Worried your CV is lacking in experience? Consider volunteering!

Volunteering is a great way to positively impact the wider community and grow as an individual. What’s more, it can also benefit you professionally by allowing you to develop transferable skills and demonstrate your commitment to a particular sector or cause.

Pitching volunteering experience to employers

Corporate social responsibility is increasingly important to companies and organisations. Many are working to incorporate sustainable development into their business models and choosing to focus on environmental, philanthropic and ethical activities. Consequently, having volunteering experience can make you a more desirable candidate.

When including voluntary work on your CV, be sure to highlight what you did and the skills you gained. See our CVs and resumes webpage for further guidance.

Your volunteering experience can also be used when answering questions on applications or in interviews about having worked in a team, planned an activity or solved a problem. You can find more advice in our Applications and interviews webpages.

Volunteering at Imperial

If you’re feeling unsure about where to start your volunteering journey, you may want to consider joining one of the charitable societies at Imperial. These are all registered through the Student Union and support a variety of humanitarian causes.

Should you wish to support your fellow students, you could sign up to be a Welcome Ambassador and help new students transition to life at Imperial.

Since 1975, the university has been running a peer-tutoring scheme called Pimlico Connection. With this programme you will provide online tutoring support in science or maths to students at local schools in Years 10 and 11.

If technology is your passion, you may want to get involved with What the Tech?!, informal gadget workshops aimed at local residents over 50 to help them understand their devices. These events are currently on hold but be sure to keep an eye on their webpage for updates.

Have you ever attended an Imperial Lates event and wondered how they ran so smoothly? The answer lies in the wonderful staff and students who volunteer their time and you could be one of them!

Finally, volunteering at the annual Great Exhibition Road Festival is a great way to connect with the wider community and be a part of a collaborative effort with the Science Museum, V&A and Natural History Museum. 

Other useful resources

Volunteering in the UK

• Volunteering Matters – the UK’s largest volunteering and training organisation
• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations – a database of volunteer centres in your local area
• Do-it.org – a website for finding and applying to opportunities

Volunteering abroad

• Our Taking a year out webpage – provides details on opportunities to volunteer abroad
• Bunac and EcoSwell – organisations which will arrange opportunities to volunteer for various projects (most will charge a fee to cover costs so ensure that you research the company thoroughly before payment)

See our Volunteering webpage for a comprehensive list of non-profit organisations and charities to get you started!