What do you do if your volunteer experience doesn't showcase your problem-solving abilities on a resume?

Not everything needs to be included in a resume. Does the volunteering experience showcase skills related to your profession or showcase skill sets that are key? No? Then remove it. Same with random achievements or key words all over the resume. Keep it simple and reflective.

Focus on Accomplishments: Instead of listing duties or tasks performed during your volunteer experience, emphasize specific accomplishments or projects where you had to overcome challenges or solve problems. Describe the problem you encountered, the actions you took to address it, and the positive outcomes achieved. Use Action Verbs: Start bullet points with strong action verbs that convey problem-solving skills, such as "analyzed," "developed," "implemented," "resolved," or "innovated." Quantify Results: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your problem-solving efforts. For example, mention how your solution increased efficiency, saved resources, or improved outcomes for the organization or community you volunteered with.

To showcase problem-solving abilities from volunteer experience on your resume, even when not explicitly stated, reframe descriptions to highlight challenges you faced & how you resolved them. Quantify your impact by using numbers & metrics to demonstrate positive outcomes achieved through your problem-solving efforts. Utilize action verbs like "resolved," "troubleshot," or "implemented" to illustrate your proactive approach. Emphasize transferable skills like critical thinking, decision-making, and resourcefulness, even if complex problems weren't directly solved. If space is limited, consider adding a "Skills" or "Achievements" section to further highlight your problem-solving capabilities with specific examples from your volunteer work.

Emphasize problem-solving skills in your professional or academic experiences. Describe specific instances where you solved problems, even if they occurred outside of volunteering. Add projects, internships, or part-time jobs where you demonstrated problem-solving. List problem-solving as a key skill and provide examples during the interview.

If your volunteer experience doesn't highlight your problem-solving abilities, focus on specific instances where you addressed challenges effectively. Highlight transferable skills gained and consider including examples from other areas of your life that demonstrate problem-solving prowess.

Transferable skills are abilities and qualities that you can apply across various roles and industries. Some common transferable skills include communication, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, leadership, time management, and organization. When highlighting transferable skills on your resume, focus on experiences from previous jobs, internships, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities where you utilized these skills effectively. Provide specific examples of how you applied these skills to achieve positive outcomes or overcome challenges. Tailor your resume to showcase transferable skills that are most relevant to the position you're applying for, emphasizing how your diverse skill set can add value to the role and organization.

To make your accomplishment stories more impactful, include quantifiable metrics when possible. For example, if you helped increase sales, specify by what percentage or provide a dollar figure. This provides concrete evidence of your contribution and makes your achievements more relatable and impressive. Additionally, consider the broader impact of your actions on the team or organization and highlight this in your stories. Demonstrating how your efforts contributed to larger organizational goals not only showcases your individual contributions but also your ability to work effectively within a team context.

Express the conflicts or challenges with given situations, how they were resolved and, where numbers effected come into play, explain the positive impact and or feedback that benefitted the business', client, and or you.

Crafting skillful wording on your resume involves using concise and impactful language to effectively communicate your qualifications and achievements. Choose action verbs that demonstrate your abilities and accomplishments, such as "optimized," "led," "implemented," or "achieved." Utilize quantifiable results whenever possible to showcase the impact of your actions. Focus on specific skills and experiences that are directly relevant to the job you're applying for, tailoring your language to match the employer's needs and preferences. Avoid jargon or overly complex language, opting instead for clear and straightforward wording that highlights your strengths and abilities in a compelling manner.

"Problem solving abilities" are worthless to an employer unless they are somehow tied to the job they are hiring for. Just because I know how to change a tire myself, or use a map without a GPS app does not mean I'd be able to navigate the waters of a network outage that needs a network engineer to solve. Employers are looking for RELEVANT experience. Unless your volunteer experience has a fairly direct relevance to the job, it's not important.

Remember that volunteer work was just like educational pursuits in college. You had a lot of experience working with people you did not know, to overcome challenges, goals and project deadlines and be successful through collaborations and dedication.

This is a very specific topic since not all voluntary experiences require problem-solving. So, focus on how you approach situations under this section (since it is a very different environment to paid employment). Your approach will showcase your thought process in tackling difficult situations, leading to innovative problems. Keep it simple.