Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume

When you are looking for a job, your resume gets your foot in the door. It represents you to a potential employer and you want it to stand out from the resumes of the other applicants. One way to capture the interest of an employer is to show that you are an involved citizen — someone who works to make the community a better place to live. In other words, make sure your volunteer work appears on your resume.

It is a common misconception that there is only one “right” way to design a resume. Actually, the most important thing is to present the information in such a way as to document and support your career goal. If you tell a prospective employer that you want a particular job, your resume must prove that you are the right candidate to fill it. Sometimes your paid work history may not be as important as what you have done as a volunteer in demonstrating that you have the necessary job skills.

One approach used by many people is to add a section to their resumes called “Community Service” or “Volunteer Work.” They list the highlights of their volunteering here, to show that they have interests outside of their employment history already described. This is certainly better than ignoring volunteer experience on a resume, but it is not the best way to highlight what you have learned as a volunteer.

Consider integrating your volunteer work into the section of your resume called “Work Experience.” Even if you were not paid a salary and did not consider the volunteering to be “employment,” it certainly was productive work and should count as “experience.” The key is to translate what you gained from the volunteer activity into the language of the paid work world.

Don’t use “volunteer” as a job title. It’s an adjective and alone does not convey the work that you accomplished. So, if you did tutoring, use the title “Tutor.” If you coordinated a project, identify your work accurately as “Project Coordinator.” The fact that you filled this position in an unpaid capacity is part of your description of the work. First grab your prospective employer’s interest with an accurate position title.

Next describe the volunteer work in terms of your achievements, highlighting the skills that you learned and demonstrated. What would be important to the work world about what you did? For example, did you raise $100,000? Did you manage a budget or accomplish goals on schedule? Did you supervise a staff of people? Even if they, too, were volunteers, your success required the ability to be a motivating leader. All these sorts of things impress an employer.

Take the time to analyze what you learned as a volunteer. Did you have the chance to practice public speaking? Write reports, news releases, newsletters? Plan projects, coordinate sub-committees, train others to do the work? Such skills are applicable to just about any setting.

Describe your activities and achievements fully. You do not need to say these were done as a volunteer, though you are of course welcome to do so. If you feel uneasy about representing volunteer work as equivalent to a full-time paid job, you can identify the volunteering as being part-time. Be honest. Don’t overstate what you did. But also be sure to give yourself the credit you deserve.

If you are a student seeking your first real job, being able to show volunteer work on a resume demonstrates that you had interests beyond the classroom. If you are returning to the paid work force after some time away, your volunteer activities prove that you kept yourself sharp and involved. If you want to change career fields, it may be your volunteer work in the new field that tells a prospective employer you’re worth the risk, even if all your paid employment history is in some other field.

Be unapologetic about giving space on your resume to volunteering. Since the whole goal of a resume is to get you an interview, think how more interesting your face-to-face conversation will be when you add all those community activities to show you who really are.

Let your friends and family know your on a job hunt. They should know what kind of job your looking for and have easy access to your resume. This is where a dynamic web resume makes things easy, just make sure your contacts have your link. Send your web resume link to them on facebook or email. This will pay huge dividends. The easier you make it for people to help you the more likely they are to help you.

“Throw it out there.” Bring up your job hunt to people during converstion you never know what might happen. About.com states, “At least 60% – some report even higher statistics – of all jobs are found by networking.” If you meet a new contact, email them the following day saying it was nice meeting them and to keep you in mind if they come across any job opportunities. Then, just add in your web resume link and your all set.

1. What is a Curriculum Vitae?
A curriculum vitae (singular form, noun), meaning “course of (one’s) life, (vee-tie or vi-tee) is a document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional accomplishments. Curricula vitae (plural form, noun) are most often used for academic or research positions, whereas resumes are the preferred documents in business and industry.

