ten Best Samples of Extracurricular Actions on Curriculum vitae (and Tips on how to List Them)

Improving Your Resume with Extracurricular Activities

A well-crafted resume can significantly enhance your chances of securing an interview invitation. To stand out among other qualified candidates, tailoring your resume to align with what hiring managers seek in an employee is essential. It’s common for job seekers to initially focus on their education, work history, and career achievements when composing their resumes.

However, if you’re a recent graduate or an entry-level job seeker, you might be wondering what else you can include in your resume, especially if you lack relevant work experience. Fortunately, there’s no need to worry. In addition to highlighting your professional accomplishments, there are additional details that can help your resume stand out.

You might wonder: What are these details? In this article, we’ll explore the significance of including extracurricular activities on your resume, how they contribute to your job search journey, and the optimal times to incorporate them. But before delving into that, let’s first define what extracurricular activities are.

Understanding Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities encompass events and pursuits that aren’t mandatory or part of the formal curriculum. Students engage in these activities out of personal interest rather than for academic credit. Examples include involvement in student clubs, volunteering, and participation in educational organizations.

These activities hold value on a resume as they showcase not only your potential and transferable skills but also your personal traits, competencies, and qualities. As a result, participation in extracurricular activities, especially those offering leadership opportunities, can greatly contribute to your success in your job search.

When Should You Include Extracurricular Activities on Your Resume?

When embarking on your job search, communicating your qualifications for an entry-level position can prove challenging, particularly if you lack relevant experience for the desired role. In such cases, your extracurricular activities can be a trump card. For instance, you may have participated in activities that equipped you with the essential skills required for your target position.

That said, integrating extracurricular pursuits into your resume offers another means to highlight your best attributes, skills, and knowledge. Moreover, it’s an effective strategy for compensating for limited work experience.

Which Extracurricular Activities Should You Include?

Conducting research on the target company and analyzing the job posting for essential skills can guide you in identifying which experiences to emphasize. Consider any extracurricular activities that align with the job’s requirements, such as involvement in humanitarian, sociological, or environmental clubs. Including these activities on your resume signals your alignment with organizations that share your values.

Here’s a list of the top ten extracurricular activities to consider including on your resume:

1. Student Council

Participating in your school or college’s student body demands time, effort, and dedication. It offers valuable experience and opportunities to enhance skills like teamwork, organization, leadership, and time management. Additionally, involvement in student council showcases responsibility and the ability to collaborate effectively with peers.

2. Club Membership

Clubs or societies provide a platform to share your interests, skills, and knowledge with others while learning from them. Whether it’s your school’s debate club, campus publication, or an administrative role in an online community, joining clubs enables you to lead, organize, and manage a group. Participating in sororities and fraternities also counts.

Being part of a club demonstrates commitment, interest, and dedication to a specific field.

3. Foreign Languages

Including language skills in your extracurricular activities section is advantageous. Proficiency in a language enables effective communication with a broader clientele and facilitates building meaningful professional relationships. This skill can also lead to a higher starting salary. Additionally, being part of a language community equips you with skills such as cross-cultural communication, resilience, diversity management, and inclusion.

4. Global Student Exchange Program

Engaging in a study abroad program during high school or college can be an enriching experience, especially when it’s part of a work-study initiative. Immersing yourself in a different country challenges your ability to step out of your comfort zone and become self-reliant. Including this experience in your extracurricular activities section allows you to showcase skills such as:

• Language proficiency
• Adaptability
• Creative problem-solving
• Effective communication

5. Volunteer Work

Volunteer experience holds as much significance as work experience. Volunteering demonstrates your willingness to dedicate your time to help those in need, contribute to your community, and value the well-being of others. It’s also an opportunity to cultivate skills that enhance your resume, including:

• Team collaboration
• Organization
• Work ethic
• Persistence
• Initiative

6. Work-Study Program

Juggling work and studies necessitates time management, perseverance, and self-reliance. These qualities are highly valued by employers, making your work-study experience a valuable addition to your resume.

