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AFTER 15 years as a stay-at-home mother, Kathy Kalland is re-entering the job market. But how to make her resume reflect skills honed in volunteer work? A chronological resume emphasises Kalland’s lack of recent work experience, so a functional resume is a better bet, says Donna Brand, a career counselor. List competencies"She can emphasise the skills she has acquired in a volunteer capacity that can translate to the business world and qualify her for positions with similar job descriptions. As an example, instead of leading off her resume with the heading ‘professional experience,’ which only draws attention to the fact that her most recent job was short-term consulting more than a year ago, she may want to begin with a heading entitled ‘competencies.’" Use subheadings such as "organization and coordination," "public relations" and "management and leadership" to list both paid and unpaid accomplishments, Brand advised. Use relevant subheads "She
can then organise the remainder of her resume by listing the paid
positions under the professional experience heading, followed by her
volunteer positions under a ‘community service, professional
organizations’ title and conclude with her education history.
Since she has spelled out some of her volunteer work under
competencies, she can summarize her experience merely by listing the
positions she held." A cover letter can emphasize the value of
volunteer experience. And, Brand added, all those volunteer
contacts add up to a great network for job hunting. — LA Times-Washington Post
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