I’m going to give employment tips now on Thursdays.

The number-one resume writing mistake is to not list volunteer work on a resume when you have no work experience or have gaps in employment where you weren’t working at certain times.

Attending a Clubhouse is not something you can put on a resume. It’s an insider secret that some employers frown on those of us who have no volunteer work listed to explain why we weren’t working.

Volunteer work can give a person the skills they can use on a paid job. I know a guy who creates Excel spreadsheets, does fundraising and development work, for a non-profit. He’s done this for over a year and it’s the greatest thing he could ever do.

Eighty-five percent of hiring managers view a job candidate favorably when they have this kind of volunteer work on a resume.

Attending a traditional day program a lot of times doesn’t give a person the skills an employer looks for in hiring a volunteer or a paid worker.

Doing volunteer work and placing this on a resume might indeed make the difference in getting a call for an interview.

Go on Idealist or VolunteerMatch to find a labor of love.

I will talk next Monday about my own experiences doing volunteer work.