Should I include the volunteer work on my resume?

Can you put one-time volunteer activities on your resume?

• I am a college sophomore, and one of the areas in which I most lack experience is extracurricular activities. I think my academics and GPA are good, but I really need to add some more community service to my resume. This Saturday I will be helping to clean up the area around the local YMCA for three hours. While this is not really much, I still would like to include it on my resume. Next year I'll have more regular volunteer hours because I will be doing service work with the Spanish-speaking population of the community (Spanish and economics are my majors). But is it ok to include one-time activities such as cleaning up the YMCA?

• Answer:

  Yes, it is ok. However, prospective employers aren't looking for one time activities or a bunch of activities for that matter. What they look for is quality and leadership. They want to know how your activities have helped you become a better person. They also want to see how effective you can be as a leader. If you have time to do those one time events, then sure go for it. But if you are looking to bolster your resume for jobs, then you should consider focusing on one thing and becoming heavily involved in it.