As a student job seeker, you may be wondering whether to include extracurricular activities in your resume.
The answer is yes, you should.
Introducing extracurriculars in your resume gives hiring managers a glimpse into your character and interests outside of your grades and test scores. This helps elevate you from a collection of cold data to a fully-fledged human being with personal passions.
However, does this strategy really give you an edge over the traditional job seeker?
In this guide, you’ll find out:
- Why You Should Include Extracurricular Activities
- Top 8 Extracurricular Activities to Put On a Resume
- How to Incorporate Extracurricular Activities in a Resume
Running out of time? See how extracurricular activities may appear in a resume by checking out our sample at the bottom of the page.
1. Why You Should Include Extracurricular Activities
Whether you’re a high school student applying for a summer job or a college graduate in search of the first step of your lifelong career, extracurriculars are an excellent way to showcase your appealing qualities. Like volunteer work, extracurriculars can fill out a resume scant on professional experience.
Even though extracurriculars look unrelated to your target job at first glance, once you extract the soft skills you learned, they can bolster your resume and present a different side of you that makes you an even more compelling candidate.
2. Top 8 Extracurricular Activities to Put On a Resume
You may be curious what extracurricular activities you should include on your resume. Different kinds of extracurriculars will reflect differently on who you are as a person, so you should choose wisely. It’s best to choose extracurriculars that will display skills valued at your target role.
To help you with choosing the right extracurriculars, we’ve listed the top eight examples you should put on your resume, what skills these extracurriculars illustrate, and why you should include them below.
Example #1: Student Government (SGA)
Key skills
- Leadership
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Organization
Why you should include it
As a member of the SGA, you have plenty of experience planning activities for the student body and addressing student needs. To accomplish all of this, you’re used to exercising leadership responsibility, as well as working with the other members of the SGA to organize events and communicate the SGA agenda to the student body. Since you’re such a capable person, employers are sure to find you an appealing candidate!
Example #2: Club Exec Board Position
Key skills
- Leadership
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Organization
Why you should include it
Similar to being a member of the SGA, a club exec member is someone who needs a powerful sense of leadership to get their club running and to organize club events. Since club exec boards are made up more than one person, an exec board member also needs to learn how to delegate and play well with others so that club affairs go smoothly. This ability to get your organization running is an attractive one to hiring managers, so don’t leave this one out!
Example #3: Foreign Language
Key skills
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Interpersonal
- Work ethic
Why you should include it
More likely than not, your high school gave you the option to choose a foreign language as an elective. A foreign language is a strong choice to include on your resume because being proficient in an additional language often entitles you to higher pay. Foreign language ability also indicates that you’ll be a hardworking employee who has the communication skills to converse with customers from diverse backgrounds.
Example #4: Arts
Key skills
- Creativity
- Attention to Detail
- Collaboration
- Work ethic
Why you should include it
Whether you were involved in music, visual art, dance, or theater, being a creative requires a lot of time and effort spent on honing your craft. Through your creative endeavors, you’ve also had to dig in and collaborate to put on successful shows or productions and achieve your artistic vision. This ability to come together and work hard to reach your mutual goals is a treasured quality in an employee, which is a strong reason to include the arts in your resume.
Example #5: Sports
Key skills
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Communication
- Work ethic
Why you should include it
Every high school has an athletics department. When you’re an athlete, you’re training all the time, usually with your team. Although you’re accountable for your own performance, to be truly successful, you need to be able to communicate with teammates and work together to win. All this healthy sense of competition gives the hiring manager the impression that you’ll be an employee driven to succeed and rise through the ranks.
Example #6: Sorority / Fraternity
Key skills
- Collaboration
- Interpersonal
- Leadership
- Organization
Why you should include it
Often a major part of the college experience, sororities and fraternities are where many find their social circle. However, outside of developing interpersonal relationships, members of Greek life also need to have leadership and organization skills to pull off the social events they hold. These skills become invaluable to hiring managers who are looking to fill positions where a friendly demeanor and the ability to work well with others is particularly desirable, making Greek life a great addition to your resume.
Note: The ability to survive a hazing is not something to brag about on your resume.
Example #7: Resident Advisor (RA)
Key skills
- Conflict management
- Communication
- Organization
- Time management
Why you should include it
As an RA, you’re used to juggling many responsibilities and making sure that your dorm is safe and habitable. You may be called upon to oversee everything from a suspicious leak in the bathroom to a dispute between roommates. By putting your RA experience on your resume, you’re signaling to the hiring manager that you have stellar people and time management skills, and that these skills are what helped you balance your duties with your studies.
Example #8: Work Study
Key skills
- Time management
- Multitasking
- Independence
- Problem solving
Why you should include it
Some institutions offer the option to apply for a work study to help offset the financial burden of attending college. However, having a job alongside of your academics requires impressive time management skills and the independence necessary to take care of yourself. By incorporating your work study experience in your resume, you’ll impress the hiring manager with your ability to multitask and work hard.
3. How to Incorporate Extracurricular Activities in a Resume
Now that you know what extracurriculars to include, you have a couple options for how to write your extracurricular activities in your resume. In truth, there isn’t a consensus on the best way to do it. Instead, focus on choosing a way that makes your resume look clean and professional.
Here are two solid strategies for ensuring your extracurriculars become valuable assets for boosting your resume:
Education section
One way to work your extracurricular activities into your resume is by listing them in the education section. You should use this method if you have certifications or awards from your extracurricular activity that are relevant to the role you are applying to.
Here’s an example of the education section of a candidate for a teacher assistant role.
Achievement section
You also have the option of including your extracurriculars in your achievement section. Similar to when describing your professional experience, quantify your accomplishments whenever possible and use action verbs. Doing so will make your achievements pop and increase their persuasiveness.
Here is an example of the achievement section of a candidate for a teacher assistant role.
4. Extracurricular activities in resume sample
5. Final words
When you’re a student looking to strengthen your resume, you might feel at a loss for what to add.
If this is you, consider adding extracurricular activities.
Including these is a creative way to impress hiring managers by giving them insight into other sides of you and supplementary skills that would otherwise have been hidden. This makes you a more attractive candidate, and the hiring manager will be calling to set up an interview in no time!
If you need further resume writing help, don’t forget to check out our free downloadable resume templates or our easy-to-use resume builder, or leave a comment below!
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