What are your dreams, goals, resolutions and commitments for the months ahead?

For many it will be to get a new job. Maybe you have been made redundant or just left college or simply fancy a change of role.

To make this goal of getting a new job reality, however, you’ll need to create a resume or brush up your existing one.

We all know in a resume you list your previous jobs, accountabilities, successes (latest one first), but what about ensuring your resume stands out from the crowd by giving your resume that extra zing!

So what am I referring to?

Simply add a section that focuses on your volunteering work, your work in the community, your work in a local church.

Maybe you manage or run a local kids club, are a member of the School Governors, or organize local fetes.

Such activities can say more about you than your professional job experience. For example, consider how valuable you’d be to a company as a department manager or event organizer if the hiring manager read in your resume that you managed a group of people who got together to decorate rooms in a Youth Hostel. Imagine how well you’d be thought of for spending one evening a week teaching the unemployed a skill they can use in the work place.

So how do you add such activities to your resume?

Simply add a headline, for example: Community Affairs Volunteer Work

Then list your responsibilities and the successes you had. Add a sentence or two to describe how your volunteer work relates to the job you are seeking.

For example: My work with the Youth Hostel has given me the experience to train, lead, and motivate individuals to serve others. I learned more can be achieved using relationships, networking, and common courtesy towards others–skills that I can use to increase the bottom line of your company and improve employee-customer relations.

A well-worded statement such as this will show the hiring manager what kind of person you are, where your values lay, and the level of integrity you operate with when you engage with people on the job and in the community.

The objective of the resume is to get offered a job interview, no more. This simple tactic can grab the reader’s attention with your ability and experience to do the role and exercise kindness toward others at the same time.

Add a bit of zing to your resume with some examples of your kindness and realize your goal of getting a new job.