Emily Jasper, a Forbes contributor, writes “LinkedIn Report: Claim Your Volunteer Hours on Your Profile.” While I am an active volunteer and wanted to incorporate this vast experience on my LinkedIn resume, I had no idea there was a separate category until reading Jasper’s article this morning.
To add this heading to your resume, click on “Profile,” “Add Sections,” and “Volunteer Experience & Causes.”
Jasper explains that while 89% of professionals volunteer in some capacity, only 45% consider adding that volunteer experience on their resumes (Source). This is leaving out a lot of crucial information that employers should know about you. Not only should prospective employers know the causes that are important to you in order to see you as a more complete human being, but hiring managers can also see that you have a more diverse range of skills than just the work experience you’ve been paid for.
My suggestions: don’t go crazy under the “Causes” section. Of course, everything under “Causes” is important, and we should care about each of these issues. For your resume, however, I would suggest selecting the top 3 to 5 core causes central to your life.
What causes do you support?
