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non-professional experience on resume?
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 2009-05-28 2:07 PM |
Champion  11989      Philly 'burbs |  Subject: non-professional experience on resume?So, new job posting at existing company. Tweaking my resume to fit. I have some but not all professional experience required but do have relevant experience in non professional and volunteer areas. I am debating on including some in my resume but don't want to look desperate or (duh) unprofessional. For instance, there is a PR piece to the new job and while I've not been paid for PR work or formally trained, I've done tons of PR work in youth athletics and semi-professional and community theatre. What would BT do? |
| 2009-05-28 2:12 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Alpharetta, Georgia Bronze member | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? I would include it for sure. (and hey I'm in PR! I would definitely count that if I saw it on a resume. Just be prepared to answer ?s about it, what you learned, how you can apply it to this new job, etc.) New graduates do this all the time... they don't really have the paid experience but if they were involved in ANY sort of activity in college they probably did something related to the job that they can draw from. |
| 2009-05-28 2:14 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Sneaky Slow 8694 Herndon, VA, | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? I think you ought to include it... if I was looking at a resume in my industry (software) and, say, we had a requirement that the person knew a little bit Java... if the person had done Java in a volunteer capacity, that would certainly be a positive. |
| 2009-05-28 2:16 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Champion 7547 Albuquerque, New Mexico Bronze member | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? How would you feel if your experience came from an unpaid internship (like a student teacher)? Volunteer exprience relevant to the position can be included, just be sure you can back up your claims. |
| 2009-05-28 2:52 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Elite 2733 Venture Industries, | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? This seems like something that is more appropriate in a cover letter, if a cover letter is required. If a cover letter is not required then add it to your resume under perhaps a heading entitled "RELEVANT EXPERIENCE" |
| 2009-05-28 2:59 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Champion 34263 Chicago | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? Yes include that! I'm just glad my company didn't ask about the `volunteer experience' on my resume. I mean, really, does mandatory community service count as `volunteer experience'??? |
| 2009-05-28 3:02 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Expert 711 | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? It definitely won't hurt, but don't expect it to necessarily win you any points either. I work in Fund Development and have seen lots of resumes with non-professional fundraising experience on them (like youth sporting leagues or dance teams, etc). It's so completely not the same thing that I don't consider it an asset in any form. |
| 2009-05-28 3:10 PM in reply to: #2179284 |
Champion 6503 NOVA - Ironic for an Endurance Athlete | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? mr2tony - 2009-05-28 2:59 PM Yes include that! I'm just glad my company didn't ask about the `volunteer experience' on my resume. I mean, really, does mandatory community service count as `volunteer experience'??? Nope that ain't 'volunteer', it's just unpaid.  |
| 2009-05-28 3:16 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Master 1890 Cypress, CA | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? I'd definitely include it if it's about skills and experience relevant to the job posting, and especially if it fills in holes or weak areas in your professional experience. If it's just "hobbies & interests," personally I don't really care about seeing that on a resume. |
| 2009-05-28 4:05 PM in reply to: #2179296 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? trysprintolympic - 2009-05-28 4:02 PM It definitely won't hurt, but don't expect it to necessarily win you any points either. I work in Fund Development and have seen lots of resumes with non-professional fundraising experience on them (like youth sporting leagues or dance teams, etc). It's so completely not the same thing that I don't consider it an asset in any form. I've not done Fund Development but have you done youth athletics fund raising? I don't mean selling candy door to door (though I've done that too). I mean soliciting and receiving corporate charitable donations in the tens of thousands of dollars. I'd say that's an asset. Sorry....I kind of took that personally. |
| 2009-05-28 4:16 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Regular 86 Arlington, TX | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? I am a recruiter and I say definitely put it in there. It probably will not help but won't hurt either. Also, I know this goes against conventional wisdom but cover letters usually get thrown in the trash. |
| 2009-05-28 4:30 PM in reply to: #2179524 |
Expert 711 | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? mrbbrad - 2009-05-28 5:05 PM I've not done Fund Development but have you done youth athletics fund raising? I don't mean selling candy door to door (though I've done that too). I mean soliciting and receiving corporate charitable donations in the tens of thousands of dollars. I'd say that's an asset. Sorry....I kind of took that personally. Sorry, I really wasn't trying to offend anyone. I was just saying that many times volunteer experience is miles apart from what a professional employee would be tasked with. It doesn't make the experience worthless, it just doesn't mean that you're going to have received the knowledge/skills via the volunteer experience that you might be required to have if it were your full-time job. Like I said, as well as many other posters, you should definitely put it on. It just might not end up being an asset - but maybe it will! |