• Leadership
• Goal-oriented mindset
• Analytical skills
• Dependability
• Resilience
• Technical proficiency

7. Sports

Participating in sports activities during your school years adds value to your resume. It fosters leadership, teamwork, dedication, communication, reliability, and commitment—qualities that are highly sought after by employers.

8. Arts

Being involved in any form of art, whether it’s music, visual arts, dance, or theater, requires patience, dedication, and attention to detail. These include aspects such as organizing an art exhibit, which demands a unique set of soft skills to execute effectively.

• Creativity
• Attention to detail
• Presentation skills
• Public speaking

9. Coaching

Including coaching experiences in your extracurricular activities section demonstrates that you possess expertise, a willingness to share knowledge, and effective communication skills. Peer tutoring, whether part of a formal school program or not, communicates to employers that you’re not only well-versed in a subject but also eager to impart your knowledge to others.

• Adaptability
• Critical thinking
• Patience
• Communication skills
• Subject expertise

10. Relevant Hobbies

You can also include significant hobbies to showcase your personality. Just ensure that everything you add to your resume strengthens your application and highlights your suitability for the position.

How to List Extracurricular Activities on Resume?

Now that you’re familiar with common extracurricular activities to include on your resume, let’s learn how to strategically outline them in your job search document. Remember, they can only add value if you present them effectively. Here are tips for adding extracurricular activities to your resume:

1. Choose activities you actively participated in.

When adding extracurricular activities to your resume, focus on those in which you took an active role and gained significant skills.

2. Include experiences relevant to your target job.

Ensure that the experiences you list are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Make connections with groups and organizations that align with your desired role.

3. Assess how your involvement makes you an ideal job candidate.

Before listing your extracurricular activities on your resume, consider how these experiences enhance your qualifications for the job. Highlight skills such as technical expertise, work ethic, dedication, collaboration, communication, organization, and leadership that you gained from your involvement in extracurricular activities.

Where to List Extracurricular Activities on Resume

Elevate your resume by showcasing your extracurricular activities. Where you list them in your job search document depends on how much emphasis you want to give them and how relevant they are to your target job. You can include them in the following sections:

Experience Section

If the responsibilities you undertook during extracurricular activities directly relate to the job you’re applying for, you can list them in the experience section. Additionally, you can include experiences from work-study programs and achievements relevant to your target job.

Check out the example below:

Volunteer | ABC Pet Rescue Center | City, State | May 2017 - Sep 2017   
— Assisted in organizing a community fundraising event with over 200 attendees, raising $2,000 in contributions
— Provided routine care for shelter animals, including cleaning cages, facilitating playtime, and maintenance
— Developed a plan and set of responsibilities to guide fellow volunteers

Education Section

If you obtained certificates or training credentials from an extracurricular activity relevant to your job opportunity, you can highlight them in the education section of your resume.

Here’s an example:

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology | University Name, City, State | 2018   
— Participated in robotics engineering competition and secured 2nd place
— Attended technology seminars to learn more about industry trends

Activities Section

List the activities you want to showcase in your resume that involve tasks and accomplishments. Place this as the final section of your document to conclude with a strong selling point.

Consider this example:

Member, Club Name, Fall 2020–Spring 2021   
— Earned top place in every debate tournament I participated in
— Mentored new members
— Attended annual general assembly meetings

Employ Professional Resume Writers to Help Outline Extracurricular Activities in Your Resume

Maximize the value of your formative years by including extracurricular activities in your resume. This is especially beneficial if you’re an entry-level job seeker. To make the most of your relevant experiences, consider hiring a resume writer who can effectively highlight your qualifications in your document.

If you’re in search of a reputable and reliable resume writing service provider, we’ve got you covered. As a trusted resume service review site since 2000, we’ve reviewed numerous service providers and compiled a list of the top 10 resume writers to help you secure an entry-level position. So what are you waiting for? Leverage the best resume writing services for your career success.

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