2. How can a Web Resume CV help you?
First off, you need to look at the problems with a CV. A CV is basically a 20 page document listing out your experiences, education, fieldwork, publications, grants received, awards, and the list goes on… yes for 20 or more pages! So, when you convert your curriculum vitae to a web resume CV your reader does not fall asleep. You are going to list your experience with links to the company or school that you were employed. You are going to link in PDF documents of your publications. This is one of the most exciting things you can do with your web resume CV; you can have your future employer clicking on all your publications and read a little snippet of your work.

3. CV versus Resume
Both CVs and resumes introduce you to the reader. Whereas a CV is comprehensive, a resume is brief. Both promotional documents include information about skills, experience, accomplishments, and education. Both CVs and resumes detail your credentials for obtaining funding or a job interview. A CV can be compared with a videotape that you produced over the years, while a resume can be likened to a snapshot.
In general, a person who has obtained a master’s degree or a doctorate and has published papers uses a CV, especially if applying for a position in a research and development (R&D) organization or for an academic position.

This is just one great example of how you can make your web resume dynamic. Another example, Jonathan Koop has one of the most dynamic resumes that we have made. On his “Education and Accolades” section he has two great awards that he wanted highlighted. He was featured in a Worcester Telegram and Gazette article and also on Pulse Magazine’s 27 to Watch. We simply went to the website of the publication and converted the articles to PDF form and linked them to his resume. On an old-school paper resume Jonathan would have just listed these two great accomplishments, but on his dynamic web resume Jonathan shows his potential employer how special he is! Take a look at Jonathan Koops Dynamic Web Resume. Using PDF documents on your resume has endless possibilities. If you browse through our examples you will see other applications of this. One of my favorites is putting writing or work examples on PDFs and linking them to a resume. It just makes things so much easier for the employer they do not have to email or call you for extra information because it is all right there at their finger tips. That is the goal of your web resume, to make it as easy as possible for someone to offer you an interview or job.

Never hesitate to contact Dynamic Web Resume with any questions, comments, or suggestions. We are a start-up company and have been making Web Resume for two years now. All of our resumes are edited and reviewed by a resume writing professional. Always check back to our web resume examples page to see the new examples that we have posted! Copyright 2010 – Dynamic Web Resume created by Grover Enterprises.

A deeper look into the statistics of employment will show you how important it is to keep an up to date resume. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that baby boomers help an average of 10.8 jobs between the ages of 18-42. Having a strong and up to date web resume will help you make these 10 job changes all in the right direction, up and with more money!

Employees from the age of 18-22 experience the highest job turn-over rate. 72% of jobs will be over within a year and 94% within 5 years. These results are startling! Most people especially in this age range apply to their next job with the same resume as the first. How do you expect to move up in the business world without compounding your experience and education?

Yes, the above example deals with a very volatile age group. However, the statistics do not get much better. By 35 people expect to have security and a steady job, but the numbers are not looking to secure. The age group of 38-42 shows high employment turnover as well. 31% of jobs last less than a year and 65% are over within 5 years. Who do you want to be? The 38 year old getting a new job because he is moving up the latter to more money and power or the 38 year old moving horizontally with stagnant wages.

My solution to this problem is to first off get your web resume from Dynamic Web Resume. Then, keep it up to date! Set an appointment in your datebook every 3-6 months. Spend an hour revising and updating your resume. You never know when you are going to need your resume. Think about your mindset during a tough time. Your 40 years old 3 years into a great job and you’re axed due to cutbacks because of the economy. Every emotion in the world is flowing through your head… Car bills, children’s tuition, and a mortgage. How are you going to be able to sit down and express the great work you have done over the past 3 years? Keeping your resume up to date will help you turn setbacks into unexpected surprises!

For more information please visit Dynamic Web Resume. For great resume examples please visit our web resume examples page. Any more information related to this article can be directed to Don Grover at Donny@DynamicWebResume.com.

