How to Add Volunteer Experience on LinkedIn

Adding volunteer hours to a LinkedIn profile is an important part of showcasing your talents and experience in the business world. If you’re not sure how to add those service hours or where to put them, you’ve landed in the right place.

Fortunately, LinkedIn has a place for your volunteer hours to shine. This article will explain everything you need to know.

How to Add Volunteer Experience to LinkedIn

When you’re ready to add the unpaid work hours you provided to a person or organization, you’ll need to add a profile section that’s made for volunteering. Here’s how it’s done:

On a PC:

1. Open your LinkedIn profile. The quickest way is to click on the “Me” icon and choose “View profile” from the drop-down menu.
   
2. Click on the “Add profile section” oval button underneath your bio info.
   
3. Under the “Additional” menu, choose “Add volunteer experience.”
   
4. An “Add volunteer experience” information box will open. Enter the information from your time as a volunteer.
   
5. Click “Save” when your entry is complete. Your hours will show up underneath your “Experience.”
   

On a Mobile Device:

1. Open the LinkedIn App.
   
2. View your profile. The fastest way is to click on your profile picture and then your name.
   
3. Tap the “Add section” oval icon.
   
4. Expand the “Additional” menu and choose “Add volunteer experience.”
   
5. An input menu will open where you can enter the details of your volunteering.
   
6. When finished, tap “Save.”
   

How to Add More Volunteer Experience

What if you have volunteered in more than one arena? You can add more experience opportunities now that you have the section added to your profile. Repeat the above steps to add more volunteering activities, or you can follow the simpler method below.

On a PC:

1. In the Volunteering section you just added, click the plus icon.
   
2. On the “Add volunteer experience” tab, follow the instructions to add another volunteer experience.
   
3. Click “Save.”
   

On a Mobile Device:

1. Select the “Add” (+) icon in the Volunteering section you just added.
   
2. Enter the volunteer details.
   
3. Click or tap “Save.”
   

You can continue to add to your volunteering resume as you gain more hours of experience.

Volunteer Experience Tips & Tricks

• Quantify your experience with numbers and metrics. This helps potential employers see clearly what you have offered to your community or organization.
• Highlight any volunteering that is directly relatable to your career or desired career.
• Don’t forget to network with the people you meet while volunteering. This can be a new area for career contacts and opportunities.
• If you’ve donated money, you can add this experience as well. Denote yourself as a donor or sponsor in the “Role” category.

Filling Out Your Volunteering Information

If you want to know how to best display your volunteer hours, here’s a breakdown of the various fields for entering your experience.

Organization

This is a required field, so it can’t be left blank. Enter the organization name that you worked for when you volunteered. If you didn’t work for a specific organization, do your best to communicate who benefited from your service.

Role

If your volunteer work pertains to your career, this is a great place to showcase the skills you used during your service. If you were a project manager, don’t forget to say that. Alternatively, if you directed a group of people, you can mention that you were a team leader. If you didn’t have a role and don’t know what to say, you can always default to “volunteer.”

Cause

This is a drop-down list of about 15 causes, ranging from Animal Welfare to Veterans Support. If your cause isn’t listed, either choose the closest selection or leave it blank by clicking the default “choose one” option. Note that this isn’t a required field to publish your hours.

Currently Volunteering Box

You have the option to check a box if you’re currently still volunteering in this role. This will remove the option to enter an “End date” for your volunteer experience.

Start and End Date

In this section, you can choose from drop-down boxes to estimate the starting month and year and the ending month and year for your volunteering in this particular role. Many people don’t know the exact time that they started or finished something in the past, but your best guess will allow others to see how long you generally served in this location.

Description

LinkedIn gives you 2,000 characters to add anything you want to say about your volunteering. This is another area to highlight what exactly you were responsible for, and how that might display relevant skills and experience to your career.

Any experience you add in the future will be placed at the top of your volunteering section. Be sure to keep the end dates updated so that they don’t incorrectly influence the order of your experience.

FAQ

What kind of volunteer experience should I add to my LinkedIn?

Experts suggest adding any relevant volunteering roles to your professional goals. If the experience demonstrates skills that pertain to your career or a passion for your work, it’s a great addition to your LinkedIn.

Are there any volunteering experiences I should not add to my LinkedIn?

Most volunteering is helpful to your resume. The only kind that should be left off is any work with organizations that you think might be offensive to others or inappropriate to talk about publicly.

Adding Volunteer Hours to LinkedIn

Showing off your hard-worked volunteer hours to your employer or potential employers is a valuable tool. It provides a well-rounded picture of who you are as a person. Volunteering also helps you make connections if you have similar interests to someone who views your service time. Including your volunteer experience is a great way to shine and network on LinkedIn.

Have you ever showcased your volunteer hours on LinkedIn? If so, did it create any exciting opportunities for you? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.