How to Highlight Volunteer Work and Side Projects on Your Resume

What you will learn

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Can Volunteer Work Really Strengthen a Resume?

What Types of Volunteer Work Belong on a Resume?

How Should I Format Volunteer Work on My Resume?

To keep things clear and professional, present volunteer experience similarly to paid work experience—list the organization’s name and location, your position title, and dates of involvement. Use a reverse-chronological format to showcase your most recent activities first. Typically, you’ll want to include this in its own section of the resume, perhaps below work experience and education. However, if the volunteer positions were substantial and related to your career goals, you may choose to list them within the work experience section.

Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and key achievements in each role. Be concise and focus on outcomes by including quantifiable metrics whenever possible. These could be the number of people served, amount of funds raised, or projects completed. For example, "Led fundraising campaign that raised $10,000 for local shelter."

You might also consider mentioning your volunteer work in your resume summary if it aligns closely with the job you’re applying for or is a key part of your overall experience. This puts your transferable skills and community involvement at the top of your resume where they’ll be noticed right away.

Finally, maintain readability by limiting your volunteer work resume section to the most relevant and recent experiences. Ideally, your resume should fit on one page, at most two. Consider this as you decide what information is worth including. As always, consistent formatting, a clean layout, and inclusion of keywords from the job description will enhance your resume’s appeal to both human readers and applicant tracking systems.

Where Do Side Projects Fit In?

Side projects—those that you take on outside your main job or responsibilities—can be a powerful addition to your resume. Whether it’s something extra you took on at your job, contracted work, or part of a training or academic endeavor, side projects can showcase initiative, creativity, and skills beyond your formal employment. Examples could include coding an app, conducting a study, launching a blog, or developing a social campaign. Regardless of the topic or area, these projects can be a great way to highlight your passion and growth mindset, which are qualities many employers value.

As with volunteer work, side projects can serve to fill experience gaps and provide tangible examples of your abilities, particularly if you're transitioning careers or have limited work experience. Even small, self-initiated projects matter, as they demonstrate your drive to learn new skills and solve real-world challenges.

Side projects are best displayed in their own dedicated section on your resume. For each project, briefly describe the purpose/goal, the skills you utilized, and any measurable impact or results achieved. When relevant, it can be impactful to explain any significant challenges encountered and how you resolved them.

You’ve probably noticed a theme in all of our articles related to resume content, and it applies here, as well—you need to show how your side projects are relevant to the job you're applying for. In some cases, this is easy. If you're applying for a web development role, highlighting a project where you built a website is a no-brainer. But, in cases where the alignment isn’t that clear, don’t underestimate the value of transferable skills. Side projects that demonstrate skills that apply across industries and roles, such as leadership, creativity, or cross-functional collaboration, are still worth including.

In interviews, side projects can serve as engaging discussion points that demonstrate your decision-making process, technical expertise, and resilience, helping you stand out among other candidates.

Should I Include Dates and Impact Metrics?

Yes! As with any experience, employers want to know how recent it is and what tangible results it produced, so dates and metrics are essential.

In addition to showing where a side project or volunteer work fits within your professional history, including dates also helps you fill chronological gaps and demonstrate your consistency and commitment over time.

Meanwhile, impact metrics answer the question “So what?” Employers want a clear picture of how effective you were and how your work resulted in a “payoff” for the organization you were working with. For example, statements such as "coordinated a fundraising campaign that raised $10,000" or "organized monthly food drives benefiting 500 families" quantify your achievements and make your volunteer work stand out.

Including measurable results also allows you to incorporate relevant keywords and action verbs, enhancing your resume’s professional image and improving its performance with applicant tracking systems.

How Do Employers View Volunteer Work Compared to Paid Work?

While employers view volunteer work differently than paid work, they generally recognize it as a valuable addition to a candidate’s profile. In fact, research shows that many hiring managers acknowledge that volunteer roles help develop important employability traits, such as teamwork, communication, and leadership, especially for entry-level candidates. So, while paid work is viewed as evidence of your ability to perform specific job functions in a standard work environment, volunteer work is appreciated for the transferable skills, personal initiative, and community engagement it demonstrates.

On the other hand, some employers may not notice or place much value on volunteer experience during the initial hiring stages, often due to the fact that applicant tracking systems prioritize keywords linked to paid job descriptions. To address this, be sure to describe your volunteer work in a way that aligns with the skills and competencies required for the target job. Volunteer experience becomes more impactful when it is clearly connected to relevant job skills and supported by detailed examples of your contributions and measurable results.

Conclusion

Including volunteer work and side projects on your resume can be a great way to highlight your skills, initiative, and dedication to personal growth. It can be especially helpful if you have limited work history or are in the process of changing careers. Thoughtfully incorporating these experiences enables you to showcase transferable skills, community involvement, and a proactive attitude that employers value. Be sure to focus on relevance to the target job, use strong action verbs, and quantify your contributions whenever possible.

Commonly Asked Questions

Should I list volunteer work under work experience?

If your volunteer work directly aligns with your career goals and involves significant responsibilities, it makes sense to include it in your “Work Experience” section. Format it like you would a paid position, with your title, the organization, dates you were involved, and bullet points that list your achievements. This ensures it carries equal importance and demonstrates to employers that these experiences have significantly contributed to your professional growth.

However, if the volunteerism isn’t relevant to your desired position or if it was a short-term endeavor (especially one that overlaps a paid position), it’s more appropriate to include it in its own section.

What If the Volunteer Work Isn’t Related to My Target Role?

Your volunteer work can still be valuable even if it isn’t directly connected to your target job. Just keep the focus on transferable skills and experiences that highlight qualities that are important for nearly any job.

For instance, if you organized events or were in charge of a team, you can emphasize leadership, organization, and communication—skills that apply across numerous industries. Even if the specific tasks differ, the core abilities will resonate with hiring managers.

Additionally, present your volunteer work as evidence of your commitment, initiative, and ability to work collaboratively. Hiring managers tend to value candidates with diverse backgrounds who make meaningful contributions outside of paid employment.

Whenever possible, include quantifiable achievements, such as "recruited 30 volunteers" or "raised $5,000 for community programs," to demonstrate measurable impact. Even if the “wins” are in an unrelated area, they still help boost your hirability.

Can I put short-term or one-time volunteering on a resume?

Short-term or one-time volunteer experiences can be included if they showcase key skills or accomplishments relevant to your target job. Be selective and focus on instances where you held specific responsibilities or achieved measurable results. If the experience doesn’t clearly add value or demonstrate applicable skills, it’s better to exclude or briefly mention it in a cover letter instead.

How do I describe volunteer work professionally?

Present your volunteer experience using the same professional language you use for paid roles. Employ action-oriented verbs such as “organized,” “led,” or “developed” and quantify results. Emphasize transferable skills and measurable impact while keeping descriptions concise.

Are side projects seen as legitimate experience?

Absolutely. Side projects are increasingly recognized as a key part of your experience, particularly when they highlight relevant skills, creativity, and initiative. Include them in a dedicated “Projects” section, detailing the purpose, your contributions, and any tangible outcomes.

Well-documented side projects add substantial value to your resume and also serve as excellent discussion points during interviews.

Should I include volunteer work from a long time ago?

Recent and relevant volunteer work is, of course, preferred. When deciding if you should include older volunteer experience, think about whether it showcases skills or qualities that align with your career objectives. If it does, or if it speaks to skills that aren’t featured in your other experience, it’s good to include. If it doesn’t, we recommend leaving it out to keep the resume concise and targeted. Alternatively, you can briefly mention the volunteer experience in your summary or cover letter if it provides significant context to your professional background.