How to add Volunteering to your Resume

So, you’re a student looking to get your foot in the door of the ever-changing job market. Armed with your studies and some volunteer experiences, you set on your journey for glory.

By now your resume has those things and probably your education history, interests, and maybe a couple of languages you learned or inherited from your family.

You might be worried that you lack relevant work experience to the jobs you’re seeking and this perceived gap seems to put a dent in your resume. You wonder what can be done to fill in the gap. 

Well, if you’ve made it to this post, then you’ve either outsmarted the system and figured out how to close that gap but hey, just in case here’s the answer you’re seeking: Volunteer experience. 

For students trying to get a leg in the industry, your volunteering experiences could be the star setter in your resume that can get you out of the maybe pile and into the Yes pile.

When adding your volunteering experience, here are a few considerations that you will need to keep in mind 

• Volunteering can go under “Work Experience” only if it’s very relevant to the position you are applying for, otherwise, it should be under “Volunteering”

• If you want to add the position under “Work Experience”, ensure to treat it as a job and provide meaningful descriptions of the role and highlight your achievements during the experience

• For experiences under “Volunteering”, provide concise detail about the position

See sample below for applying for a teaching position

Work Experience

Arabic Language & Culture Teacher Jun 17 – Current

Arabic Culture School, Doncaster East, Australia

• Taught the following subjects: Language, Culture, and History

• Assessed student’s work and provided constructive feedback

• Organised and supervised class presentations and trips

Other Activities

• Designed Curriculum for Grades 3 – 6

• Directed 3 different summer plays for grades 3,4 and 6 

Volunteering

• Jafra Dabke Group (Jul 14 – Present), Dance Instructor and event organiser

• Arabian Nights Language Group (Jul 14 – Present) Organiser and host of the monthly meetup

I hope you find this post useful. If you want to learn more about articulating volunteer experience into your resume, I would suggest checking out this post on enhancing your resume’s volunteering section.