Volunteer Work Is Now Part of a Strong CV

The latest data relative to volunteer-based non-profit organizations show that they continue to grow in spite of the crisis, consolidating their presence in the economy. According to data released by ISTAT, there are 4,758,622 volunteers operating in Italy (+43.5% with respect to 2001). Such a degree of social engagement is translated into concrete actions performed within structured organizations operating in ever more complex environments.

Being a volunteer has increasingly become an important part of an individual's professional experience, in addition of being motivated by a sense of active solidarity and a spirit of service for the common good. It is an established practice to put stints of volunteer work in one's résumé, and not under the rubric "other interests", but in the list of one's professional experiences. For a variety of personal reasons, growing numbers of young people perform unpaid yet professional work in the service of social causes, to seek a kind of satisfaction that goes well beyond professional interests.

Working as a volunteer enables an individual to acquire organizational and problem-solving skills, especially in NGOs working in international cooperation and peacekeeping environments, and more in general in situations of emergency and social aid.

All this is also made possible by the fact that the non-profit sector and its organizations have increasingly acquired managerial competencies and economic functions. Thus transversal skills are transferred to young people thanks to a volunteer experience in complex and structured organizations. Next to them, there are intangible abilities such as the passions and interests involved in volunteering, and what they reveal about oneself, often a deeper self.

Volunteer work also has a pedagogic and training function, e.g. the technical skills that need to be learned to drive an ambulance in first aid situations or work with the locals in international aid programs.

All of the above are attentively considered by those recruiting personnel and selecting CVs, since they allow a better understanding of candidates' professional profiles. Headhunters do not especially look for a certification of one's volunteer experience; rather they are looking for cues about the job candidate's ability to consider reality from somebody else's perspective, possible the critical situation of those experiencing extreme duress and social exclusion, either because they live below the poverty line or are homeless, refugees, immigrants, at psychiatric risk. This means to be able to master the so-called soft skills that emphasize relational goods and the ability to negotiate in conflict situations.

Being a volunteer is an important and educational experience, but it's not employment. Beware of those who would like to substitute paid work with volunteer work. Working as a volunteer is a free choice, not a forced passage into the job market. Rather, such experience can help better understand a professional profile which is undoubtedly enriched by the fact that a person has more than others been able to open himself/herself to diversity, the search of meaning, and the awareness of his/her motivation to protect human welfare and fundamental rights.