See how to talk about volunteering on your CV. It really helps show off your skills, positive attitude and experience!
The benefits of volunteering
There are so many benefits to volunteering! It allows you to use your skills to benefit other people and your community, to give back to causes you care about, and to make a positive difference in the world. It can also improve your mental health and overall wellbeing as well as allowing you to socialise, make friends, and meet new people.
Did you know that volunteering can also improve your employability? By volunteering, you can gain practical experience using your skills and develop new ones. This experience looks great on your CV. Volunteering allows you to show that you are reliable, committed, responsible, and a good team player–all traits that employers love!
Read on to learn how to talk about volunteer experience on your CV.
What Counts as Volunteering Experience?
In short, voluntary experience is anything that you did without being paid (though you shouldn’t include work experience placements–those should go in a separate section on your CV.)
Examples of voluntary experience includes:
- Supporting a charity or not-for-profit organisation (for example, by raising money, giving time, or lending your skills)
- Working with churches, community groups, youth clubs, etc.
- Volunteering with hobby or interest groups (e.g. coaching a sports team or working backstage on a theatrical production)
- Assisting with one-off special events (e.g. a concert or sports game)
- Working with children (e.g. helping out at a playgroup, tutoring, or helping children learn to read)
- Working with animals (e.g. dog-walking or working at an animal shelter)
The possibilities are endless. Think back over the last couple of years–chances are you’ve engaged in some kind of voluntary work during that time.
How to Talk About Volunteering On Your CV
Now that you know what voluntary experience is and what sorts of things count, how should you talk about it on your CV? Here are a few of our top tips.
Create a Separate Section
In most cases, volunteering experience should be listed separately from paid work experience on your CV. Create a separate section titled “Voluntary Experience” and list your most recent experience first.
This section should usually go directly underneath your “Professional Experience” section but it can also go underneath your “Education” section, if you prefer. There are no absolute rules here, so use your judgement.
Include All the Relevant Information
Just like a paid job, it is vital to include all the relevant details about your volunteering experience on your CV. Don’t assume your prospective employer knows what a particular role entails–instead, tell them.
For each volunteer role, include the job title, organisation (if applicable), approximate dates (month and year, or just years if it was a long-term role), as well as a brief description of what you did.
Here’s a couple of examples for you:
Youth Football Coach
Kettering U12s Football Team
2020-2023
I coached my local U12s football team three seasons in a row, helping the young people to develop their skills, build confidence, and learn how to work as a team on and off the field.
Outreach Volunteer
Action on Homelessness UK
December 2022-May 2023
I worked with this organisation to provide immediate aid to local people experiencing homelessness, creating and distributing care packages as well as offering signposting to relevant services.
Remember to keep it concise, with your role summary for each volunteer position stretching to no more than 2-3 lines. You can also summarise the role in 3-5 short bullet points if you prefer.
Connect Your Volunteer Experience to Your Skills
What skills did you learn during your voluntary role(s), and how will those skills help you in the job you’re applying for? Connecting your volunteering experience to specific skills can help an employer to see how you’re a good fit for the job they are seeking to fill.
For example, perhaps you are applying for a job that requires great communication skills. If you’ve had a voluntary position that involved working with people, you can include keywords such as “communicated” and “built relationships” within your description of the role.
Remember: your potential employer will likely scan your CV for less than a minute before deciding whether to take your application forward. Make it easy for them to say “yes” by showing how you can give them what they’re looking for.
Tailor Each CV Accordingly
One of the biggest mistakes that young people make when applying for work is using exactly the same CV for every job. However, every job is different and requires different skills and experience, so you should tailor your CV accordingly.
This might mean including different volunteering experience on your CV, depending on the role. For example, if you are applying to work with children, a voluntary position coaching a youth sports team is highly relevant, whereas a voluntary position collecting cash for a local charity’s fundraising drive might be less relevant.
You might also highlight different attributes and skills that you used in a volunteering position to align better with the job you’re applying for. As long as everything you say is truthful, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. In fact, it’s good practice!
Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget That Volunteer Managers Can Be Referees
Most jobs require you to list referees: people who know you well in a professional or educational context and can speak to your skills and attributes. If you have held a volunteer position, the person you reported to (such as a volunteer manager) can be an ideal referee.
Always ask permission before you list somebody as a referee on your CV.
Should You List Your Hobbies on Your CV?
The question of whether or not to list hobbies on your CV is a contentious one and there is no absolute consensus. As a general rule, we believe that you should only list your hobbies if they add something directly relevant to your application.
For example, if you are applying for a highly creative job and your hobbies include painting and singing in a choir, that might be relevant. However, it is unlikely that your future employer will gain anything useful from knowing that you enjoy video games (unless you’re applying to work in the games industry), reading (unless you’re applying to work in the publishing industry), or going to the pub with your friends.
