Volunteering has some well-known benefits: it allows you to create a positive impact in your community by doing good for others, it enhances social skills and provides you with a sense of purpose. Working as a volunteer can also offer valuable experience and practical skills that can be used throughout your professional life, especially if you’re looking to start a career in the Social Impact space. But when and how should you include volunteer experience on your resume? Here are some tips to help you leverage your volunteer experience to make your resume stand out.

When should you include volunteer experience on your resume?

Depending on the role you’re applying for, community service can be almost as valuable as paid work. If the volunteer experience is relevant for the job you want, and the skills required for the volunteer experience match the ones for the job, then it’s important that you include it. Aside from enhancing your skills, it shows you’re proactive and that you have a passion for this particular field.

Adding a volunteer experience that matches the role may also improve your chances of getting the job when you have little or no professional experience. It indicates that you’re willing to work for a cause you believe in and take opportunities to learn how to work in an organization, as part of a team.

It is also important to highlight volunteer experience if you have a gap in your resume. Justifying your absence from the job market with a purpose-led experience can be a good thing. Also, it shows that even when you’re not in a paid position, you’re still looking to enhance your skills while working on behalf of the community.

Does volunteering count as work experience? Where should you put it on your resume?

Volunteering can count as work experience and be added to the professional background section on your resume if the activities and skills acquired or developed during your service are relevant for the job you’re applying for, and if you don’t have extensive work experience.

The volunteer work must be added after the relevant work experience and you must make it clear that it’s a volunteer position. And as in any other work experience, it’s important to highlight the name of the organization, the dates, your main responsibilities and achievements, using as many action verbs and metrics as possible.

If you have enough previous work experience but would also like to showcase relevant volunteer work, it’s best to include a separate section after the professional background. And if the volunteer experience does not directly relate to the role you’re applying for, you can add a brief line at the end of the resume indicating your role, the organization and the dates.