Volunteering and LP Hat
Job applicants are evaluated on more than just grades, attitudes, or technical skills. Besides landing a job, volunteering shows how one is able to balance multiple tasks at once. It also serves as a means of self-growth and corporate career advancement.
Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering at Campus: part of a student committee, cultural festival volunteer, and orientation helper.
Example: after volunteering to help with orientation, students who showed leadership potentials were later selected to become resident assistants.
Volunteering in the Community: Student volunteer positions are offered at local non-profit organizations, food banks, hospitals, and libraries.
Volunteering in the Profession: Join more relevant associations to your field, such as PMI, ACM, or IEEE, and offer to help as a volunteer at some of the conferences or other activities.
Skills to Improve in Your Resume: Soft skills such as active listening, cultural competence, and volunteerism are all essential to advancement in one's career.
Leadership Opportunities
Student Organizations: Look for cultural or academic clubs and sports associations to apply for president, treasurer, or event coordinator.
In the role of peer tutor, lab coordinator, or Teaching Assistant (TA), engage in other academic outreach activities.
Professional Leadership: Command a team in a research, hackathon, or case competition.
Improving Your Resume: Taking the lead shows the ability to self-initiate, take responsibility, and manage the entire team and project effectively.
How to Enhance the Accomplishments on Your Resume
Example: Replace "I Volunteered at the Career Fair" with "I Managed a Team of Volunteered Organizers to Manage the Workflow of a Career Fair with Over 300 University Students and Employers."
Have the results of your work tangible such as the number of hours contributed, funds collected, and people impacted.
Focus on the following transferable skills: club president → stakeholders management; tutored → active listening; and organized events → managed scope of work.
Advice for Students
Start with the lowest positions and work your way up by joining a club or participating in single events that require volunteering.
Target opportunities that relate to your area of study (computer science student → join coding clubs, business student → join a finance club).
Volunteering for a single day is also valuable; sometimes participation in one day improves your skill set considerably.
Do not be the person who is involved for a short time,; time and effort consistently spent on a project over time show more commitment than short periods of time spent.
Key Insight: The function of volunteering and the leadership positions taken should be used as a proof of career and not "added" to the CV. They illustrate the bridging of what is taught in class and the application in real life in problem-solving, structuring, and working in a team.