Now that we have strongly disproved the reasons against putting a picture on your resume let’s review the benefits. First, I feel that providing a headshot on your resume compounds your personal professionalism. A small smile and friendly face will make any employer comfortable about bringing you in for an interview or hiring you. The comfort of the employer is your number one goal in developing your resume they must feel comfortable about your education, experience, skills, and ultimately you. Secondly, we are not all beggars here. You do not want to work in a workplace that does not like you. If you are trying to hide your race, age, or gender in your resume because a certain job opportunity only hires a certain gender or race. Do you really want to work there? Is that particular company producing at 100% when they are not hiring the best people for the job? These types of business practices are very detrimental to a company in the long run. You do not want to invest your trust, time, and experience into a company that is not making the right decisions.

Thank you for reviewing this article from Dynamic Web Resume. Click here to see many examples of web resumes with a picture in the cover letter. For more information please email us at Donny@DynamicWebResume.com.

As resume professionals we, at Dynamic Web Resume, feel that employers see the same things over and over again on resumes. I work at company A for X years, worked really hard, did really well, and am ready to move into a position with more responsibility. There isn’t much you can do with your work experience when it comes to variety. Naturally, employers’ eyes will fall onto the extras of your web resume. The extras in a web resume are where you can get really creative and dazzle whoever is reviewing your resume.

One great example of using this technique is Amanda Stevenson’s resume. Amanda has an event planning section on her web resume to highlight a benefit she hosted and planned. This is the focus point of her web resume, there are rotating pictures of the event and PDF documents of the invitations to the event. Any one that sees this section is instantly impressed. The best part is that this section did not take 3 years sitting in a cubicle to obtain. Amanda has created a great point of experience for her resume in the amount of time it took to plan the event. These personal benefits are of course in addition to the gratification of raising money for a much needed cause.

There are many ways to enhance your web resume with extras. Another example would be to learn a language. I’m sure back in college or high school you took a couple years of Spanish or French. Just pick up a cheap language book or Rosetta Stone and spend a few hours a week. In a few months you will be able to add “Proficient in French” on your resume or if you are really good “fluent in…” This could never hurt you but it just may be that little boost that puts you above your competition.

We always love to hear what you have to say. If you have any other ways to add extras to your resume or need any resume advice please email us at Donny@DynamicWebResume.com.

If you’re looking for a job, you may come across ads for firms that promise results. Although many of these firms may be legitimate and helpful, others may misrepresent their services, promote out-dated or fictitious job offerings, or charge high up-front fees for services that may not lead to a job. Some ads may direct you to call a toll-free 800-number. Once you’re connected, you may be switched to a pay-per-call 900-number without your knowledge, or you may be asked to call a 900-number without a proper fee disclosure. Both practices are against the law.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sues businesses that fraudulently advertise employment openings and guarantee job placement. Consumers who respond to these ads think they’re contacting a bona fide placement service that’s seeking candidates to fill specific jobs. Instead, they’re reaching a business that rarely helps consumers get employment through its “services.” To make matters worse, these businesses invariably charge advance fees — ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars — for their “services,” typically imposing the fees without consumer approval, or promising — falsely — that most or all of the fees ultimately will be refunded.

Types of Employment Service Firms

When you’re looking for help in finding a job, it’s important to understand the differences among employment services. Many terms, such as employment agency, personnel placement service, executive search firm, or executive counseling service are used interchangeably. Find out what services a firm offers, how much the services cost, and who pays. If you’re required to pay the fee, find out what you’ll owe if the employment service fails to find you a job or any leads.

Six basic types of service companies/agencies offer consumers help in finding a job. They include: public employment services; employment agencies; executive search services; temporary help services; executive counseling services; and job listing services.

• The federally-funded and state-operated Public Employment Service, also known as the Job Service, operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The Employment Service provides Internet access to America’s Job Bank (AJB). On any given day, this national resource lists hundreds of thousands of job opportunities. It also provides links to numerous employment and training programs in each state, including programs for people with disabilities, minorities, older workers, veterans, welfare recipients, and young people. There are some 2,300 points of service nationwide; about 1,700 of them are full-time, full-service offices. The Employment Service provides its services free to both employers and job seekers. Openings range from entry level to technical and professional positions. Visit www.ajb.dni.us for more information.

