Question for Human Resiources Readers

[JT]

My question is how seriously would you take a job candidate if this person has volunteer service in the industry/position to which he/she is applying?
A former professor thought it would be a good idea to volunteer in a hospital to get exposure and experience. I have a MBA in HCM plus Six Sigma Greenbelt in Healthcare.

Please help.

Thanks.

 

[pjlippert]

Hi there- 15 years HR/Recruiting + MS in HRM. I don't think it would or should matter too much if the work you performed as a volunteer work was directly in line with the job requirements of the position you are applying for. I've had plenty of PhD candidates who worked "for free" in the Scientific community and it was of course in support of their thesis work. However, what can you bring to the table that other candidates maybe can't who worked in a non-volunteer capacity??

My advice is don't sell your experience short by ANY stretch of the imagination. Sell your work experience HARD- son't sell it short! I also say this from a personal perspective as my sister had done many years of volunteer work for various charities. Once we got her resume in order, she landed a job as the Director of Fundraising for Easter Seals of San Diego. Granted, her pay was squat by comparison to the insane # of hours she was putting in!

Put your resume together as any other job candidate would. I'm sure your work is very significant- sell it that way!! I'm happy to help you if you need some pointers. Send me a PM.

Best of luck!!!

Pam

 

[JT]

Pam,
The hospital I would like to volunteer at is not the same as the one(s) I am looking to have a career with. Two seperate facilities at two different regions of my State which I reside in.
My concern too is that my current position may prevent me from volunteering which are weekday business hours.

Thanks for the quick response.

JT

 

[LauraMax]

My question is how seriously would you take a job candidate if this person has volunteer service in the industry/position to which he/she is applying?
A former professor thought it would be a good idea to volunteer in a hospital to get exposure and experience. I have a MBA in HCM plus Six Sigma Greenbelt in Healthcare.

Please help.

Thanks.

I work for local govmt & we'd take it seriously. We hired a volunteer basketball coach in our Rec Dept. 5 years ago, she's now the dept. director.

From a hiring perspective, any experience in the field helps, & volunteerism shows your commitment to something you care about. It's also a great way to network for future employment.

 

[NY25]

I agree with Laura. While it's not the be-all, if you are able to do it and it is of interest to you, go for it. In my industry (finance/Wall Street) they love that kind of stuff on resumes. Even if it's not industry-related volunteerism. If it's relevant to your desired role, all the better!

 

[JT]

Thank you for the advice and for the encouragement, I hope to have my interview next week. I will update you all then.