How to Put Unpaid Work Experience on Your Resume

In a competitive job market, every bit of experience can make a difference, whether it comes with a paycheck or not.

Leveraging unpaid experiences like internships and volunteer roles can add valuable depth and dimension to your resume. But how do you include these experiences without undermining your professional accomplishments?

Whether you’re a recent graduate, a career changer, or reentering the workforce, read on to discover how to turn uncompensated experiences into powerful assets in your job search.

Can You Put Unpaid Work Experience on Your Resume?

The truth is, all relevant and recent experience, whether paid or unpaid, is valuable and should be considered for inclusion in a resume.

Do internships, volunteer work, or other uncompensated roles “count?” Absolutely!

New skills were gained and existing qualifications were strengthened, with or without a paycheck.

Volunteerism, internships, pro bono projects, student rotations, etc., can help to cover employment gaps, show investment within the community, and/or demonstrate a commitment to professional development.

For example, consider a stay-at-home parent returning to the workforce as an Office Manager after a five-year hiatus. In addition to managing the household, this candidate took multiple online courses in business administration and volunteered to set up and maintain databases at their local food bank. Though unpaid, this recent experience is completely relevant to the job seeker’s current target and should go on their resume.

Unpaid experiences can highlight your commitment to growth, prove your willingness to help others, or show how you’ve used time away from paid employment constructively. However, it’s important to present this experience appropriately. 

Video: How to Put Unpaid Experience on Your Resume

How to Put Unpaid Work Experience on Your Resume

When including unpaid work experience on your resume, follow these guidelines to present it effectively and honestly:

Identify the Relevance

First, decide how relevant the unpaid work experience is to the job you’re applying for. If it’s highly relevant, include substantial details to help you get past applicant tracking systems and impress human readers; if not, a brief mention may suffice.

Consider when you held these roles as well. Volunteer positions from more than 15 years ago, for example, may not deserve space on your resume.

Choose the Right Resume Section

You might include unpaid experience in your primary “Experience” section (also known as your career timeline) if it helps to cover a gap, or you could create a separate section such as “Volunteer Work” or “Professional & Community Affiliations.”

It can also make sense to create a separate section for unpaid experience on your resume. For example, if you are a nursing student with multiple rotations and your prior paid experience is not very relevant, using a separate “Clinical Rotations” section and placing it ahead of your “Professional Experience” section would be advantageous.

Use Accurate Titles

Label the roles appropriately and honestly. This ensures the reader knows they were unpaid roles.

Examples:

• Volunteer Project Manager
• LPN Student
• Finance Intern
• Group Leader (Volunteer)
• Advisor (Pro Bono)

When including unpaid positions among paid positions within the experience section, label that section “Experience” or “Experience History” – not “Professional Experience” – to avoid possible misinterpretation.

Highlight Skills and Achievements

Just as you would with a paid position, focus on the scope of your duties, skills you’ve gained, projects you’ve completed, and any specific accomplishments. Quantify these where possible with percentages, dollar amounts, etc.

Examples:

• Designed, ran, and monitored highly targeted social media campaigns that secured new foster homes for 20 shelter dogs in less than 2 weeks.
• Won top award and national recognition out of 100+ senior journalism student entries for article covering local environmental issues.
• Completed software upgrades for non-profit organization on pro bono basis, saving $5K in potential fees and increasing security.

Consider a Cover Letter Mention

If the unpaid experience is highly relevant to your target role, consider highlighting it in your cover letter with a personal anecdote or two, explaining why it was valuable and how it prepares you for the prospective position.

Example:

• While volunteering for the Frederick Food Bank last summer, I organized a three-day community event that was attended by more than 500 people and raised close to $10,000 for those in need. It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I had the opportunity to strengthen my skills in scheduling, vendor management, budgeting, and public relations.

Ask for References

If the unpaid work was substantial, ask for references from those you worked with and add their information to your references sheet. They can vouch for your skills and add further value to your contributions.

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By including unpaid work experience and volunteer experience on your resume in a strategic and thoughtful way, you can demonstrate a broader range of skills and experiences to potential employers. The key is to present this experience as relevant, valuable, and in alignment with your career objectives.

Whether paid or unpaid, your experiences are part of your professional journey and can be leveraged to help you stand out.

For more resume tips and tricks, head to our Job Seeker Resource Center or check out our Resume Builder for a quick and easy way to create a strong document.