Do Employers Look at Volunteer Work? Your Volunteer Experience Matters

If you’ve spent hours handing out food at a shelter or planning events for your local animal rescue, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Do employers even care about this?” The answer’s a lot more interesting—and encouraging—than you might think. Volunteer work isn’t just a filler for empty resume space. It can actually say a lot about who you are off the clock and what you bring to the table at work.

More and more employers are checking out what you do outside of your nine-to-five. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Talent Trends, over 40% of hiring managers consider volunteer work just as valuable as paid experience. A real-life example: one hiring manager I know told me she hired a nurse who had years of volunteering with kids just because it showed more empathy and team spirit than some paid jobs ever could.

So how do you make your volunteer experience count in the job hunt? Don’t just bury it at the bottom of your resume. Call out if you handled money, trained others, managed projects, or learned new tech tools. Employers notice those extra skills, especially if you’re new to the workforce or making a career switch. Volunteer work can fill in gaps, show you’re motivated, and highlight strengths you might not get to flex at your regular job.

• Why Employers Care About Volunteer Work
• What Kind of Volunteer Experience Stands Out
• How to Present Volunteer Work on Your Resume
• Stories from the Hiring Side
• Tips to Make the Most of Your Volunteering

Why Employers Care About Volunteer Work

You might be surprised at how much hiring managers actually notice volunteer work. While it’s easy to think they only focus on paid roles, research by Deloitte found that 82% of employers are more likely to choose candidates with volunteer experience—especially if those experiences connect directly to the job. That’s a huge number and says a lot about how employers view unpaid gigs as legit work.

Volunteer experiences show real-life examples of soft skills like teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. Employers need people who work well under pressure, communicate clearly, and adapt. Volunteering often means stepping outside your comfort zone, which is exactly what bosses want to see. For folks with little or no job history, volunteer experience can fill in the blanks and show personal growth.

It’s not just about showing up. Tasks like leading a fundraiser, running social media for a cause, or organizing events all show project management chops. Sometimes, employers care even more about these skills than technical training—especially in fields like non-profits, healthcare, or education.

The takeaway? If you’re serious about standing out, don’t think of your volunteer work as a side note. For employers, it’s solid proof you’ve got drive and make things happen even when nobody’s paying you. That matters more than you think, especially when everyone’s resume starts to look the same after a while. Companies want culture fit and extra effort—that’s what your volunteer time is all about. If you want your employers to notice, spotlight what you learned and contributed—not just where you volunteered.

What Kind of Volunteer Experience Stands Out

Not all volunteer gigs look the same on your resume, and honestly, some catch a recruiter’s eye more than others. If you want your experience to pop during the hiring process, focus on the stuff that shows leadership, responsibility, or valuable skills you can transfer to actual jobs.

For example, organizing a charity run where you managed a team, tracked donations, or did community outreach packs a bigger punch than just showing up for an afternoon to hand out water. Roles where you supervised others, ran a project, or created something new stand out the most, especially if you can prove results.

Here’s what makes your volunteer experience more impressive:

• You took the lead—coordinating an event, managing signups, or training volunteers.
• You gained hard skills—like using accounting software, public speaking, or graphic design for a nonprofit.
• You solved real problems—maybe you launched a food drive during a crisis, improved the way supplies were handed out, or helped set up a digital presence for a group.
• Your role lasted more than a one-off event—consistent commitment (over months or years) shows you’re reliable.

Check out this table—it breaks down how different types of volunteer work stack up with recruiters:

According to Deloitte’s Volunteerism Survey, 82% of recruiters are more likely to choose candidates with volunteer experience if it’s clearly connected to job-related skills. So, don’t just list “helped out on weekends.” Spell out what you did, how long you did it, and any success stories you can back up with numbers or facts.

How to Present Volunteer Work on Your Resume

If you think volunteer roles should just get a tiny line at the bottom, think again. The way you put volunteer work on your resume can grab a hiring manager’s eye faster than you’d expect. Here’s how to shine a light on those unpaid gigs so they actually help you get noticed (and maybe hired!).

