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