| 2009-05-28 4:42 PM in reply to: #2179547 |
Veteran 840 | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? mginani - 2009-05-28 4:16 PM I am a recruiter and I say definitely put it in there. It probably will not help but won't hurt either. Also, I know this goes against conventional wisdom but cover letters usually get thrown in the trash. Agree. I may skim it but a cover letter can only hurt and it never helps. Also, don't put the resume in a fancy binder. I prefer a stapled resume or a simple paper clip. I throw away the binders (or recycle them at home for school projects). |
| 2009-05-28 5:25 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Master 2477 Oceanside, California | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? Talk to recruiters in that industry. Industry norms vary and rule the decision making process. |
| 2009-05-28 9:06 PM in reply to: #2179603 |
| Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? Indiana_Geoff - 2009-05-28 5:42 PM mginani - 2009-05-28 4:16 PM I am a recruiter and I say definitely put it in there. It probably will not help but won't hurt either. Also, I know this goes against conventional wisdom but cover letters usually get thrown in the trash. Agree. I may skim it but a cover letter can only hurt and it never helps. Also, don't put the resume in a fancy binder. I prefer a stapled resume or a simple paper clip. I throw away the binders (or recycle them at home for school projects). Then why does EVERY career center, book, article, etc tell you to do a cover letter if it hurts your application? I've never heard this before. That's incredibly discouraging for those of us who don't have a lot of work experience because we're young, or have kinda weird backgrounds or are trying to redirect careers, etc. And you can't get a better job if you don't get a better job, ya know? It's like waitressing - you need experience to be one, but someone actually has to hire you so you can get experience. Edited by wurkit_gurl 2009-05-28 9:11 PM |
| 2009-05-28 9:15 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Pro 4189 Pittsburgh, my heart is in Glasgow | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? wurkit, I'm right there with you. You ask 10 people what to put on a resume/what makes a good resume, and you'll get 10 different answers. I'm in the process of job hunting, and I've gotten everything from "your cover letter is the most important thing EVARRRRR ZOMG!" to "We never hire people who write cover letters". The whole process is the most frustrating thing ever. Right now I'm doing a lot of interning/volunteering in my industry, doing things that are related to what I want to do, in places I want to work. So I definitely put that on my resume...and I write cover letters explaining what I'd bring to the job and why I'm interested. |
| 2009-05-28 9:23 PM in reply to: #2179977 |
| Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? phoenixazul - 2009-05-28 10:15 PM wurkit, I'm right there with you. You ask 10 people what to put on a resume/what makes a good resume, and you'll get 10 different answers. I'm in the process of job hunting, and I've gotten everything from "your cover letter is the most important thing EVARRRRR ZOMG!" to "We never hire people who write cover letters". The whole process is the most frustrating thing ever. Right now I'm doing a lot of interning/volunteering in my industry, doing things that are related to what I want to do, in places I want to work. So I definitely put that on my resume...and I write cover letters explaining what I'd bring to the job and why I'm interested. Right, I was always told that the cover letter is the place to highlight important stuff that might not be on your resume, and not to rehash your work experience in the cover letter - so I never do. But if no one reads it, then I might as well just work as a freakin' office manager for the rest of my damn life (a position I had to take because I was laid off)...wtf? |
| 2009-05-28 9:56 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Elite 3022 Preferably on my bike somewhere | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? mrbbrad - 2009-05-28 3:07 PM So, new job posting at existing company. Tweaking my resume to fit. I have some but not all professional experience required but do have relevant experience in non professional and volunteer areas. I am debating on including some in my resume but don't want to look desperate or (duh) unprofessional. For instance, there is a PR piece to the new job and while I've not been paid for PR work or formally trained, I've done tons of PR work in youth athletics and semi-professional and community theatre. What would BT do? If you are uncomfortable working it into the resume, you can always write it in the cover letter. I like to see cover letters (some folks think they are a waste). Non-work related experience is DEFINITELY good on a resume. |
| 2009-05-28 10:04 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Master 1890 Cypress, CA | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? I think using a cover letter to highlight stuff that's specific to the job but might not be in your resume made sense back when you took your resume to the print shop and got a stack of them printed up on nice bond paper. Now that we're all writing them (and often submitting them) electronically, it seems to make more sense to tailor the resume itself to the position you're applying for, and eliminate the need for a separate cover letter. Edited by tjh 2009-05-28 10:05 PM |
| 2009-05-28 10:35 PM in reply to: #2179080 |
Master 2477 Oceanside, California | Subject: RE: non-professional experience on resume? Every job that I work for required a cover letter. I hire in my job, and although they are required in the application packet, I have never read one when I have hired. |
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