There is no denying the competitiveness of the employment sector. However, it might be challenging for young professionals and entrepreneurs to wait patiently in line until their turn comes. Young millennials are being forced to reconsider how they will approach their professional lives due to factors including the cost of living, school loan debt, and the requirement to develop a résumé.

Approaching radically about your profession might entail many different strategies, including blended learning, active networking, freelance work, entrepreneurship, and a long list of other things. However, young professionals looking to expand their expertise and land a fulfilling employment opportunity have long ignored one section of the resume: volunteer work.

Benefits of including volunteer work in your resume

The advantages of having volunteer experience on your resume are as follows:

• Incorporating volunteer work on your CV is advantageous for companies valuing community involvement.
• It helps explain employment history gaps caused by volunteer commitments, especially relevant for recent graduates and high school students.
• Volunteering highlights skills familiar to hiring managers, setting you apart from other candidates.

5 Volunteering activities every college student must do

Volunteering is an invaluable way to develop skills and experience that will make you a greater asset to business entities. Including volunteer experience on your resume might show that you're dedicated to making a difference in your community and that you're able to work well with others. Below are five different types of volunteer work that can make you stand out to potential employers and appear good on a resume.

#1 Increase public awareness of health issues

Saving lives doesn't always require becoming a doctor. Creating support networks and increasing awareness are sometimes all that are required to help those who are struggling with their health.

Both the Alzheimer's Association and the American Cancer Society offer excellent volunteer options since you may spread awareness of these diseases, plan summer fundraising activities, and do so much more.  

Caretakers of medical patients require assistance as well, and joining the National Alliance on Mental Illness as a virtual peer supporter may be quite beneficial to them. Additionally, you will be able to take better care of your health despite your hectic college schedule if you stay on top of the most recent health developments. 

#2 Work for environmental regulations

Are you aware that several environmental laws in the US were enacted with the aid of nonprofit organizations? Now that is changing things!

You may get comparable results by working with Sierra Club to promote improved air and water quality as well as animal protection. Find a local chapter so you may supervise outdoor excursions or participate digitally in online advertising campaigns.

College students who have switched from disposable to eco-friendly cutlery can also participate in beach clean-ups or spread the word about the increasing plastic pollution through live events or social media campaigns via 5 Gyres. 

#3 Help differently-abled

Being an aide to someone with a disability may change your way of life. You can develop empathy, compassion, and special abilities, such as ultimately mastering American Sign Language, by being exposed to people from diverse lifestyles. 

With the help of the Seva Foundation or Combat Blindness International, it is possible to raise money to assist programs aimed at treating the visually impaired. Additionally, you can participate in Alexander Graham Bell Association programs for kids and people with hearing impairments as an ear-replaceable skill-based volunteer.

Alternatively, you can assist unknown handicaps facing the challenges of being unfamiliar with a foreign language.! Translators Without Borders connects humanitarian projects in need of translation with multilingual volunteers who work remotely.

#4 Pet homes to fit furry family 

6.3 million cats and dogs are admitted to pet shelters each year, and a sobering figure shows that almost 30% of those animals were abandoned by their owners. Join forces with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by providing foster care for abandoned pets, providing care for recuperating animals, or speaking out for animal protection.

Joining the Best Friends Animal Society in its campaign to eradicate puppy mills and other cruel animal practices, or to promote animal welfare in pet shelters, is yet another wonderful idea. You may educate your pets on how to behave properly by volunteering for animal welfare organizations.

Participating in animal welfare groups teaches you how to properly care for animals, which you can then apply to your pets.

#5 Offer care to ailing children

Volunteering for organizations that make ill children happy is the best cause there is.

As leading therapeutic play and craft sessions may be boring, lonely, and exhausting during lengthy hospital stays, joining the Project Sunshine community volunteer team is sure to be enjoyable.

If you'd prefer something a bit more extravagant, the Make-A-Wish Foundation will transform you into a fairy who grants wishes, arranging things like an all-expenses-paid vacation to Walt Disney World or a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a superstar.

Connecting with children and their caregivers, as well as collaborating with multiple organizations to achieve objectives, can enhance your interpersonal and communication skills in the professional arena.