Job seekers often ask us if they should include a volunteer section on their resume. Historically, we have said no...unless the volunteer roles directly relate to the position being sought.
However, we gained some fresh insight about volunteering and it's worth on a resume at a recent job fair. A hiring manager at an adjacent booth indicated that he has observed that up-and-coming generations strongly want to work for businesses with a social conscience.
Simply put, companies with a commitment to volunteering get more applications from Gen Z job-seekers.
But it works the other way, too. Companies with a strong community service presence appreciate seeing volunteer roles on a resume, as it shows these applicants would be a good match for their company culture.
What does Revision Resume Suggest as a Result of this New Information?
We suggest job-seekers take the following 3 steps:
1) Conduct Company Research Before Applying
As always, do your research on the company you are applying to. See what matters to them. Do they have a passion for community involvement? Do you have volunteer roles that you could include to match? That is, does your volunteer work align with the company's priorities?
For example, are you already volunteering for an organization or cause the business supports? If so, this may make it valuable for you to include your volunteer experience in your job application.
2) Review Your Resume for Space
Do you have space to add a volunteer section to your resume? If yes, then it makes sense to add it in.
If adding your volunteer section means your resume would extend to a new page, you should really think through the options. Is there something on the resume that isn't relevant for this particular role? It might be wise to remove it to make space. If not, check your formatting. Can you reduce the font and still stay at 10 point or above? Or could you change the margins and still have at least 0.5 inches on all sides?
3) Consider your Cover Letter Instead
If you don't have room to adjust your formatting and believe all of your current resume content is valuable, it probably doesn't make sense to try to squeeze a volunteer section onto your resume.
How else could you communicate your community involvement?
Revision Resume suggests adding it as a bullet on your cover letter. This is the perfect way to incorporate your volunteer roles without compromising your resume.
Final Thoughts on a Volunteer Section
Whether or not you include volunteer roles on your resume may vary from job application to job application. Or, it may be a detail you want to include in your cover letter for specific roles you are targeting.
This is another example of why the "spray and pray" method of applying for jobs generally doesn't work. You need to be able to adjust your resume, cover letter, and application for each specific job. This is the best way to show you are good match, both for the job opening and the company culture.
As Revision Resume learns more from talking with hiring managers and recruiters, we will continue to share this knowledge with our blog readers. Our goal is provide job seekers the valuable information they need to achieve success in their search!
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