In this article, you'll learn how to turn volunteering into a career advantage, why employers value volunteers, and how to craft an attractive resume even without formal work experience.
Today, employers are increasingly focusing on real skills and knowledge. Sometimes, the deciding factor is not a degree or minimal work experience but rather a person's achievements, competencies, personal qualities, emotional intelligence level, and soft skills.
This is a golden time for volunteers. According to a large-scale American study by CNCS, unemployed individuals who participated in volunteer activities had a 27% higher chance of securing a job compared to those who never volunteered.
«This study shows that people with limited skills or social connections, especially those without a high school education, may see additional benefits from volunteering as a way to open doors and level the playing field», said Dr. Christopher Spera, Director of Evaluation and Research at CNCS.
Today, employers from nonprofits, international companies, startups, educational institutions, and government agencies are particularly attentive to volunteer experience in candidates.
Why employers value volunteers
Volunteering can indeed increase your chances of getting a job, especially if you've just graduated. The first and most important reason is the practical application of various skills. For example:
Organizing events and projects;
Teamwork;
Communication with different people;
Developing and implementing creative solutions;
Financial planning and resource management, etc.
The second important aspect is networking. The more actively a person engages in volunteer work, the more connections they make. Employers may be particularly interested in:
Meetings with representatives of various organizations and companies;
Participation in conferences and seminars;
Collaboration with experts.
Recommendation letters work especially well. Don't hesitate to collect them while participating in volunteer initiatives.The third key point is proof of personal qualities. Volunteering shows self-motivation, commitment to a cause, and an active life position.This can be particularly important for companies that promote specific corporate values and social responsibility.There are also less obvious reasons. For example, many people take long career breaks to raise children, undergo treatment, travel, learn a new profession, etc. If you perform volunteer tasks during these breaks, it’s easy to fill your resume with relevant experience.Finally, an experienced volunteer can stand out among hundreds of other candidates by showcasing their interests, humanity, and achievements in different areas.
How to find the best resume «boosters»
Not all types of volunteering are equally interesting to employers. This doesn’t mean you should abandon your favorite projects just to improve your resume. It’s just useful to know what experience is sure to impress recruiters.
Surefire options
1. Professionally-oriented volunteering. These are projects related to your field of work, education, or desired career.
2. Leadership positions. Aim for roles that allow you to showcase organizational, management, and communication skills.
3. Long-term projects. Participation in initiatives lasting months or years demonstrates commitment to important ideas, responsibility, and resilience.
4. International volunteering. Shows adaptability, language skills, and the ability to present yourself, among other things.
Examples
Field and possible additions to Skills/Experience:
Medical organizations:
Assisting medical staff
Working with patients
Organizing events for sick children
Fundraising for equipment, etc.
Education:
Working with children in schools
Libraries
Organizing events
Tutoring students or schoolchildren
Environmental protection:
Organizing ecological campaigns
Conducting clean-ups
Waste sorting
Social sector:
Working in nursing homes
Organizing events for the homeless
Helping migrants adapt
Digital volunteering:
Developing websites for nonprofits
Creating social media content
Providing technical support
Collaboration with large organizations. By default, this adds weight to your experience: large organizations have clear processes and dedicate significant time to training.
How to structure your resume
To correctly reflect your achievements in volunteer projects in your CV, follow a simple algorithm:
Create a separate section «Volunteer Experience» or include it under «Work Experience».
Specify the organization’s name, your role, and the period of volunteering.
Describe your responsibilities and results using active verbs.
If possible, provide specific figures. For example: «Raised €5000 for a charity project».
List the skills gained that are relevant to the desired position. Be sure to use keywords from the job listing.
If you're using a pre-designed template that doesn't allow for detailed descriptions of your volunteer work, there are three ways to add the necessary information:
In the «Work Experience» section: «Volunteer Coordinator, Association for Supporting Children with Cancer (2019-2022)».
In the «Skills» section: «Event organization, fundraising, project documentation management».
In the «Additional Interests» section: «Member of a local public organization…» — followed by three sentences with achievements, figures, and facts.
Remember: the quality of information is more important than its quantity. Focus on the most significant, relevant aspects for the job. And never hesitate to talk about what you've accomplished.
To avoid common mistakes and prepare a competitive CV, check out some entertaining statistics collected from major online career platforms.