Yes, Volunteer Work Can Go on Your Resume

If you choose to do substantive professional volunteer work or participate in a charitable action group, such as Habitat for Humanity, it’s fair game to include it on your resume. If you’ve been laid off, as time passes, your resume will show a gap that may raise questions for a hiring manager or recruiter. One way to fill that gap is with volunteer work.

Here are some ways you can leverage your experience for the benefit of others as well as your resume:

• Become a volunteer leader in a professional organization.
• Judge a competition that uses your skills and expertise.
• Teach a class at your community center or local adult education program.
• Tutor a high school or community college student.
• Teach English to non-English speaking adults.
• Get involved in planning a local event, such as an arts fair or charity auction.

Reader Janet Falk recommended the following additions to the list of volunteer sites I posted earlier in No Pay, But the Rewards Are Many:

• www.smartvolunteer.org
• www.idealist.org

She added this one for readers living in New York City: www.nycservice.org.

I invite you to suggest additional volunteer resources and activities.