April is National Volunteer Month! BU students complete an estimated 130,000 hours of community service each year. However, many do not realize that by giving back to their community, they are also gaining valuable experience that can enhance any resume. Here are some top tips on how you can include your valuable volunteering experience on your resume.
1. Match the formatting of your other job experiences
One thing employers look for in resumes is formatting consistency. Your volunteer experience does not need to be an exception to this rule. If you are unsure what to list as a “job title,” simply listing “Volunteer” is incredibly effective at communicating your role.
2. Consider creating a new section
If you have completed a lot of volunteering and are applying to positions that value community service, you could consider creating an additional section to your resume titled “Volunteer Experience,” “Community Service Experience,” or another similar title. This will allow you to highlight how much you have given back and give a lot of space to showcase the skills you have gained.
3. Remember keywords
As you apply to jobs, pay attention to the words that you see appearing in job descriptions. These keywords help you translate your experience into the “language” of your industry. Professors and people in your network can also help you identify some of the important keywords for your industry. Your volunteer experiences do not need to abandon keywords. If you are applying for a job that emphasizes teamwork, talk about how many people you collaborated with on a project. If the job emphasizes event planning, you can talk about a fundraising event that you helped to plan. Keywords help you demonstrate how your volunteer experience is transferable to your new job.
4. Include accomplishments and quantifications
We say this for all bullet points, but remember to talk about the outcome, accomplishments, and qualifications of the work you did. Instead of saying, “painted local school building,” you could say something along the lines of: “Collaborated with 2 local nonprofits to organize day-long volunteer event with 30 participants, resulting in 5 updated classroom murals.”
5. Don’t be afraid to brag!
Humility is an asset in many situations, but your resume is the time and place to brag about yourself. This is hard for many students to do, but remember to be proud of what you have done! Don’t be afraid to share accolades, awards, and honors that you have received from your volunteer work.
Volunteering and community service can be an integral part of many students’ college experience. Employers recognize the incredible value of giving back to your community, and are eager to hear about the skills that you gained through the volunteer work that you did.
BU + Beyond 