Adding extracurricular activities to your resume can be a valuable strategy to showcase your well-roundedness, diverse interests, and a wide range of qualities that can benefit you in the professional world. Nowadays, employers are increasingly interested in hiring individuals who not only possess the requisite skills but also align with their team's culture and values. Including your extracurricular involvements on your resume can provide insight into your personality and help you stand out.

Including extracurricular activities becomes particularly important when you have limited professional work experience because it demonstrates your transferable skills. This article will guide you through when and how to include extracurricular activities on your resume, which types of activities to highlight, and what they might reveal to potential employers.

Understanding Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities encompass the pursuits that students engage in outside of their regular academic curriculum, such as sports, student government, clubs, hobbies, and more. Including these activities on your resume can illustrate your capabilities, even if you lack significant professional experience.

When to Incorporate Extracurricular Activities into Your Resume

One common scenario for including extracurricular activities on your resume is when you lack substantial professional work experience and need to fill space on the page. In such cases, emphasize your extracurricular involvements and demonstrate how these activities have allowed you to develop transferable skills. You can use bullet points beneath each activity to highlight skills, awards, and other relevant details.

Moreover, extracurricular activities can serve as evidence of your leadership skills, which are highly sought after by employers. Rather than merely stating "leadership" in your skills section, showcasing activities that demonstrate your leadership abilities in action is more effective.

These activities can also reinforce your technical skills. For instance, if you are part of a coding club at school and are pursuing an internship or position in computer programming, your membership signals your dedication to honing your skills outside of formal education.

Extracurricular Activities vs. Hobbies and Interests

The term "extracurricular activity" typically applies to individuals who are currently in school or recent graduates referring to activities from their educational years. If you are no longer in school and engage in activities outside of work, these are usually referred to as hobbies and interests. You should include hobbies and interests on your resume when relevant, but it's essential to choose one category and not include both. If you're a student, your hobbies should be listed under extracurriculars, while those out of school generally do not need to include extracurriculars on their resumes.

Nine Categories of Extracurriculars

Here are nine primary categories of extracurricular activities that are beneficial to include on your resume, along with insights into what each type may suggest about you:

Sports:

Participation in organized sports indicates dedication, teamwork, and a commitment to physical health. It can also demonstrate skills such as perseverance, communication, strategizing, and collaboration. Mentioning leadership roles like team captain can further highlight your leadership skills.

Arts:

Engaging in artistic pursuits like theater, music, photography, or art reflects creativity, attention to detail, and a commitment to skill improvement. Many artistic endeavors involve public performance, showcasing your ability to present to a group and experience in public speaking or performing.

Volunteering:

Volunteering highlights your altruism and willingness to serve the community. Your choice of volunteer work can provide insights into your interests and passions.

Student Leadership:

Involvement in student leadership positions conveys your leadership ability, maturity, and reliability. Winning elected positions in student government demonstrates communication skills, popularity among peers, and decision-making capabilities.

Studying Abroad:

Studying abroad demonstrates cultural awareness, adaptability, independence, and a global perspective. It shows that you can overcome challenges, such as language barriers, and are willing to step out of your comfort zone. Studying in a foreign-language environment can also help you develop strong language skills quickly.

Tutoring or Mentoring:

Tutoring or mentoring peers or younger students signifies high achievement, teaching skills, and a dedication to academic excellence. It can further deepen your subject matter expertise and empathy for others' learning processes.

Clubs:

Participation in school clubs like math teams, debate clubs, or speech teams showcases intelligence, teamwork, the ability to handle pressure, and competence in specific subjects or activities.

Professional Society Membership:

Membership in professional clubs, societies, or fraternities at your college or university demonstrates dedication to your field, subject matter expertise, and a commitment to professional growth and networking.

Hobbies:

Including relevant hobbies on your resume can provide a personal touch. Select hobbies that align with the position you're applying for. Avoid controversial or generic hobbies, and make each one meaningful and personal. Highlight the skills developed through your hobbies.

How to List Extracurricular Activities on Your Resume

Once you've decided to include extracurricular activities on your resume and identified suitable ones, follow these steps to add them effectively:

In Your Education Section:

If your extracurricular activities are school-related or directly relevant to academics, include them as a subsection in your education section. For instance, list school sports, clubs, student government, etc., alongside your education details.

Create a New Section:

For extracurricular activities that are not school-related, consider creating a separate section dedicated to these activities. If you're involved in local clubs or teams unrelated to your education, listing them separately makes sense.

Use Bullet Points to Highlight Skills:

Regardless of whether you place extracurricular activities in the education section or a separate section, use bullet points to emphasize the skills you gained or improved through each activity.

Tailor Your Extracurricular Activities Section:

Tailoring your resume to each job posting is crucial to pass applicant tracking system (ATS) scans and secure interviews. Therefore, ensure that you include only relevant extracurricular activities that align with the job you're applying for.

Key Takeaways

Including your extracurricular activities on your resume can offer potential employers valuable insights into your character and transferable skills. Tailoring your extracurriculars to the job posting is essential to ensure relevance and increase your chances of passing ATS scans. Extracurricular activities can be placed in your education section if they are school-related, or in a separate section if not. Use bullet points to highlight skills acquired from each activity, and be selective in choosing activities that align with your target position. If you're no longer in school, consider including a hobbies and interests section instead of an extracurricular activities section. For professional resume creation assistance, you can use Jobseeker's resume creation tool, which allows you to easily customize your resume layout, style, and content to match your preferences and the requirements of your desired job.