Guidelines for Volunteers

Thank you for volunteering!

When you arrive, a NMRT volunteer will be there to greet you. Please try to arrive about 5 minutes before the start of your shift. Due to an increasing response from job seekers in previous years, we try to schedule multiple reviewers for each hour slot. Job seekers can see a reviewer immediately, if there is one available, or they can sign up for an appointment.

We would like you to tell the job seeker what sort of first impression his/her resume or cover letter makes on you based on your experience as an employer.

Some points to consider include:

Formatting

• Is the resume appealing?
• How's the font? Font size?
• Is the use of bold and italics distracting?

Organization

• Does the organizational approach work for the job the person is seeking or would a functional approach be better?
• Has the person included all relevant work experience, associations, etc?

Grammar

• Are there any typos or grammatical errors?

Appointments are 30 minutes, so try to be aware of time. When the appointment time is up, the greeter may ask you to wrap up, if you have not already finished. They are tasked with trying to keep things on schedule.

If you would like to offer general advice about the job market and how to conduct a successful job search, that's great too. But please try not to go over the 30 minute limit, because it will interfere with the next scheduled appointment.

The NMRT On-site Resume Review Service will be located in the Job Placement Center of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C.. Signage will be posted to direct you.

Thank you for volunteering!

For those of you who haven't volunteered before, here's a list of things you'll be required to do.

1. If possible, please show up for your shift five to ten minutes before the the time that you are scheduled.
2. The volunteer you are relieving should be able to give you fill you in on what you'll be doing and what the prior hour was like. When the next volunteer relieves you, please be sure to fill them in on what needs to be done.
3. Try to smile and look friendly and welcoming.
4. When someone arrives at the table, have them sign in with their name and email. We will be emailing a follow-up survey after the conference.
5. Find out if they have an appointment and highlight their name if they do.
6. When their assigned reviewer is ready, introduce them.
7. If they don't have an appointment, see if there are spots to fit them in as a walk in or schedule them for a future appointment. If you think the wait will be excessively long, you can offer them a handout about how to take advantage of the Email Resume Review Service. You can also suggest that they come back later to see if the wait is shorter.
8. Those with appointments are considered no-shows five minutes past their appointment time. Please circle their name and feel free to allow a walk in to take the appointment time. Please denote the name of the walk in that took the appointment.
9. Your most important duty is to keep things running on time. When the 30 minute appointments are up, please let the reviewer know that time is up. You may have to remind them more than once. It is important to not keep those with appointments waiting.

The NMRT On-site Resume Review Service will be located in the Job Placement Center of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C.. Signage will be posted to direct you.