How To List Volunteer Work Experience On Your CV

In this article, we'll provide a step-by-step guide to making a volunteer CV, with examples, tips and templates.

Why include volunteer work on your CV?

Adding volunteer work to your CV can be an invaluable way of showing you have the necessary skills for the job. Some of the key reasons for including volunteer work on a CV are:

These benefits of volunteer experience make it an ideal addition to any CV for candidates at the following career stages or situations:

• Students and graduates
• Career changers
• Candidates with employment gaps
• Applicants lacking relevant paid experience
• People applying to mission-driven organisations

How to list your volunteer experience on your CV

Volunteer experience is typically placed in its own CV section, below the core work experience, education and skills sections. However, there are times when it's appropriate and beneficial to include your volunteer roles within the main work experience section. Below is an example of a CV with a dedicated section to volunteer experience:

Read on for guidance on how to list your volunteer work in your CV in a way that creates a positive impact with employers and recruiters:

When should you include volunteer work in your experience section?

If your volunteer experience is directly relevant to the industry or role you're applying for, it might be best to include it in your work experience section. This is especially true if your paid work experience in the sector or field of expertise is limited. Whether you're just starting out in your career, changing careers or specialisms, or returning to work after a career break, adding relevant volunteer work in your work experience section can be a positive move. If it showcases key skills required for the job, its impact will be even greater.

When you format your volunteer experience in the same way as your work experience, ATS software will recognise and value it the same as paid work experience. This gives you a stronger chance of passing any automated screening stage of the recruitment process. However, listing volunteering in your work experience section also makes sense when it comes to a hiring manager evaluating your CV.

Some examples of voluntary roles that could have relevance to paid roles include:

When should you create a separate volunteer section?

Creating a separate, dedicated volunteer section in your CV is worth doing if your volunteering record isn't directly related to the job you're applying for. Listing your volunteer roles in their own section can help you to show skills that match the job description, especially if you're lacking evidence of these from your track record of paid employment.

Some of the benefits of creating a dedicated volunteer section in your CV are:

How to format your volunteer experience (with an example)

Whether you include volunteer work in your CV's work experience section, or in a dedicated volunteering section, list them in reverse chronological order and include the same details as for a paid role:

• Role
• Organisation
• Date range
• Tasks, skills and accomplishments

If you add your volunteer experience in the work experience section of your CV, make sure you include the word ‘Volunteer’ in front of the title so it's clear it was a volunteer position.

Here is a completed example of a volunteer role entry, using this template, in a CV for a marketing executive application:

Explaining the value of your volunteer work

Over the years, it has been well documented that employers value volunteer work highly and tend to favour candidates with volunteer experience (1). The top reasons being that volunteering shows passion, a growth mindset and proactivity. However, you'll still want to explain how the role has prepared you for the job you're applying for.

You can do this by showing how your volunteer activities helped you acquire and action skills that match those listed in the job description:

'Led a team of 10 volunteer fundraisers, training on fundraising techniques and scheduling and managing their phone-based and door-to-door activities.'

Or, by highlighting quantifiable achievements that show the impact you made on the organisation, or its customers and stakeholders:

'Coordinated outreach with local businesses and high-net-worth individuals, increasing donations by 26% over a two-year period.'

And finally, by demonstrating how your involvement as a volunteer shaped your career choices and priorities:

'Trained in event coordination, acquiring valuable experience of budgeting, logistics planning and risk assessment.'

When to list volunteer experience on your CV

Listing volunteer experience on your CV can be beneficial no matter what stage of your career you’re at. However, there are some situations where mentioning volunteer experience can especially work in your favour:

When not to include volunteer experience on your CV

Remember, it's important that your volunteer work adds something persuasive to your application that you couldn't otherwise prove through your work experience. Follow these rules to decide when not to include your volunteering on your CV:

Equally, if you have an extensive career history, it’s perfectly fine to think about leaving your volunteer experience off your CV. Ultimately, you need to decide how you want to present your skills, experience and expertise. Use one of our CV templates to ensure a professional presentation of your skills and work experience.

What types of volunteering activities should you consider including on your CV?

The type of volunteering activities you choose to list on your CV will depend on the role you’re applying for, and the types of skills they help you showcase. While volunteer roles that directly relate to your desired role or industry sector are particularly powerful, any volunteer position can be valuable if it helps you show skills the employer has included as 'essential' or 'desirable' on the job listing.

That said, the following activities are a great addition to any CV:

• Community fundraiser: demonstrates the ability to manage budgets and coordinate people.
• Volunteer nurse: displays healthcare skills.
• Sports coach: shows leadership, decision-making and organisational skills.
• Soup kitchen staff: demonstrate the ability to work in a team.
• Blood drive organiser: shows compassion and organisational skills.
• English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher: highlights the ability to interact with people from all cultures.
• Dog walker: demonstrates compassion, the ability to coordinate schedules (with dog owners) and trustworthiness.
• Care worker: displays emotional intelligence, empathy and patience.
• Litter picker: demonstrates care for the environment.

You could also mention any professional work that you provided free of charge. For example, this might include providing legal advice, accounting or marketing services for charities or faith-based and community organisations.

Examples of Volunteer Experience on a CV

Take a look at these volunteering CV examples for inspiration when writing your own CV:

Good examples of volunteering on a CV

The example below shows a volunteer event coordinator role. It highlights key skills related to event organisation and delivery, including logistics, budgeting, vendor coordination, team management and project management skills. The description also includes key achievements and metrics indicative of high performance in an event planning role.

The following example showcases strong social media management experience, which could be applied to any marketing or social media application, regardless of the industry sector. The entry references various key duties and responsibilities for an entry-level position, along with clear performance indicators.

The final good example, shown below, shows a tutor volunteer role, but includes reference to key transferable skills that could be applied to any job. The bullet points showcase the candidate's performance, while also indicating development of valuable soft skills.

Bad example of volunteering on a CV

This example shows a volunteering entry that would add no value to a job application. The specific role isn't named, making it difficult for the reader to assess whether the experience is useful for the position you're applying for. Similarly, the description of responsibilities is vague, while the soft skills are clichéd and of limited value without context or evidence of the impact they had on your performance.

Dos and don’ts for including volunteer experience in your CV

Following these dos and don'ts when adding volunteer work to your CV will ensure the content makes the best possible impact with employers and recruiters:

Where to find volunteer work

If you’re looking for volunteering opportunities, there are many ways to find them. Here are a few tips for identifying volunteering opportunities that could boost your next job application:

Key takeaways for adding volunteering to a CV

Adding volunteering to your CV can be a deciding factor in your chances of success. When considering whether to add volunteering to your CV, think about whether you lack relevant work experience – if so, volunteering can help fill that gap. List volunteer roles in your work experience section if they match the job title or description, or include more general volunteering in its own dedicated section.

Format volunteering in the same way as a work experience entry, referencing skills that reflect the job description and mentioning the impact your volunteering had on the organisation. Use volunteering as a means of showing how you've developed and actioned transferable skills that are relevant to the role you're applying for.

Jobseeker's CV resources and tools can help you create a winning CV in minutes, to showcase your volunteer experience in the best possible light. Sign up today and use the customisable CV and cover letter templates to create an eye-catching application that gives you the best chances of success.

Sources:

(1) The British Psychological Society: Applicants' voluntary experience is valued by recruiters