Volunteering Can Help You Stay Motivated And Social, Too!
There are a lot of work and community endeavors that rely on the efforts and continued generosity of volunteers. And while volunteering provides a lot of benefits to local communities, it also provides benefits to the individuals who choose to offer up their time and energy to causes in need. Volunteering helps both those who give and those who receive.
In numerous studies and cursory research panels, volunteering has been shown to increase confidence, enhance a sense of personal achievement, build new skill sets, boost overall mood, and provide a healthy social outlet by creating the opportunity to engage regularly with other community members. In addition to all of that, volunteering is also an excellent way to put work experience on a resume and to stay motivated, whether you are just starting out in your career, or if you are planning a career change. Volunteering can also bolster college applications, too.
If you are considering a new volunteer endeavor, or if you have been volunteering for a while and want to add the experience to your resume, here are three key tips to help you list your volunteer experience for maximum positive effect.
Tip #1: Create a special work section on your resume that highlights your volunteer work experiences
According to several resume help websites, hiring managers love to see volunteer experiences on a resume. This means you will want to make the volunteering aspect of your work experience stand out. Volunteering shows commitment to a cause and a personal motivation to do something beyond just earning a paycheck for your work. Be sure not to simply slip your volunteer work experiences into the general work section on your resume. Create that special section for them, so they stand out to college admissions personnel and potential hiring managers.
Tip #2: List your volunteer work experiences in a similar format as your paid work experiences
Just because you weren’t paid for the work you did does not mean the experience is to be considered less-than. Treat the volunteer work experience section of your resume just as professionally as the paid work experience portion of the document. Stick to the same formatting you used when you listed your paid work. Be sure to list the details of the jobs you did as a volunteer, the achievements you accomplished in doing them, and the skills you picked up along the way.
As Stride Career Success Coach, Tyng Kam further explains, “I believe in volunteering because it offers me the best platform to connect with like-minded people. Additionally, it is one of the best ways to learn new skills, by getting involved in projects that I don’t typically get to do in my full-time job.”
And, be sure to find out more about how Stride Career Success Coaches Can Help You Get Results!
Tip #3: Connect your volunteer work experiences to where you want to go in the future with your career
When listing your volunteer work experiences on your resume, it is also important to remember to include keywords in the description that connects your volunteer experience back to the role you want to attain. This is essential for both job and college applications. You will also want to make sure you are strongly highlighting any transferable skills that you gained, which can take you from where you are now to where you want to be. And, if there are work gaps on your resume, you can potentially leverage volunteer work that you were doing during the gap to fill in for the time period, too.
Career Prep can make a big difference in greater career trajectory and life skills. To learn more about the key benefits of career prep for teens, be sure to check out this Stride Insights article here!
Wondering if Stride Career Prep can help you better achieve your goals? Visit the site to learn more about all of the options that Stride can offer you: https://www.stridelearning.com/career-prep.html
