Volunteering: good for your resume

[shenmue]

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20141121-dont-forget-this-on-your-cv

From the article:

In a 2013 survey by global consulting firm Deloitte, more than four out of five US human resources managers said that skills and experience gained while volunteering are taken into consideration when deciding whether to hire a candidate. And in a reed.co.uk survey commissioned by London-based volunteer facilitator TimeBank, 80% of UK employers said that they value volunteering on a CV.

[Thinkingabout]

1. Though I am in the market for a job volunteering has been most rewarding.

It has brought me from being an introvert to an extrovert, my pay id seeing a smiling face looking back at me, very powerful.

[malaise]

2. My generation did a lot of volunteering

We simply liked being involved and it worked out well.

[PeoViejo]

3. It tells your potential Boss that you are willing to work for free.

To me, volunteering is like voting: It's none of their business.

[AgingAmerican]

5. No, it doesn't tell them that

When we hire volunteers, it isn't with the expectation that they will work for us without pay.

[brooklynite]

6. Before my first job I interned for free at 5 City agencies...

It gave me a breadth of experience I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise, and it showed my employer a range of skills I had acquired. It did NOT suggest I didn't expect to get paid for a permanent position.

[Major Nikon]

9. That's what volunteering is

But just because someone volunteers for something they feel is a worthwhile cause, doesn't mean they are willing to be productive for a company for free. That would be a pretty silly inference to make.

What it says to a potential employer is that you are self-motivated, which is one of the very best attributes an employee can demonstrate.

[AgingAmerican]

4. A couple of our best workers started as volunteers

My sister was just hired by a shelter she volunteers at. Even if you don't get hired, it's the right thing to do sometimes.

[Xithras]

7. Yep, I've told people this for years. It works both ways though.

I don't volunteer to get a leg up on the competition, but I don't shy away from listing it on my resume either. Over the years, I've done everything from lead scout troops (shows leadership skills, though I ended up quitting over the LGBT issue), to maintaining computers and teaching computer skills courses at local women's and homeless shelters. I used to NOT list it on my resume, but after I mentioned it once to a new boss after getting hired, and he called me an idiot for not putting it down. He told me flat out that it had been a close hire between me and three other people, and that if I'd listed my volunteering it wouldn't have even been close. It's been on my resume ever since.

Do be aware, though, that it can sometimes PREVENT you from getting a job. While volunteering tells a potential employer that you are willing to go above and beyond to support things you believe in, and that you're generally a good person, it ALSO tells them that you have other things competing with your time that may interfere with planned work hours and scheduling. If you're applying for a job with variable work hours, it's important to let the potential employer know that volunteer efforts will be scheduled around your regular job, and not vice versa.

[Ykcutnek]

8. Because with some of the wages these companies pay...

It's almost like volunteering.