Have you listed your charity endeavors on your résumé? If not, you probably should. A recent LinkedIn survey found that one in five employers hired someone primarily because of her volunteer service outside the office. “If you’re unemployed, this work shows you’ve been productive,” says John Challenger, the CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement firm. “And if you’re already employed, it supplements the experiences you’ve gained at your job.” Here’s how to put your good work to good use.
Do: List specific skill-building volunteer activities on your résumé. Substantive work, like managing the budget of a sizable charity or recruiting and training a team, is attractive to employers because those experiences are applicable to business situations, says Suzanne Lucas, a 10-year human-resources veteran based in Basel, Switzerland.
