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I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding whether or not I should include a brief period of volunteering on my resume.

Context: I volunteered with a legal advice centre for up to ~3 months (I have yet to work out the exact dates). The organisation has a training course for their volunteers to complete before they do solo work with clients. The course is meant to take many months to complete, and I didn't finish it before I left. Much of my experience at the organisation was spent shadowing trained volunteers and sitting in on cases. I stopped volunteering when it became clear I didn't have enough time to commit (1 full day per week + training), given my paid job and my LSAT studies. I left on good terms and was told they would have loved for me to stay. I was officially counted as a volunteer for this time period, but only as a trainee.

Question: Do I include this on a resume?

Arguments against:

  • I never practised as a qualified volunteer.

  • ~3 months is not a very long time. I worry it shows a lack of commitment and might be seen as resume padding.

    • Arguments for:

  • I had a genuine reason for stopping volunteering (more hours at work, time management etc.)

  • I learned important lessons about myself and my local area. I could go in to more detail on this point but would rather not (anonymity).

    • Just need as many 2nd opinions as I can with this one. I don't want to include anything which would make me seem like a flake, or make me seem like I'm struggling to pad a resume.

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    3 comments

    • User Avatar
      gregoryalexanderdevine723
      Sunday, Sep 10 2017

      I would also vote to include it as well. There are no hard and fast rules about including volunteer work on your resume. Also, 3 months of volunteer work is a perfectly acceptable amount of time to feel comfortable including on your resume.

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    • User Avatar
      jacobseeley861 OP
      Sunday, Sep 10 2017

      @cal270356 said:

      I would include it. Don't devote a ton of real estate to it on the page, but a line describing the nature of the work/the community that the organization supports could be good.

      I've seen people list charity 5ks and one day volunteer events on resumes--THAT is padding. I wouldn't worry about this, and it definitely doesn't scream lack of commitment. Just my 2 cents

      Thanks for the input! When you compare it to the cases you mention, I do suppose mine doesn't come off so bad.

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    • User Avatar
      cal270356
      Sunday, Sep 10 2017

      I would include it. Don't devote a ton of real estate to it on the page, but a line describing the nature of the work/the community that the organization supports could be good.

      I've seen people list charity 5ks and one day volunteer events on resumes--THAT is padding. I wouldn't worry about this, and it definitely doesn't scream lack of commitment. Just my 2 cents

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