Volunteer Experience
OPTIONAL SECTION
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
A volunteer section can make a big difference on a C.V or resume. Not only is it a great way to show how conscientious and civic minded you are, but in certain industries, it can go a long way to showing you have the type of character and commitment needed for that line of work
Volunteer experience is important because employers are interested in learning about your contributions to the greater good of society. When making listings in a volunteer section, do this in the same way that you would for other sections of your C.V, either providing the listings in reverse chronological order, or listing them in a functional based format
Volunteer experience can be listed in the activities, memberships, and activities section, or it can be included in the additional information section instead. Alternatively, you can make your own heading under a dedicated Volunteer Experience section, which is normally more effective, unless your volunteer experience is minimal – in which case it can sometimes be more impactful to include it within the other aforementioned sections we’ve mentioned here
Overall, a volunteer experience section can be a great way to showcase any addition work experience on top of the professional experience you have accumulated over the course of your career
If you have professional employment experience on top of volunteer experience, it is acceptable to list both types of experience in your employment history section, and if you want to draw additional inference to it, you can also list it again in optional sections such as activities, memberships, and professional affiliations, additional information, or you can place it in its own dedicated volunteer section. Whether you choose to do this or not is up to you – it usually depends on how much inference you want to draw to the volunteer experience itself, as well as on how much other information you have to include on your document too
If you don’t have any experience other than the volunteer experience itself, it is normally advisable to list it in the employment history section of your C.V or resume. However, to flesh this out, many people choose to give a standard overview of their volunteer experience in the employment history section, and will then elaborate on this experience further in a volunteer section, again; whether or not you want do so is up to you
Where should I include a Volunteer Experience section on a C.V or Resume?
Contact Details
Profile Statement – Career statement, personal statement, or resume objective
OPTIONAL SECTION – Activities, Memberships, and Professional Affiliations
OPTIONAL SECTION – You can include a Volunteer Experience section here
Employment History
OPTIONAL SECTION – Education
OPTIONAL SECTION – Relevant courses
OPTIONAL SECTION – Honors and Awards
OPTIONAL SECTION – Certifications/ Qualifications
OPTIONAL SECTION – Conferences
Skills
OPTIONAL SECTION – Hobbies and Interests
OPTIONAL SECTION – Languages
OPTIONAL SECTION – Projects
OPTIONAL SECTION – Training Courses
OPTIONAL SECTION – Publications
OPTIONAL SECTION – Additional Information