Although this isn't a paid position, you still need to polish your volunteer resume to perfection!

Whether you’ve decided to tutor, counsel, or build shelters for people in need, the most important thing to keep in mind is tailoring your resume to the respective volunteer opportunity. And with our easy-to-follow guide, brimming with the best writing tips, sleek templates, real-life resume samples, and plenty of examples, you'll be able to do exactly that!

International Human Rights Commission Ambassador Resume Example

Hired by:

Hired by: International Human Rights Commission

Refugee Volunteer Resume Sample

Hired by:

Hired by: People In Need

UNFPA Intern Resume Sample

Hired by:

Hired by: UNFPA

See more examples like these

Keep reading our guide and discover how to: 

• Spruce up your volunteer resume format
• Market your achievements and strengths in your volunteer professional summary
• Highlight your best soft and hard skills in your volunteer resume
• Present your relevant volunteer work experience in the best light
• Make your education section count
• Pick the right additional sections to put on your volunteer CV
• Access resources for job-seeking volunteers

Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.

1. Spruce up your volunteer resume format

Even if it looks like a marginal thing, your resume appearance matters. A great volume of candidates means plenty of resumes, and plenty of resumes mean less time for a recruiter to read all of them thoroughly.

And that’s when you may realize that before you get to offer your time and energy to a good cause, you'll need to offer a well-organized, good-looking volunteer CV.

Make your resume easy to read and easy to navigate with the following tips:

• Use a clear header with your full name, email address, telephone number and social media links if they relate to the position in question.
• Employ a two-column layout if you're a seasoned volunteer and your resume contains a lot of experience. Try to maintain a low page count — no more than two pages.
• Stick to a resume-friendly font such as Garamond, Cambria, or Calibri.
• Use negative space between individual segments for better navigation.
• Make your headings big enough.

Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.

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2. Market your achievements and strengths in your volunteer professional summary

Your professional summary should definitely encapsulate your passion for helping the cause, relevant work experience, strengths, professional achievements and your exceptional volunteering skills. 

Now imagine that this all should fit in 3-5 lines. Challenging? Maybe, but it’s nothing a candidate like you wouldn’t manage.

Follow these simple tips, and leave the other applicants standing.

• Craft your professional summary just after you have written the rest of your resume.
• Focus on your achievements and results rather than everyday responsibilities in your past roles.
• Mention numbers whenever you can — years of experience, how much money you’ve saved a company, amount you have collected during a fundraiser event, etc.
• Always tailor your professional profile to the respective job posting. How? Look for the most important keywords and incorporate them in your summary.
• Use impactful language.
• Foreground your exceptional volunteering skills.

3. Highlight your best soft and hard skills in your volunteer resume

As a volunteer, there's no doubt that you'll need to be equipped with out-of-this-world empathy, resilience and professionalism.

There might be, however, many more challenging requirements for your character traits and abilities. In order to mention the relevant ones, always tailor your skill-set to a specific job posting. Look for the keywords in it, and list the matching skills at the top of your list.

The following volunteer competences might help you compile an effective skill-set for your resume.

Find out your resume score!

Our AI Resume checker can scan your resume for issues and give you tips on how you can improve it.

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4. Present your relevant volunteer work experience in the best light

You worked hard on your work experience section, and you diligently mentioned all your duties and responsibilities in each of your past roles. Yet, no organization has called you.

Why? Maybe exactly because of that. No recruiter wants to read large chunks of text filled with irrelevant information.

Remember that customizing your resume to the job posting you're interested in is the key to landing the job.

That’s why the following tips may save your work experience section from being ignored:

• Use a reverse-chronological order to list your work history, starting with the most recent position.
• Introduce the company name, location, your job title and dates.
• Focus on the requirements in the job posting, and use the right keywords from it. Include them in your section.
• Avoid naming your daily duties, and emphasize your accomplishments in the given role.
• Use numbers to highlight your achievements. Adding it all up will yet be another step to make them more tangible.
• Don't overwhelm the recruiter, and maintain the number of bullet points below 7.
• Remember to employ impactful language, and use such action verbs as developed, secured, mentored, etc.

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Community Organizer Resume Sample

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5. Make your education section count

Whether you're required to have a background in formal education or not, always mention your highest completed level. If you are still studying, be transparent about it.

You can simply introduce your college name, degree and years in school, or you can spice your education section up, and present your relevant academic achievements or areas of interest. This extra piece of information may be enough to awe the recruiter. 

6. Top additional sections to put on your volunteer resume

Thanks to relevant additional sections, you can certainly improve your resume score — especially if you lack relevant work experience, or your education section falls short. 

Your learning and volunteering activities, certificates or language competences can make all the difference.

Select the sections that are most relevant to the job ad in question, and get ahead of the other candidates:

• Certifications
• Awards
• Languages
• Training Courses
• Volunteering Activities
• Qualifications
• Projects
• Interests
• Accomplishments
• Extracurricular Activities
• Publications

7. Top resources for job-seeking volunteers

When it comes to volunteering, one thing is for certain — there's something for everyone. But, just like with a regular paid job, the opportunities won't come to you on their own. We've put together a list of resources to help set you up for succeed on your volunteering journey: 

• VolunteerMatch: This platform connects volunteers with organizations in need of dedicated people across various causes. Based on your interest and ideal location, you can filter through their database with ease. 
• Idealist: Idealist provides opportunities for anyone looking for volunteer positions, nonprofit jobs, and internships, with options both in the U.S. and internationally.
• Catchafire: This platform helps match professionals with nonprofits for skills-based volunteering projects. Based on your preference, you can opt for either “in-person” or “virtual” projects.
• DoSomething: Primary aimed at students, this platform offers volunteering opportunities for contributing to various social causes. 
• Volunteering organizations: Joining an association like Points of Light, VolunteerPro, or the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) is an amazing opportunity to get in touch with likeminded people, gain new skills, and access resources tailored to your particular interests.
• Local resources: Also, don't forget that opportunities may be closer than you think. Ask around your local community centers or places of worship and see if there's anything you can do for them. 
• Gaining new skills: If you wish to focus your volunteering efforts on a cause that requires you to have specific skills, take a look at courses and certifications provided by learning platforms such as Coursera, edX, or Udemy.

It doesn't matter whether you’re looking to make a difference locally or beyond your home turf, these platforms can guide you to opportunities that fit your skills and interests like a glove. Just don't forget to give as much attention and intent to both your volunteer resume and volunteer cover letter.