• Employment agencies or personnel placement services work to fill specific positions available within companies. Their purpose is to bring applicants and employers together. Often, the hiring company pays the placement fee, but when state law permits, you and the employer may share the fee or the fee may be billed to you after you’ve been hired. Employment agencies usually are licensed in the state where they do business.

• Executive search firms or executive recruiters are hired by businesses to find the “right” person for a particular job within an organization. Recruiters sometimes are referred to as “headhunters.” The executive who is hired doesn’t pay the fee; it’s part of the agreement between the hiring business and the search firm. Executive search firms usually subscribe to a code of ethics established by industry members; some firms are licensed by the states where they do business, as required by state law.

• Temporary help services supply workers to businesses on a temporary or as-need basis. Businesses pay an agreed-upon wage to the temporary service for work performed by the employees. The temporary service firm pays the workers, not the temporary employer.

• Executive counseling services or career counseling services help job seekers with career directions and decisions more than with job placement. They may offer services like skill identification and self evaluation, resume preparation and letter writing, and general information about companies or organizations in a particular location or job field. Fees can be as high as $4,000, and payment often is required before services are provided. You’ll probably have to pay this fee even if you don’t find a job. Placement is not guaranteed. State law dictates whether executive counseling firms are licensed

Job listing services or advisory services sell information about getting a job in the U.S. or abroad. They often use pay-per-call 900-numbers to do this. They do not provide actual job placement. Information may include lists of job openings, general tips on conducting a successful job search or interview, and broad guidance in resume writing. These advisory firms often require an up-front fee for their listings.

Protecting Yourself

Before you spend any money responding to job ads or completing job placement contracts, the FTC suggests that you:

• Be suspicious of any employment-service firm that promises to get you a job.

• Be skeptical of any employment-service firm that charges up-front fees, even if it guarantees refunds to dissatisfied customers.

• Don’t give out your credit card or bank account information on the phone unless you’re familiar with the company and agree to pay for something. Anyone who has your account information can use it to commit financial fraud against you.

• Get a copy of the firm’s contract and review it carefully before you pay any money. Understand the terms and conditions of the firm’s refund policy. Make sure you understand what services will be provided by the firm and what you’ll be responsible for. If oral promises are made that don’t also appear in the contract, think twice about doing business with the firm.

• Take your time reviewing the contract. Don’t be rushed into paying for services. Avoid high-pressure sales pitches that require you to pay now or risk losing out on the opportunity.

• Be cautious about purchasing from a firm that’s reluctant to answer your questions or gives you evasive answers.

• Be aware that some listing services and “consultants” may place ads that seem to offer jobs when, in fact, they’re selling employment information.

• Follow up with the offices of any company or organization listed in an ad by an employment service, to find out if the company’s really hiring.

• Be wary of firms promoting “previously undisclosed” federal government jobs. All federal positions are announced to the public.

• Check with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General’s Office, and the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed about a company with which you intend to do business.
In addition, federal law prohibits the use of a toll-free number for pay-per-call 900-number services. This means that anyone calling a toll-free number cannot be charged simply for completing the call, and that a toll-free number call cannot be transferred, or connected to, a pay-per-call 900-number service. Federal law also prohibits any telephone message that solicits calls to a pay-per-call 900-number service from failing to disclose the cost of the call.

For More Information

A variety of free and low-cost resources are available to help you in your job search.

• Job Service offices post vacancies and offer counseling and referrals to other job resources.

• Local and county human resources offices provide some placement assistance. They can give you the names of other groups that may be helpful, such as labor unions or federally-funded vocational programs.

• University, college and community college career service offices usually limit their help to students and alumni, but some may let you look at their current job listings.

Local libraries can direct you to information on writing a resume, interviewing, or compiling a list of companies and organizations to contact about job openings.

• The Internet, through major online services and electronic bulletin boards, has information and options to help you, including classified ads and resume postings.

