Experience on resume
I have completely overhauled my resume and I am very pleased with the way it reads and the information included. It is specially tailored for the field I want to work in. I have 4 years of experience in this field, however, only 6 months of paid experience. The other 2 positions are volunteer positions both being leadership positions with a national organizations in which I am very active. I listed all three of these positions under "related experience." These are the only positions listed on my resume. Is it all right that I listed paid and volunteer positions together? I'm not trying to portray them as employment positions but they are the types of jobs that I am looking for and the way it is written showcases my experience well. I had one interview and specifically stated that position X and Y are volunteer positions. Any advice would be appreciated.
You should set up a separate section for the volunteer positions.
Why can't they be listed together?
Some employers don't view voluntary experience as job related. If you get called in for an interview under these circumstances and they find out then about your voluntary experience, that may be enough to get you a thumbs down (although they wouldn't let you know). Besides it's better to be as open as possible (you know, truth in advertising).
But its not listed as "employment experience" but as "related experience" since I am only searching for a job in this field. Actually, I'm searching for a job that pays for what I currently do as a volunteer. My volunteer work has taken me across the country on many occassions and requires a great deal of commitment. I'm certaintly not worried about being called on it because I never say that it's an employment position and if they questioned if I was involved with the organization I'm listed on their web page, which does not specifiy volunteer or employee. "I'm certaintly not worried about being called on it because I never say that it's an employment position and if they questioned if I was involved with the organization I'm listed on their web page, which does not specifiy volunteer or employee." How would you respond when you're asked what your ending salary was at your (volunteer) position which is a frequent question on applications?
But I never portray the experience as a paid position. It's simply listed as related experience. So if a position that I am applying for requires knowledge or experience in performing a certain task then I have that experience clearly listed on my resume. It's experience whether I was paid for the task or doing it on a volunteer basis. On the resume its listed as "related experience" and I always say its volunteer position. Having the knowledge and skills to perform task X is still the same if I did it for nothing or was paid $50K a year to do it.
Huh74, I think it's okay to include your volunteer positions under "Experience" (as long as you're not calling the section "Work Experience," you are being honest). I've seen people with outstanding accomplishments and skills gained through volunteer experience, sometimes more impressive than actual paid work history! One thing you might want to do is write "volunteer" next to the position, but it seems like you are being straightforward about your volunteer status when communicating with hiring managers. One possible negative is that having multiple positions in a short time might look like you're job-hopping, so spelling out the volunteer nature of your assignments could work in your favor. Here's a link to an article I wrote on this subject: Leverage Volunteer Work on Your Resume Best wishes for a successful job search! Kim Isaacs The Resume Expert Kim:
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