Why you should do volunteer work more often

40% of Singaporean employers consider volunteer work as valuable as paid work experience when evaluating candidates.

LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with more than 120 million members worldwide and more than half a million members in Singapore, announced that members can now add a “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to their LinkedIn Profile. The company also released data that reinforces volunteer work is a key piece of your professional identity.

In the new “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field, LinkedIn members can add volunteer positions, causes they care about, and organizations they support. LinkedIn members can now list the Singapore Red Cross, the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, Mercy Relief, Habitat for Humanity International, Oxfam International, or any other organization they support on their LinkedIn Profile.

LinkedIn surveyed nearly one thousand professionals in Singapore and found that 75 percent of these professionals have personally had experience volunteering, but only 28 percent of professionals include their volunteer experience on their resume.

“Many professionals in Singapore are increasingly realizing the importance of maintaining a professional brand online,” added Arvind Rajan, managing director and vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan. “Having a brand that accurately reflects the full spectrum of one’s experience is crucial for professional success in Singapore’s talent-driven economy.”

In fact, 40 percent of the professionals that LinkedIn surveyed in Singapore stated that when they are evaluating candidates, they consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience. Fifteen percent of the hiring managers surveyed in Singapore agree they have made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer work experience.