The first step: treat your volunteer experience just like regular job experience. Don’t tuck it away or leave out the details. If it deserves space, give it space. List your volunteer roles under a clear section—"Volunteer Experience" or, if it fits, right alongside your paid jobs in "Experience." If your volunteer work fills in employment gaps or is super relevant to the job you want, this really matters.

Here’s how to make your volunteer work stand out:

• employers love numbers—so back up what you did with results. Did you raise $2,000 for a fundraiser? Organize 15 events in a year? Say it.
• Write what you actually accomplished, not just what your “position” was. Instead of "Helped at food bank," say "Coordinated weekly grocery assistance for 200 families."
• If you learned new skills—public speaking, budgeting, or software use—mention them by name. Skills from volunteering can highlight abilities you might not show at other jobs.
• Use active verbs: managed, coached, created, launched, trained, organized, led.
• Include volunteer work that matches the job you’re applying for. Target what matters most for that employer.

If you’re switching fields or just starting out, you can even move your best volunteer experiences higher up your resume. Some successful job-seekers add them right under the summary, because it honestly tells more about their skills than old paid jobs ever could.

You don’t have to list every volunteer gig—quality beats quantity. Show how you made a difference, and it’ll be hard for any hiring manager to ignore.

Stories from the Hiring Side

If you’re still not sure if employers care about your volunteer work, listen to what actual hiring managers and recruiters have to say. Major companies—think Deloitte and Google—have gone on record about the value of volunteer projects. Deloitte’s 2023 Volunteerism Survey found that 82% of managers said they’d prefer a job candidate with volunteer experience on their resume. Even more telling? Nearly 9 in 10 said that volunteering makes candidates more appealing.

Here’s a real quote from LinkedIn’s senior editor, Andrew Seaman, that gets to the point:

"Volunteer experience is not just something to tack onto your resume. It often demonstrates leadership, passion, and real-world skills that hiring managers are searching for."

Recruiters often use volunteer experience as a tiebreaker when two candidates look basically identical. One recruiter from a healthcare firm shared with me that volunteering in a hospital setting helped tip the scales for one applicant over someone with slightly better grades, simply because the volunteer had already learned how to work with patients and staff in stressful situations.

Check out this quick comparison from an actual hiring survey:

Some HR teams even flag resumes with significant volunteer roles for closer review. They’re especially interested if the role involved leadership, training, or project management, which lines up with what organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found in their 2022 report. According to SHRM, 60% of employers believe volunteering develops strong soft skills—things like teamwork, problem-solving, and communication—that directly help in the workplace.

The bottom line? Volunteer work gives hiring teams relatable stories and concrete examples to remember you by, and that can nudge your resume to the top of the pile.

Tips to Make the Most of Your Volunteering

If you want your volunteer experience to help you land a job, you’ve got to be smart about how you use it. Employers aren’t mind-readers, so it’s up to you to highlight what actually matters for your next step. Here’s how to make your time count, whether you’re helping out at a dog rescue or organizing a charity run.

• Track what you achieve: Keep a simple log or list of your tasks and results. Did you help raise $2,000 at a fundraiser? Note it down. Did you train five new volunteers? Track it. Concrete numbers look impressive on a resume.
• Link tasks to skills: Don’t just say “Volunteered at soup kitchen.” Did you organize people, manage a schedule, or handle budgets? Write down the actual skills you practiced—like teamwork, leadership, event planning, or using new apps.
• Ask for references: Stay in touch with people who oversaw your work. A recommendation from a volunteer coordinator can carry a lot of weight, especially if you’re trying to break into a new industry.
• Treat it like paid work: Show up on time, be dependable, and ask for feedback. Employers look for the same soft skills in volunteers as paid workers. Consistency counts for a lot.
• Add it to your LinkedIn: LinkedIn has a separate spot for volunteer experience, so use it. According to the site, profiles with volunteer roles get six times more views than those without. That visibility helps if you’re on the hunt for something new.

Check out how much hiring managers care about this stuff—look at these numbers from a real 2024 survey by Deloitte:

So, if you’re thinking volunteer work doesn’t get noticed, think again. Just don’t forget to mention it front and center, especially if employers in your field value soft skills or community-mindedness.