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A friend told me not to do this and I used to do this but I've decided to take it off as volunteer. If you volunteer, what do you do? After all, a resume is a marketing tool and I may as well look like I'm currently employed, even if for free and part-time. What do you do?
I tried doing it without listing it as volunteer work once, and when they asked me how much I had been making in the position and I told them it was a volunteer position, they immediately ended the interview. I would rather that they had rejected me from the start and saved me the cost of gas and parking fees to get to teh interview.
After that I began listing it as volunteer work. As long as I can verify the applicant did the work and get a good reference, I consider it on the same level as an internship. In other words I'll definitely use it in my hiring decision as having experience.
It is always best to list all your skills. Volunteer work shows you have dedication and are interested in helping others, which is looked at favorably by, if not all, most employers. Definetely list it.
I agree that Volunteer work should be listed as it shows that you have experience in certain areas and can fill the void in a resume if you have been unemployed for a while.
Thanks all, but my question is...do I have to list it as volunteer on my resume? Can't I just put the name of the organization, what I do and dates of service? When they ask me how much my salary is, would it be too flip to say the good feeling of giving back to the community? I know it's odd, but isn't the idea to get an interview? Considering many ads say "the unemployed need not apply," I wouldn't even have a chance if I say it's only volunteer.
I'd risk the interview ending immediately when I say it's volunteering, as most IVs haven't turned out that well for me lately (not that I've been on many).
Yeah, looks good to do something for the community, but sure looks better if it appears I am currently being paid for the work I do.
Oh, and another thing, I was shocked when someone else told me to put "disability" to explain any gaps in employment. Could that possibly help me get a job? Do they have a quota to fill?
Thanks all, but my question is...do I have to list it as volunteer on my resume? Can't I just put the name of the organization, what I do and dates of service? When they ask me how much my salary is, would it be too flip to say the good feeling of giving back to the community? I know it's odd, but isn't the idea to get an interview? Considering many ads say "the unemployed need not apply," I wouldn't even have a chance if I say it's only volunteer.
I'd risk the interview ending immediately when I say it's volunteering, as most IVs haven't turned out that well for me lately (not that I've been on many).
Yeah, looks good to do something for the community, but sure looks better if it appears I am currently being paid for the work I do.
I wouldn't say the pay is "giving back to the community" but rather that the pay has been to keep your skills fresh. I still would list it as volunteer work, but address the keeping skills fresh component in the cover letter. Good luck!
BTW--I'm still floored that comapnies state "unemployed need not apply" in their ads. Of course it's their perrogative, but it seems like they'd be losing out on a lot of strong potnetial candidates.
I wouldn't say the pay is "giving back to the community" but rather that the pay has been to keep your skills fresh. I still would list it as volunteer work, but address the keeping skills fresh component in the cover letter. Good luck!
Excellent! Thanks!
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BTW--I'm still floored that comapnies state "unemployed need not apply" in their ads. Of course it's their perrogative, but it seems like they'd be losing out on a lot of strong potnetial candidates.
Sad but true. That is why I wonder if I MUST list it as volunteer. I love the "keeping my skills fresh" answer, and I could always fess up in a phone interview after I've "wowed" them (yeah, right) with my other brilliant chatter.
Actually, I am in the process of fabricating this whole story, which is partly true. Yes, I am divorced but not recently. Yes, I thought I could get by for life on money I had and supplement with a PT job with benefits and discovered I couldn't, hence getting back into the work force, so it would be more like a white lie. I figure everyone else lies and I'm tired of being so dang honest.
I put down my volunteer work as well as the three internships I did in college-one which was a paid job that I stayed at for 5 years. I was a stay at home Mom for 12 years. I was a Girl Scout Leader for 13. I held offices within the Service Unit-such as science coordinator where I set up events dealing with science and the girls earned badges. I was also on our school district's transportation advisory committee where we put together the handbook and policies for the transportation department to follow. My one internship was with a Minor League Baseball team and they liked me so much, I stayed on long after the internship was over-then I became a season ticket holder.
So while I wasn't paid, I showed that I was still involved with projects. I handled money, event planning, ordering of supplies, wrote newsletters, maintained a data base. So it shows I was keeping my skills up to date. I find though it's the short sighted interviewer who doesn't think volunteer work is worth anything-those I've run across too. I'd list volunteer work without hesitation on a resume.
Many companies look favorable on people who are involved in their community and if you work in sales, pr, marketing and other areas - it is a definite benefit to you to put this on your resume. It shows involvement with other people and selfishly on thier end - contact. Your involvement only makes the company look better.
You can put it at the end of your resume under Other Activities even if you no longer do the activity, you can put when you did it in a time frame even if it was a once a year event.
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