Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Surprising Thing That Can Get You Hired

The Surprising Thing That Can Get You Hired

Man giving charity

Lend a hand to land a gig. Volunteering makes you a more desirable job candidate, according to a new survey from professional services organization Deloitte.

Here’s the hitch: While 76 percent of HR executives say nonprofit work looks attractive on a resume, the candidates themselves don’t think so; less than half of all applicants surveyed don’t believe it makes a difference in a job search.

But volunteering showcases flexibility, a worldly perspective, and an ability to put the skills you learned in school to use, says Evan Hochberg, national director of community engagement for Deloitte. For recent college grads without much work experience or people with gaps in employment, hiring managers see volunteering as a form of on-the-job training, boosting your odds of getting a real offer.

High-skill work, like helping out in a communications department or the technology world, is what employers are really looking for, Hochberg says. To showcase your experience, add volunteering to the work section of your resume—noting, of course, that you weren’t paid. Describe the skills you honed (like “coordinated with different departments”) and outcomes you achieved (“expanded social media reach to 100,000 Twitter followers”)—two of the biggest factors HR execs will study.

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