Yep, add Volunteering to your Resumé
Responsibility, team spirit, and initiative: Why volunteer work belongs on your resume
Views are my own.
Many applicants make the same mistake: they think that volunteer work doesn’t belong on their resume at all, or only at the very bottom.
But volunteer work is often exactly what sets you apart from others.
Because let’s be honest: In a world full of perfect resumes and buzzwords, volunteer work shows something that no certificate can express. That extra mile of commitment.
You don’t just sit around in your free time, you actively contribute something. But beware of typical red flags in job advertisements.
It demonstrates a sense of responsibility, resilience, teamwork, and genuine motivation. Learn why the current job market feels to tough.
For example, if you have organized a club party, coach a youth team, or regularly take on responsibility in a church community, then these are real leadership experiences.
You manage people, plan projects, and resolve conflicts. These are all things that also count in a job. And that is exactly what employers are looking for. These are the top growing future jobs until 2030.
Volunteering on your resume: When should you highlight it?
Basically, you can mention it at any point in your career, but especially when:
- You are still at the beginning of your career, for example during an internship, dual study program, or apprenticeship.
- Your involvement demonstrates transferable skills: organization, communication, leadership, teamwork.
- You have achieved visible results or successes, e.g., a specific event.
Volunteer work on your resume: Where to put it
You can create a separate category in your resume for volunteer work and call it, for example, “Volunteer Work” or “Volunteering.”
If you are further along in your career and still want to include volunteer work, you no longer need to describe it in detail. A rough indication of the time period and title is sufficient.
Many people simply write a keyword in their resume such as “volunteer work in an association” or “member of a youth club” and leave it at that. This is wasted potential if you are still at the beginning of your career.
If you have already invested time and energy in volunteer work, then feel free to show what you have learned and achieved there. Don’t waste your time with case studies: 9 warning signs of free work
Also, describe in more detail what you did:
- When? Year and/or months
- How?
- With what result
Have you planned events, led a team, or launched a project? Then describe this in active, results-oriented terms. Yet, never fall in love with a job description.
Example:
✅ “Organization of a summer party with 200 participants, responsibility for budget and sponsors”
✅ “Coach of a junior sports team (10 children), weekly training, competition management, and team development”
✅ “Coordination of Instagram posts for club channel, increased reach by 40%”
And if you realize that you don’t have a volunteer position right now, now is the perfect time to find one!
🎨 Free CV / Resumé Template on Figma →
Shared with mentees for years, NYCHE CareeraCard® template users landed interviews at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Google, Deloitte, and more.
💜 Feedback & Questions: Feel free to follow me on LinkedIn
👏 Clap if you liked the story
