Is Volunteering really a good look on your college resume?

Yes, but that should not be the sole reason to volunteer. You are benefiting others by your actions while picking up some valued resources in exchange, Your experience, knowledge or manpower can provide assistance to others in need. In return not only do you get some personal satisfaction but also hone in on existing skills and pick up a few others along to way.

Volunteering is a great experience and there are many opportunities available. Volunteering does look good on a resume, but the best reason to pursue is because of what you will gain in the process of helping others. Many companies encourage their employees to volunteer, and your experience will enable you to fit right in.

Absolutely! I not only teach math but also resume writing to Juniors in my H.S. And yes volunteering is a vital part of your resume. Especially for high school and college students who have little job experience to share. The volunteer position becomes that job so be ready to talk about your experience. Answer questions about your volunteer efforts and don't skimp on the details.

As far as getting into college, a well rounded individual is someone who has many interests including volunteering. Colleges like that about students. As a matter of fact, my school requires "service" hours of all students to help them find something they can connect with.

Hope this helps you out.

Yes any experience that show you can be there on time and commit to a project or people is great to have on your resume.

If you are asking if volunteering will help you get into college, I think that sort of depends on how competitive the college is. I imagine it could help you land a scholarship.

I'm very concerned about anyone who says that volunteering is a waste of time. I will admit that I have not done a lot of volunteering throughout my life, but when I have volunteered, I think I got more out of it than what I contributed. Volunteering is supposed to be a way of giving back to the community, of doing for others, with NO thought of reward or compensation. It's supposed to come from the heart. There are so many different organizations out there, something is available for everybody. . . animal shelters, hospitals, literacy campaigns, political organizations, old folks homes, etc, etc, etc.

And what do you get out of it? Beyond the sense of personal reward, the possibility of making connections, or getting a scholarship, or being able to put it on your resume, you will also develop leadership and responsibility skills. If you are going to put your activities (sports, clubs) and volunteer experience on a resume, you want to show that you actually DID something, rather than just being another member. Examples: put together a fundraiser, automated the monthly meeting notification process, increased the membership, did an advertising campaign, etc. People who are reviewing resumes are looking for these positions of responsibility.

I hope this has somewhat answered your question. I met some interesting people when I volunteered, and hope you do too!

The short answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY, but only if it is from the true you and not just for building a resume. Volunteering can be an incredible experience, rewarding and fulfilling but it has to be with an organization or activity that is important to you and you are passionate about.

As part of my job, I volunteered to be coordinate the volunteer opportunities for my office - I work for a large insurance company and it is important to them to give back to the community in which we work. I could not do this if I was not passionate about giving back to those less fortunate than me and paying it forward. Volunteering is hard work a lot of times, it is time spent that you could spend on other things so you have to be committed to it.

There are so many worth while causes that need volunteers - decide what is important to you, what makes a difference to you, your interests and find an organization that matches to get involved with.

Employers look for well rounded applicants and that means from volunteering, to sports, to hobbies, to other jobs you've held, grades, associations and clubs you belong to, etc.

Absolutely, especially if you can combine helping the community and leveraging skills that make you a more valuable employee. For example, volunteering to set up IT networks and equipment make you valuable for IT positions and it's good for the community.

Volunteering is always GOOD. And it does look Good on your resume. But try to look for Volunteering opportunities at non-Profits. At the end of the day, even if your college didn't consider the volunteer hours, you have a feeling of self-satisfaction, after giving back to the community that help you stand up.

Lots of high school students have volunteerism on their college resumes. Fewer college students are able to boast volunteer experience on the resumes they’ll be using to apply for jobs post-graduation. If you’re able to fit the time in, even if it’s alongside a part-time, paying campus job, it could be worth your while to pursue a volunteer position.

Volunteer experience may also boost your financial aid package. There are a great deal of scholarships and grants out there that list community service as a prerequisite, so if you dedicate some time each week to volunteer work, you could be giving your financial aid profile a boost as well. Once you start volunteering, you’ll see how easy it is to continue doing so, whether you’re fulfilling the requirements of a scholarship or looking to pad your resume

Your friends aren't approaching volunteering with the right attitude. It can show involvement and that you are mature enough to look beyond your self, manage time, and care about others, but if you're doing it just for the resume, you are wasting everyone's time. A spirit of service is a good thing to develop throughout your career and lifetime. Approaching everything with a "what's in it for me?" attitude will not benefit you or others long-term. Volunteering is also a good way to learn about things that might interest you- maybe your friends aren't volunteering in the right place.

Hi Devetra,

Volunteering is always great to show on a resume. It shows you are passionate about something outside of your daily life and work schedule. It is also a very good way to show the softer side of your personality which might be useful in situations where you might need to be competitive and aggressive.

Volunteering (like any other activity) also opens up new network opportunities and improves your people skills. Both these are super helpful in growing in your career. It lends a new perspective to you which can often inspire new ideas. These are qualities that a prospective employer always wants. So for me its a no brainier, always share what you have done.

A good volunteering resume will certainly help with college applications however more importantly the experience will benefit you greatly personally by satisfaction of giving back to your community. Through volunteering you may also find out something you are passionate about and pursue it longer term either as a career or in parallel with your professional career.

It seems to be something schools look for when your applying.
Its normally helpful if the stuff your doing is related to your field of study. It shows you have provided effort to something without compensation. Hard to say why your friends say this, are they doing it or not doing it. I guess it is what the motivation is. Giving of yourself, in time and effort is also a good thing to do in general when making friends as well. It makes you all that much more well rounded, and not selfish.

Volunteering, coop, intern, and shadowing are excellent examples of career exploration which all should experience as a way of determining the appropriateness of a career. These activities should only be done for your benefit and not for showing anyone anything. Where someone participates for show it comes off as a surface engagement with surface involvement and commitment. - and it is very evident. As an employer and as a college recruiter, I viewed participants in such career exploration activities as ones who had become seriously involved in a major in which they had taken due diligence in investigating and making an appropriate decision, so that I could have faith in hiring them as part of my team, without them finding out, when on the job, that they did not like the "inside view of the job" and the duties expected.

Please do not treat Volunteering activity as the main reason for getting collage admission. It is generally encouraged to spend volunteering time helping the society to prepare yourself to become a good citizen and a human being, Universities expect you to be a well rounded person when you complete your education. Volunteering activities show that you are preparing yourself to be one when you complete the education.

Universities find out easily if your volunteering activity is just to enrich your resume or passion driven.