A dedicated Volunteer Work section will make your resume shine!

Your resume should make the best kind of first impression with potential employers and recruiters. There will be hundreds of other equally skilled peers applying for the same job as you. So how do you make your job application stand out? You make the best out of all your resume sections and add as much unique information to you as possible. A dedicated volunteer experience section will benefit your resume a lot. If you are writing a resume for a nonprofit employer, this section is a must-have.

If you are just starting in your career, a dedicated volunteer work section will help you add a lot of experience to your resume. This is particularly beneficial if you have little to no paid work experience. If you have a long gap in your career, a volunteer work section will help you fill that gap on your resume (provided that you did some volunteering during your career gap).

A dedicated volunteer work section on your resume serves another excellent purpose. It shows potential employers that you are passionate about giving back to the community. This tells them that you are not just money-driven and have some admirable core values. This will help you create a positive first impression in the employer’s mind.

First, create the volunteer experience section

The volunteer work section can go right under the work experience section of your resume. In this section, you are going to describe any unpaid work that you have done which are relevant to the job you are applying for. Don’t worry too much if the volunteer work you have done is not directly related to the scope of the new job. You can find a way to describe your volunteer roles in a way that aligns with the job description!

List your volunteer work just like your paid work

Now that you have defined the section, you can start listing your experiences in reverse chronological order. Be sure to list your volunteer work consistently in the way you have listed your work experience in your career history. Each entry you make must mention the following information:

• Volunteering position
• Organization title
• Location
• Relevant dates
• Your role and achievements

If you want, you can also briefly explain what your volunteer organization does in a single line before you get to the achievements.

Tweak it to match the job description

This step is not essential unless you don’t have any paid work experience related to the role you are applying for. Volunteer work doesn’t need to be entirely related to the new job, it is simply a way of showing your community involvement and capacity to take on additional responsibilities to a potential employer. However, if you are applying for a job without related experience, it is important to tailor the volunteer work section. Be sure to describe your role and achievements in a way that they tie back to the job you are applying for.

Not sure how best to bring out your volunteer work on your resume? The expert resume writers of Resume Mansion can help you. Visit our website at www.resumemansion.com and choose the resume package that will get you closer to your dream job!