Volunteer work can be very rewarding. You can help other people and improve your resume through this work. There are many reasons why volunteer experience can enhance your resume. It helps to list volunteer experience because it can show how you work with people. In many jobs you will need to work with other people for certain tasks. By working with volunteer services you can come in contact with people while volunteering. Your prior volunteer experiences can show how you have worked with people in the past.

An interest in working can also be shown. By volunteering outside of any other jobs you have you can show how you care about work. This is something that many employers like out of candidates. They like candidates that care about working.

Volunteer experience can even showcase what you are experienced with. In many cases you will be able to display some of your skills in a volunteer task. A good example is that of what happens when you work towards building homes for the poor. You can show your home planning skills and your skills with tools. This can be very beneficial if you are looking into a construction job.

You can also emphasize things that you have learned through your volunteer work. In many cases you can learn how to do new things through volunteer tasks. An example involves learning how to bake cookies for a charity dinner. This example is one that can be used for people looking to get jobs at a restaurant. With any experience you can show how you have learned how to do something new.

The experience you have made will help to show how compassionate you are. By working with volunteer groups you will be showing how caring you are for society. Being able to do good things for others without getting paid is something good to do. In fact it can be a sign of you willing to put others before you. Many employers can have problems with some job candidates. They think that some candidates care too much about the money involve with a job. Because you are working for free with volunteer services you should list this on your resume. You will show the employer that you are not concerned about money like others might be.

Finally volunteer experience can be used to help add references to your resume. References are always important in that they give employers information about you. This includes details about tasks in your volunteer job. By getting volunteer work with a group you could end up listing that group as a reference. This will help to get employers to know more about you.

Volunteer experience is something that can be very useful for your resume. It can work to improve your resume by showing your experiences with different tasks and people. You will not be seen as someone who is concerned with money either. These are factors that can help you to get this experience to be important for your resume.

If you are interested in articles related to career planning and development, interviews, job search, and resume writing, please go to http://www.theresumeprofessionals.com/

Michael M. Fox, NRWA, CPRW, MBA
Toll Free: 1-800-288-5819
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Among the abundance of things worrying the job seeker today is the work history gap on your resume that occurs when there is as break in the employment chronology brought on by any number of reasons- most often by having been laid off. Conventional wisdom has been and continues to be that having a period of time during which you were not employed is a detriment to finding future employment. The well-founded fear is that a hiring manager will check to see if there exists an employment gap when reading your resume, and if finding one, will instantly draw the conclusion that this indicates you are a flawed candidate. Being seen as out of work is still very much considered a stigma, which is unfortunate given how much unemployment was foisted upon so many. But this is the reality facing job searchers. Gaps in your resume's employment experience section make finding a new job even more difficult.

Obviously avoiding gaps is recommended when rewriting or updating your resume. However, lying on your resume by stating false employment that did not really exist in order to fill in time is not recommended. So what can be done? Job and career counselors typically advise that employment down times be accounted for with some type of professionally meaningful pursuits, such as schooling/training or interning/volunteering. Furthering your education can be advantageous, but has that annoying consequence of costing money at a time when it's in short supply. On the other hand, offering an organization or company free work in exchange for useful experience is cheaper and potentially a powerful way to approach explaining in the future how you spent your time between jobs. Let's examine the options of interning and volunteering more carefully.

First, to clear up some semantics: By interning I mean engaging in a non-monetary exchange, whereby the intern provides a novice-level professional service and in turn receives a documented benefit from the organization, such as professional oversight or instruction. I see volunteers as providing a service which is either an organizational need or enhancement, while expecting little to nothing in return except for an emotionally satisfying feeling and/or for the opportunity to list the experience on one's resume.

If considering interning, check to see that the organization has an established policy, and if so that you agree with its terms and conditions. If it doesn't, either look elsewhere or get involved with the development of a new intern policy, thereby giving you a say in the arrangement. Volunteering however, can raise complications for both the volunteers and the enterprises taking them on.

In general, the considerations from both parties should be focused on whether the tasks being performed by the volunteer are compensatory or not. The rules are defined by state labor law and employment discrimination legislation and by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The latter essentially puts the kabash on volunteering with for-profit private sector companies along with federal, state, and local governments. It's just not allowed. And with most people's professions linked to the private sector or government it would appear to present a challenge to the volunteer looking for a place to offer services. Fortunately the FLSA does not deter you from volunteering in public, charitable, or religious facilities, so perform whatever service feels right in those cases.

When approaching any kind of organization about interning or volunteering, especially one that also hires employees ask the following questions:
Would your service in any way violate the FLSA or state labor laws?Would you be displacing or replacing an existing paid employee?Would you be performing work that is normally paid employment?Will the intern or volunteer duties require a contract or be documented in some way?Do you have control of your hours and level of work intensity free of coercion?To yourself ask, "Is this worth it to me?"

Filling in that troublesome work history time gap on your resume is worth some effort. If the reason for the absence is elder, child, or personal care, or possibly even bereavement, then insert it in the professional experience section as a "job". But if the gap occurs because you were let go from your previous job and it's taking you six months or more to find another, then consider interning or volunteering. Just go into it with your eyes wide open.

William W. Ryan is a Concord, New Hampshire based career consultant specializing in customized career coaching, resume and cover letter writing, and personality assessments.

Whether you are a new or experienced project manager in the construction, engineering, or real estate field, this article is for you. Sure, the job market is not as strong as it used to be, and career prospects are lean, but there are still thousands of construction projects happening each day, on a global scale, and every single one of them requires one or several project managers.

A project manager has lots of different definitions and responsibilities depending on several factors, including: what your experience level is, are you a General or Specific Project Manager? Are you PMP certified, etc. Nevertheless, almost all project management positions have one tie that binds - you MUST be able to simultaneously manage several projects in various stages of completion, as well as various employees of ranging experience levels and proficiencies. Depending on your level of experience and focus, you may lean more toward one or the other, but both skills are required to be successful.

With that said, all you have to do is drive 20 miles in any direction of your house and chances are you will find new homes being built, older buildings being renovated, streets being repaved, and/or shopping centers receiving a badly needed facelift or touch-up. Unlike days past when all you needed was a friend or connection at a construction company and a pretty good reputation, today's construction job market is different. You need an effective construction resume to help get you through the door and into the position you want.

So what is the best strategy for success? Here it is - be proactive. What does this mean for you? Try this strategy on for size: Take a drive and find 3 different projects that interest you. Once you have these 3 projects, find as much information as you can about the position. This includes the owner of Construction Company, the general contractor, the sub contractor, engineering firm, etc. and write the information down in a pad you designate solely for this task.

Then when you get home take a look at your resume. I mean a good look at this document and ask yourself, "Does this resume reflect me?" Is the resume updated, have you reviewed the information carefully, does it bolster and highlight your achievements, has it been spell-checked and grammar-checked? In other words, is this the one document you want someone to look at as the first representation of you, for the position?

If the answer is yes, then do your best to locate the company's fax or email, be sure you are sending your resume and cover letter from a professional email address (not: Beerbongparty@ partydude. com ) and send the resume and cover letter attention HR or Ladies and Gentlemen. If your resume is not in a good shape, do NOT waste the opportunity, rather secure the services of a certified professional construction resume writer or writing service to assist you in getting your resume into fighting shape!

Good Luck!

Matthew S. is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and National Resume Writer Association. He is a nationally renowned resume writer and has worked with top companies, Fortune 50 Executives and local, state, and federal Government agencies. He is the owner of the http://www.bestconstructionresumes.com/ and http://www.thebestresumeservices.com/