Should I include the volunteer work on my resume?

Is it necessary to include a resume for my first job?

• I'm applying for Forever 21, and it'll be my first job if I get it. Do I need to include a resume? I wouldn't have any work experience to show, but I have done volunteer ...show more

• Answer:

  It is not so much a matter of "need" as it is just better to do so to show your professionalism. I still remember my first resume without any job experience. The face is, there are different "styles" of resume as well. People with plenty of relevant job experience can opt for the Chronological Resume that emphasizes a list of their job history. However, if you have little or no job experience, do the Functional Resume instead. That means you list the skills you learned from academic, extracurricular and volunteer activities toward the top of the page....listing the most important relevant job skills and achievements/awards first and go down the page according to priority of importance: Objective, Job Skills & Community Work (also a part of your job skills), Education (degree or diploma, with awards), and lastly, References. For the Objective, just give a brief statement that summarizes how each of your skill can contribute to the company, such as "Looking for a position (or Sales Associate or specific title if you know it) in which Communication and Organization Skills, Leadership, and Problem Solving Skills can make a significant contribution to an organization." For example, under "Communications," you can list situations or positions in which you had used your communication skills for "interpersonal relationships".....speech class/club....debates you have won....peer counseling volunteer work in which you have effectively communicated to help others....talked somebody out of suicide....and so on. Communications is vital not just in building rapport with customers (potential to increase their sales quota), but it's also for having harmonious relationships with other employees. As a former Sales Associate for Payless ShoeSource, I can tell you that communication is the utmost top quality for "customer relations." As hiring managers, attitude and communication are the top qualities we look for, on both the resume and during the job interview. We would rather hire somebody capable of contributing to the peace and harmony of a team than somebody with the right job skills, but whose attitude/communication stinks. Job skills can ALWAYS be trained, but attitude and communication style is much harder to re-train. Another example, under "Leadership," you can list all leadership positions you have held, such as "Vice President of Environment Club"....."trained new club members".....chairman of certain committees in FBLA..... For "Organization," you can list any projects you have carried through from start to finish, such as Bonfils Blood Drive campaign....organized fundraising for your sports or clubs....church fundraising....and so on. Organization is CRUCIAL because you need to stock new shipments up (or reorganizing the racks) while keeping Pilfredge Stats low (people stealing = losing profit and every store must record stolen items for the District Manager, Regional Manager and Regional Auditor). Besides those 3 skills, just list anything that you can think of that will help convey that you can be the best candidate for a Sales Associate position. Another thing I can think of is "Problem Solving Skills." List situations in which you successfully, creatively solved relationship problems (ESPECIALLY conflicts, which they WILL ask you about in your job interview) with friends, schoolmates, classmates, family members, or even strangers (like if you have ever "stepped in" and rescued an argument). This quality is CRUCIAL to show that you are capable of handling customer complaints in a calm manner, especially if you can retain the irate customer and make them leave the store happily with an exchanged item (instead of a refund = keeps profit in the store). After the Skills section, then you list your Education section, with academic and other achievements, such as a list of relevant classes or degrees and honors awards. Don't list classes that are irrelevant. For example, if an Honors class shows how you used your organization skills to get the A, or how much of a fast learner you are, then list it. If an award shows off another skill (debate team award = your communication skill), list it. If ALL awards show how responsible you are or how much of a leader you are (being top of the class is a form of "leadership" too), do list them. Last, but not least, walk in there (to hand in your ap & resume or for the job interview) with a positive, upbeat and confident attitude. Be sure to ask directly for the Store Manager or Assistant Manager before you hand the ap & resume over. Ask for their name(s) and greet them with the proper address (Mr._____? Ms. _____?)----better to be safe and come across as respectful in that professional sense. If they specifically ask you to call them by first name AFTER you get hired, then do so accordingly to build rapport. It always sounds more professional to address them by last name than first name upon initial contact. Here are some example images of what a Function Resume should look like: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.career.uga.edu/images/samplefunctionalresume.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.career.uga.edu/students/samplefunctionalresume.html&h=858&w=663&sz=14&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=NZyR7hj0ENatUM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfunctional%2Bresume%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den The the last thing should be "References" (names, titles & phone numbers of people through whom they can contact to verify your status), which you just list "Available Upon Request." Keep the resume clean and easy to read. Keep it to one page only. Best wishes. I'm sure your skills and accomplishments will shine through! NOTE: ----Use traditional, conservative paper colors, such as white, ivory, cream, or off-white. ----For paper texture, choose Bond, Linen or Cotton Weave. ----Use easy-to-read fonts, such as Times New Roman or Arial. ----Bold each section as well as each job skill. ----Make use of the white space to keep the reader focused, such as "columns".....a list of each job skill on the left and detailed examples of activities you did that demonstrated that skill. Use bullets for each activity listed. If it's too long for the column format, then list it in this format: http://www.scate.org/Students/images/sampleresumes/functional.gif Although this one shows Employment History section, since it's irrelevant to you, just skip it.