How to Showcase Your Unpaid Work on Your Resume

How to Showcase Your Unpaid Work on Your Resume How to Showcase Your Unpaid Work on Your Resume You've probably done unpaid work at some point in your life. Maybe you volunteered in high school or college at the school putting on events or did something external like mentor underprivileged youth. You may have held unpaid internships. Now out of school, perhaps you volunteer regularly or a few times a year in your community or at your place of worship. Many of you hold positions on local committees or in organizations.While this work is not paid, it's no less important than paid work. Forget about distinguishing between the two when it comes to telling your work history. Think of them as one and the same. If you must list salary on an employment application or it's requested for a federal resume, include that information, but for all other purposes, paid and unpaid work is equal. Below are different types of unpaid work and how to include it on your resume.[See: 8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills.]High School and CollegeHere are some examples of external unpaid work you may have undertaken while in school: Internships Volunteering in the local communityHow should you feature this information on your resume? If you've graduated within the last five to 10 years, you should definitely include your volunteer work in the local community and internships on your resume. These should go in the body of your resume if you have a significant amount of unpaid experience or it's at well-known organizations. Include a few bullets to describe what you did in each case and the purpose of your work. If you have enough relevant work experience to forego including details on your unpaid work, you can simply list directly under your main job descriptions your internships with basic details such as title, organization, location and years held.Reflect volunteer work in the local community at the end of your resume under Additional Information with your role and the name of the organization. If you did a significant amount of volunteering or held a leadership positio n with respect to organizing such work, you should highlight it more prominently. One way to do this is to call this section Community Leadership and include a bullet or two about the work you did and the impact it had or was intended to have.[See: The 25 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don't Require a College Degree.]Here are some examples of school-based unpaid work you may have undertaken: Serving on a committee Filling a leadership role in a student organization Mentorship of students Fraternity/sororityHow should you feature this information on your resume? If you're only five years or less out of school, you can put this information directly under Education and your applicable school information. Include specific details of your work and its impact under each role. If you've been out of school for over five years, weigh the amount of your volunteer work and its current significance to your career in order to decide whether it's worthwhile to include.Outside of WorkOnce you're far bey ond school years, you can be more strategic about the portrayal of your volunteer experience. If you hold leadership roles in the community, you may want to create a section after Work Experience entitled Community Leadership and list the details of your roles. For other types of volunteer work, simply list it under Additional Information at the bottom of your resume; include the organization and your role. If you haven't volunteered for an organization within the past few years, it probably doesn't make sense to include it.[See: The 25 Best Social Services Jobs of 2017.]Taking Time OffThere are many reasons for taking time off work â€" having children, caring for elderly relatives, dealing with an illness, etc. If you've taken on volunteer work during this time (anything from work in schools to religious organizations), include it as you would any job under Work Experience. Be sure to put together a few bullets to describe the work you did and its purpose or impact.Changing Careers ?If you're switching careers to the nonprofit sector or anything that requires a volunteer base, it's even more important to showcase your unpaid work. You might consider putting a Volunteer Experience section directly under your Career Profile at the top of your resume to ensure it's not missed when you submit your application. An employer needs to know that you understand that world in order to break into it.