help you learn key skills? Did it strengthen your passion for your field?
Volunteer experience demonstrates initiative, commitment, and diverse skill sets. It helps fill employment gaps with meaningful activity. It supports career changers by building industry-specific experience. It also boosts ATS optimization when it contains targeted keywords.
This is a dedicated section where you list your unpaid, nonprofit, or community work. It mirrors a work experience section but focuses on roles outside traditional employment. It can be especially useful for students, career changers, and applicants with limited work history.
