Being a volunteer at charitable organisations could help candidates land a job, according to a new survey by LinkedIn.

The poll indicated that 41% of managers consider volunteer experience to be just as important as paid work experience. In addition, 20% of managers have made a decision on a candidate based on his or her volunteer experience on their resumes.

However, the survey also found that only 45% of candidates included their volunteer experience on their resumes.

These people saw volunteering as a private issue and did not want to seem exploitative of the community groups where they had volunteered.

This is a misconception according to Nicole Williams, connection director of LinkedIn. "The market is so saturated and competitive that anything you can do to differentiate yourself is to your advantage,'' she said.

"If you don't include it in your profile, on your resume, and as a discussion point during an interview or when you're negotiating for a promotion, you're not getting the credit you deserve," she stressed, in an interview with Forbes.

The LinkedIn survey polled 2,000 professionals in the US.