Pulse October 2016 | Page 17

DELOITTE’S 2016 IMPACT SURVEY: Volunteer Work Increases Your Chances of Getting Hired study by Deloitte entitled 2016 Impact Survey indicates that volunteering your time for a good cause may not only be a good way to develop leadership skills, but also help increase your hire-ability to prospective employers. More than 2,000 respondents based in 13 major U.S. metropolitan areas and with the ability to influence hiring decisions or indirectly influence the person making the hiring decisions participated in the survey. Results from the survey indicated that 82 percent of the respondents would choose candidates with volunteering experience. Eighty-six percent believed that adding volunteer activities on a resume gives the candidate a competitive edge. The majority (85 percent) even admitted to overlook resume pitfalls when a candidate includes volunteer experience. What makes the majority of the respondents keen to hire candidates with volunteer experience? It may be because 92 A percent of the respondents also think that volunteering is an effective way to gain leadership skills while 88 percent believed skill-based volunteering plays a key role in developing a strong character. Despite the valuable benefits of including volunteer work on one’s resume, many candidates do not leverage their volunteer experience to their advantage. In fact, based on the survey, only 30 percent of resumes seen by the respondents include volunteer experience while 40 percent of candidates admit they do not include volunteer work on their resume. This may be because 17 percent of candidates think employers don’t care, while 35 percent said they would rather for prospective employers to focus on their professional skills, less on their volunteer experience. Are you taking the time to volunteer for a good cause? More importantly, are you leveraging your experience to develop leadership skills that may also help you grow professionally? n October 2016 ■ PULSE 15