Volunteering shows skills, commitment and what you care about. It counts most when you are early in your career, changing fields or returning after a break, and when it is relevant to the job.
Where to put it
- Its own section, "Volunteering", after your work experience. This is the usual place.
- In your work history, if it was substantial and close to the job you want: a volunteer treasurer applying for finance roles, say. Mark it clearly as a volunteer role.
Describe it like a job
Organisation, your role, dates, and two or three results:
- "Treasurer, Riverside Food Bank, 2021–present. Keep the books for a £60,000 yearly budget; moved accounts to Xero and cut month-end from a week to a day."
- "Volunteer coach, under-12 football, 2022–2023. Coached 15 players weekly; the team finished second in the league."
What to leave out
One-off events and causes unrelated to the job can go, unless your resume is short and they show something useful. Political and religious work is your call: include it if it shows relevant skills and you are comfortable discussing it.
In JSON Resume these go in the volunteer section, which every theme shows. Make your resume.