RESUME’ BUILDING THROUGH VOLUNTEERISM James Monroe High School Class of 2016 November 18, 2014 Don Dransfield WVU Extension Service Monroe County 4-H Youth Dev.

Despite negative stereotypes, most youth are well-adjusted Majority perform some form of volunteer- service and contribute to the community Volunteerism promotes so many positive outcomes that it is essential to encourage this among youth Youth volunteerism Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

1) What is “volunteerism?” Answer: It is the act of providing service for others at reduced or no cost 2) What types of volunteering are there? Answer: A LOT 3) What percentage of youth in the US volunteer? Answer: 60% 4) Approximately how many hours do teenage volunteers contribute annually? Answer. 2.5 billion hours 5) How much does teenage volunteerism contribute to the yearly US economy? Answer. $35 Billion ($14.00 / hour) 6) What best describes the volunteer trends among teens in the US? Answer. In recent years, the percentage of youth who volunteer has been increasing – up 12% in the last decade Facts about volunteerism Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

VOLUNTEERISM… How do we/YOU volunteer? Who Benefits? How are these groups Benefitted? Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

Broader economy youth School Family Broader society Neighborhood & community Local organizations and volunteer agencies Social services Friends and peer group 1) Who and how does VOLUNTEERISM help? 2) Did your responses fall into these groups? 3) Did you name other beneficiaries? Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

BENEFITS FOR THE SPECIFIC TARGETS -This includes the local organizations and the clientele of those organizations - Volunteers help cut down costs of organizations, and makes services available to a larger audience Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

BENEFITS FOR THE IMMEDIATE & LARGER COMMUNITY -Volunteers make social services available to more people in the community -VOLUNTEERISM promotes a sense of empowerment and connection to the community among youth -Youth who volunteer are more likely to stay in or return to their communities -VOLUNTEERISM contributes to economic vitality – youth contribute over $35 billion per year in volunteer hours -In other words, both directly and indirectly, youth volunteers contribute to community vitality Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

BENEFITS FOR THE VOLUNTEERS -Volunteer work provides an opportunity to learn new skills and valuable work experience (enhancing marketability both for work and college acceptance) -Volunteer experience is a context for developing significant relationships with like-minded peers and others -The experience of VOLUNTEERISM can help develop many social competencies – identity development, compassion, sense of agency (ability to make a difference), leadership, confidence and self- esteem. VOLUNTEERISM contributes to positive youth development! Source: UNL Univ. of Neb/Lincoln

“Nuff of what’s in it for them! What’s in it for ME?

Volunteer for Your Career If ever there were a winning career- development strategy for college students, volunteering is it. Even if you have only a few hours a month to spare, you can make a significant difference. And best of all, you can boost your career at the same time. Learn New Skills Want to become more comfortable with public speaking? Becoming a volunteer presenter. Does sales intrigue you? Making calls for an organization will teach you how to solicit financial contributions without offending or alienating anyone. Source: Monster Worldwide, Inc. Polish Existing Skills in a Real-World Setting Are you majoring in a foreign language? Volunteer translation services!

Make Key Professional Contacts The woman who supervises your volunteer work might someday hire you for a paid position doing something similar and then for a permanent, full-time job at her agency. At a minimum, she'll become an outstanding professional reference as you look at other internship and job possibilities. Explore Career Options Without a Long- Term Commitment Healthcare intrigues you, but the only jobs you know about are nurse and doctor. Volunteering at a nearby hospital or nursing home will give you a glimpse of dozens of other healthcare career options. Source: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

Finding an Opportunity Ask Around: Check out the Guidance Office Use Web-Based Search Tools: Several Web sites list volunteer opportunities online. Approach a Specific Organization of Interest: MCAL / Red Cross / Residential Care / Chamber of Commerce / United Way …. Source: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

How do I parlay all this VOLUNTEERISM into GOLD!

"Is it really that important to place my volunteer activities on the resume?” “Do employers really care about volunteering?" “Should I even bother with talking about the service I did?” Yes!

PRESENTING VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE ON A RESUME BY DEFINITION, A RESUME DESCRIBES THE UNIQUENESS OF A JOB SEEKER TO OTHERS, REFLECTING THE APPLICANT’S WORK EXPERIENCE, GOALS AND CAPABILITIES. BUT WHAT DOES A DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES AS A VOLUNTEER SAY TO AN EMPLOYER? IT SAYS THAT THIS PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE IS WILLING TO TRY NEW EXPERIENCES, BE INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY, AND WILL TAKE INITIATIVE AND MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!

PLACING VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE ON A RESUME: IN A TRADITIONAL, CHRONOLOGICAL STYLE RESUME,  PRESENT VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCES ALONG WITH PAID WORK IN REVERSE DATE ORDER (MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE FIRST). THIS IS A PREFERRED FORMAT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE PERSON HAS BEEN DOING MANY THINGS SINCE THEIR LAST PAID JOB. IT IS ALSO APPROPRIATE FOR STUDENTS SEEKING THEIR FIRST “REAL” JOB, SINCE IT PLACES THEIR VALUABLE VOLUNTEER/INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE FRONT AND CENTER, RATHER THAN LOW-LEVEL JOBS WITHOUT ANY PROFESSIONAL RELEVANCE.

PLACING VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE ON A RESUME: OR  SEPARATE PAID WORK EXPERIENCE FROM VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE. THIS PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS HOW THE JOB SEEKER HAS DEMONSTRATED VALUABLE SKILLS IN EACH CATEGORY.

NUMBERS STOP THE EYE AND REINFORCE THE VALUE OF THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE. EMPLOYERS WANT TO KNOW QUANTIFIABLE RESULTS AS WELL AS SKILLS. EXPLAIN THE OUTCOME OF YOUR WORK WITH SOME DATA: AMOUNT OF MONEY RAISED NUMBER OF CLIENTS HELPED PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS, ETC. YOU CAN ALSO ASSIGN A DOLLAR VALUE TO VOLUNTEER HOURS IN EACH ASSIGNMENT, SO THAT VOLUNTEERS CAN POINT TO THE EQUIVALENT MONETARY WORTH OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS. REMEMBER $14.00 PER HOUR!!!!!

VOLUNTEER WORK SHOULD BE PRESENTED WITH THE SAME VALUE, IMPORTANCE AND LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT AS PAID WORK. TO EMPHASIS THIS, CONSIDER THESE RESUME- WRITING SUGGESTIONS: PREPARE A SERVICE STATEMENT. THIS SUMMARY INCLUDES VOLUNTEER POSITION TITLE A DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SKILLS REQUIRED DATES OF SERVICE NUMBER OF HOURS CONTRIBUTED AND TRAINING RECEIVED. ALSO INCLUDE EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORGANIZATION; IN-SERVICE TRAINING; WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES ATTENDED.

RESUME’ BUILDING THROUGH VOLUNTEERISM James Monroe High School Class of 2016 November 18, 2014 Don Dransfield WVU Extension Service Monroe County 4-H Youth Dev. QUESTIONS?