Where to Complain

If you have a problem with an employment-service firm, contact your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau, the appropriate state licensing board, or your state Attorney General. If you have problems with charges on your phone bill for 900-number calls to fraudulent businesses, contact your telephone company immediately. No phone company is obligated to delete the charges, but you should ask. Call your carrier or the Federal Communications Commission for policy information.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1‑877‑382‑4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

SOURCE: The Federal Trade Commission

A resume is an important communication tool from you to principals. It lets them know, in a brief written form, about your qualifications and why they should pursue you as a candidate. A resume should be more than just a listing of personal data and work experiences. It should be a sales brochure which markets you as a great teacher!

There is no one right way to write a resume. Each resume is as individual as the person who writes it. There are, however, generally accepted ways of getting information across to potential employers. Use the following information as a guideline to draft your teacher’s resume. Then you can have your resume reviewed and receive feedback.

Required Elements of a Resume

Identification: Include your name, address, phone, and email address (your email address should be professional, not cute). If you have a current and permanent address, list both. Your name should be in the biggest print on the page, three or four times bigger than the other print.

Certification: List your certification and any endorsements, and the date. “Illinois Initial Elementary Certificate, expected July 2001. Endorsement expected in Middle Grade Language Arts.”

Education: List your college degree(s) in reverse chronological order, including school name, city, major(s), minor(s), and date(s) of graduation. If you haven’t yet graduated, list the date you plan to graduate. If it’s more than a year from now, indicate that the degree is “anticipated June 2001.” If your G.P.A. is over 3.0, you may want to include that as well.

Teaching Experience: This is the most important part! This is the place where you can really sell yourself to potential employers as the next great teacher at their school! Use the list of action verbs located in this packet. Write down everything which could help sell you as a teacher. Include job title, where you did this activity, and when (Student Teacher, Sam Houston High School, Spring 2001.)

Related Experience: This is where you list paid or unpaid work which gave you experiences which will help you be a better teacher, camp counselor, tutor, etc.

Optional Elements

The rest of your resume can include any of the following elements. Again, choose those which sell you as a
teacher the best.

Work Experience: This element is optional because your teaching experience is what interests principals and other hiring authorities the most. List these jobs in reverse chronological order. Highlight those aspects of the job which are teaching related. (Training other employees is of more interest to principals than sales.)

Honors and Activities: If you have some impressive honors (Dean’s list, Phi Delta Kappa, any scholarships or achievement awards), or activities which relate to teaching, you can list them.

Special Skills: Fluency or proficiency in foreign languages, using computers to enhance instruction, etc.

Professional Preparation: Special workshops, seminars, etc. you’ve participated in, especially those which can be quantified (e.g., “Trained Great Books Leader”).

Professional Memberships: List those professional associations to which you belong. Include any leadership positions or committee memberships. (e.g., National Council of Teachers of English) Any other achievements, training or skills which help sell your qualifications. If you’re not sure about something, ask yourself, “If I were a principal, what skill or experience would I want to read about?” Do not use passive sentences (e.g., “I was responsible for…”). Start each line with an action verb (“incorporated math learning centers into curriculum”). Do not use personal pronouns. Be concise, but make space to list most of your teaching related experience, especially if you are a beginning teacher.

Resume Mechanics

Your resume should look great. It communicates as much about you as the clothing you wear to an interview. Take the time and money to make a first class presentation.

• Using a computer and a laser printer is highly recommended. You get top quality printing and can adapt your resume and cover letter quickly and easily for each employer.
• Stick to one page unless you have several years of teaching experience. Even if you have many years in the work force, condense to one page, focusing on teaching.
• Use a good paper stock. Nothing too flashy: white, ivory, or light gray. Get extra paper for matching cover letters. Consider using an 8 1/2″ x 11″ envelope so your resume reaches the employer in immaculate condition.
• Use bolding, underlining, or italicizing to highlight those words or phases you want to stand out. Don’t overdo it, though.
• Use perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Make good use of action verbs (list is attached). Have several people proofread your resume.
• Make it visually attractive: white space for the eye to rest; no marks, erasures, etc. Use a font which is easy to read.

source: Teacher Resume

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