How to Create a Checklist for Including Volunteer Work on Your Resume

Volunteer work is an essential component of many people's lives, and it can play a significant role in shaping personal and professional growth. Including your volunteer experiences on your resume can demonstrate a range of valuable skills and attributes that employers often look for---such as leadership, teamwork, initiative, and a sense of community. However, to effectively communicate the value of your volunteer work on your resume, you need to approach it strategically. This guide will walk you through how to create a checklist for including volunteer work on your resume that highlights the key aspects employers care about.

Determine the Relevance of Your Volunteer Work

Before you start adding volunteer experiences to your resume, it's important to evaluate their relevance to the position you're applying for. The purpose of including volunteer work is to show that you have skills, experience, or characteristics that align with the job role, even if they were developed outside of a formal paid position.

Actionable Steps:

• Assess Skills and Experience: Look at the responsibilities you had in your volunteer role. Did you manage projects, lead teams, or organize events? These are transferable skills that employers value.
• Identify Relevant Positions: Focus on volunteer roles that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. If you're applying for a marketing position, include your volunteer work related to event promotion or social media campaigns.
• Align with Job Requirements: Compare the skills and experiences you gained through volunteer work with the job description. If there's an overlap, it's worth mentioning.

Tip:

If you have a broad range of volunteer experiences, prioritize the ones that are most aligned with the job you're targeting. Don't feel the need to list every volunteer activity you've ever done---be selective and strategic.

Decide Where to Place Volunteer Work on Your Resume

The placement of volunteer work on your resume depends on the overall structure and the importance of the experience in relation to your career. You should be mindful of how the volunteer experience will complement the rest of your resume.

Possible Sections for Volunteer Work:

• Experience: If your volunteer role is closely related to your professional experience or job objectives, you can list it under the "Work Experience" or "Professional Experience" section.
• Volunteer Experience: If the volunteer work is significant but not directly related to your career goals, you can create a separate section titled "Volunteer Experience" or "Community Involvement."
• Additional Information: In some cases, if the volunteer experience is less directly related, it could be placed under a broader section such as "Additional Information" or "Miscellaneous Experience."

Actionable Tip:

If you're just starting out or transitioning into a new field, position your volunteer experience higher on your resume to highlight transferable skills. For professionals with more experience, volunteer work may be placed further down or under a separate section.

Highlight Specific Achievements and Impact

Simply listing your volunteer roles won't be enough to impress employers. To truly stand out, it's important to describe what you accomplished during your volunteer work. Use metrics, numbers, and specific examples that demonstrate your impact.

Key Details to Include:

• Role and Responsibilities: What were your primary duties? Be clear about your role to provide context to the recruiter.
• Accomplishments: Did you help increase awareness for a cause? Did you help raise funds or recruit new volunteers? Be sure to mention tangible outcomes, such as "Raised $5,000 for charity" or "Increased social media engagement by 25%."
• Skills Gained: Did your volunteer work help you improve skills such as leadership, communication, project management, or problem-solving? Be explicit about these skills.

Actionable Tip:

Whenever possible, quantify your achievements. Instead of saying, "Helped with fundraising," say, "Led a team of 10 volunteers to raise $10,000 for local education programs."

Use Action Verbs and Results-Oriented Language

In the same way that you would describe your paid job roles, it's important to use action verbs and a results-oriented approach when describing your volunteer work. Employers appreciate concise, impactful descriptions that focus on your contributions.

Actionable Steps:

• Start with Action Verbs: Use strong action verbs such as "organized," "led," "managed," "coordinated," "developed," and "created" to describe your volunteer work.
• Focus on Results: Use language that demonstrates your outcomes. For example, instead of "assisted with event planning," try "coordinated a team of 15 volunteers to execute a successful fundraising event, attracting over 200 attendees."
• Tailor to the Job: Adjust the language and phrasing to match the requirements of the job you're applying for. If the position requires strong leadership skills, highlight any leadership experience from your volunteer work.

Tip:

Think of your volunteer experience as a job and treat it with the same level of professionalism when describing your role and impact.

Incorporate Keywords and Tailor Your Resume

Using the right keywords from the job description is important, especially in the age of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Including relevant keywords can help your resume get noticed by both automated systems and human recruiters.

Actionable Steps:

• Match Job Descriptions: Look at the skills and requirements listed in the job description and incorporate relevant keywords into your volunteer experience section.
• Use Relevant Terminology: If the job description includes specific technical or industry-related terms, try to incorporate those words (when appropriate) to make your volunteer experience more relevant.
• Be Honest: Only include skills or experiences you genuinely possess. Employers can usually spot overused buzzwords or exaggerated claims.

Tip:

Tailor each resume to the job you're applying for. Even small changes---like adjusting a few keywords or highlighting different volunteer experiences---can make a big difference in the hiring process.

Consider Including Volunteer Work in Your Cover Letter

If your volunteer work is particularly relevant to the position you're applying for, consider discussing it further in your cover letter. This allows you to provide more context around how your volunteer experiences have prepared you for the role.

Actionable Steps:

• Provide Context: In your cover letter, explain how your volunteer work helped you develop skills that are directly applicable to the job you want.
• Share a Personal Story: If appropriate, you can share a personal anecdote or describe how your volunteer work impacted your personal growth.
• Align with Company Values: If the company you're applying to values community involvement or social responsibility, mention how your volunteer work aligns with their mission.

Tip:

Your cover letter is an opportunity to go deeper into your volunteer work, showcasing your passion and commitment beyond what's written on your resume.

Keep It Professional and Organized

Lastly, ensure that your volunteer section maintains a level of professionalism and clarity. Avoid overloading the resume with unnecessary details and keep the format consistent with the rest of the document.

Actionable Steps:

• Be Concise: Don't go overboard with descriptions. Focus on the most important and impactful aspects of your volunteer work.
• Use Bullet Points: Bullet points make your resume easier to skim and help organize information clearly.
• Stay Consistent with Formatting: Use the same font, style, and layout as the rest of your resume for a cohesive look.

Tip:

If you have multiple volunteer roles, consider grouping them by organization or type of work to make it easier for the recruiter to digest.

Conclusion

Including volunteer work on your resume is an effective way to show that you are a well-rounded candidate with a strong sense of community and valuable transferable skills. By following this actionable checklist, you can ensure that your volunteer experience is presented in the best possible light, aligning it with the job you are applying for and emphasizing your achievements. Whether you are an experienced professional or just starting out, strategically showcasing your volunteer work can give you an edge in the competitive job market and demonstrate that you bring more than just technical qualifications to the table.

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