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How to List the Peace Corps on Your Resume

The Peace Corps is a service program and -- while impressive to potential employers -- should be listed as a volunteer period on a resume. Still, listing a volunteer commitment can help explain breaks in your employment history. Moreover, many Peace Corps volunteers have specialized skills or work in specific fields during their service, so you should at least add a sentence about your Peace Corps work in your cover letter.
Write down all your accomplishments from volunteering to identify which items will be the best fit for your resume. For example, you might have worked in education and administration while with the Peace Corps. A resume for a teaching position, then, should focus on your education experience.
Add the Peace Corps information after your employment history.
Start with the title of the program and the title of your service in the program. An example would be “Secondary English Teacher -- Peace Corps Volunteer."
Explain the work you did. Keep the explanation brief -- just a sentence or two. For example, you might write, “Completed 1,500 hours of service teaching English at a secondary school with a group of educational volunteers.
Note any skills or accomplishments that pertain to the job you are applying for. Following the teaching example, you might include details about creating lesson plans, working with low-income students and teaching English as a second language.
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References
- “The Resume.Com Guide to Writing Unbeatable Resumes”; Warren Simons, et al.; 2004
- “Knock 'Em Dead Resumes: Features the Latest Information on Online Postings, Email Techniques and Follow-Up Strategies”; Martin Yate; 2008
- “How to Say It on Your Resume: A Top Recruiting Director's Guide to Writing the Perfect Resume for Every Job”; Brad Karsh; 2009
- “The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules and Eye-Opening Advice for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters that Work”; Scott Bennett; 2005
Writer
Melissa Hamilton began writing professionally in 2007. She has enjoyed cooking creatively in the kitchen from a young age. In addition to writing cooking articles for various publications, she currently works in the restaurant industry as a food and beverage trainer.