Hiring managers overwhelmingly prefer candidates with volunteer experience, but few job seekers mention unpaid community service on their CV, according to new research by consultancy firm Deloitte.
Showcase your volunteer experience
Deloitte interviewed 2,506 hiring managers in 13 major cities in the United States. No less than 82% of these managers said they prefer candidates with volunteer experience, and 92% said volunteer activities build leadership skills. However, respondents said that only about a third of the resumes they see make mention of volunteer experience. They are missing a big trick, according to Deloitte: “Candidates who neither volunteer nor identify as volunteers risk falling behind their counterparts who make it known that they have volunteering experience.”
Competitive advantage
So why don’t more job seekers include volunteering on their resume? It seems like they underestimate the value of it. While 86% of the respondents said they believe putting volunteer activities on a resume makes it more competitive, 40% of them do not currently include volunteer work on their own resume. Their reasons: they don’t think employers care (17%); it wouldn’t fit on their resume (18%) and they would rather their employer focus on their professional skills (35%). In addition, Deloitte said that “Businesses may not be doing enough to emphasize the importance of volunteering in the modern workplace.”
