Volunteer experience in resume

It’s important to treat resume volunteer work correctly when crafting your resume for both paid and volunteer positions. Discover how to create a successful resume for volunteer work.

How to Include Volunteer Experience on a Resume

Volunteer work is something that’s very attractive to hiring managers. Placing your volunteer experience in a resume shows potential employers that you’re willing to give up your time to serve others and help worthy causes. Many people are slightly confused about how to display resume volunteer experience when creating sections on their resumes.

Whether you’re applying for a paid job or putting together a resume for volunteer position openings, you’ll want to list any and all relevant volunteer experience. It’s always important to make sure that the section you create to display your history as a volunteer flows with the rest of your resume. You should maintain a consistent tone and format when you list and describe the details of your experience as a volunteer.

Where to Place Volunteer Resume Work When Applying for Paid Positions

Are you wondering where to place volunteer work in resume formats? The general rule is to place volunteer experience in a separate section near the bottom of your resume. Your volunteer experience should be listed below your paid work experience and education.

All volunteer work should be used to supplement your actual work history when you’re applying for a paid position. You may want to go into more detail about your volunteer position if the work you did actually relates to the career field you’re currently applying for jobs in. For instance, someone who has volunteered at an animal shelter should highlight that fact when applying for a job in a veterinarian’s office.

Where to Place Volunteer Resume Work When Applying for Volunteer Positions

It is acceptable to make your volunteer work history the main focus of your resume if you’re applying for volunteer positions. You should list your volunteer positions using the same format you would use if you were describing paid positions. Be sure to include the name of the organization you served, the location where you worked and your dates of service. You can then go into detail regarding the specific tasks and responsibilities you dealt with during your time as a volunteer.

Effective Phrases for Highlighting Volunteer Experience in Resume

You can keep descriptions of your volunteer work relatively short if you’re creating a category to place near the bottom of your resume. You may want to go into more detail if your volunteering history is the main focus of your resume.

It’s important to use action verbs and specific details when listing your achievements and contributions during your time as a volunteer. Some key phrases you can use to highlight why your volunteer experience makes you a good candidate include:

    • Successfully led fundraisers
    • Helped to launch various initiatives
    • Dedicated many hours per week to providing hands-on assistance
    • Was promoted to lead other volunteers

Always Be Accurate and Honest Regarding Resume Volunteer Work

Many job applicants mistakenly believe that hiring managers won’t verify volunteer experience listed on a resume because it doesn’t count as paid employment. However, the opposite is true. Most hiring managers will verify volunteer work that is listed on a resume. This is why it is so crucial to be completely honest and accurate when detailing your volunteer history.