Extracurriculars that look great on your resume

Posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2016

Image via The Salvation Army

Image via The Salvation Army

If your resume isn’t filled with a ton of work experience, there are other ways to tell employers that you’re a great candidate. You can include extracurriculars to show that you have developed skills and experience outside of a traditional job and are a well-rounded individual.

Volunteering or Community Service

Any volunteering or community-based service that you do should be included somewhere on your resume, especially if it is related to your program.

If you are a student without much professional experience in your field, volunteering can be an excellent way to gain relevant experience in your field.

School clubs

Being a member of a school club is an effective way to show that you’re passionate about something, whether or not it is related to your program.

If it is related to your program, that’s fantastic, as it will show the potential employers you are interested in what is happening within your industry and that you will be more likely to engage in professional development down the road.

If the group or club, is not related to your program, it is still important to include in on your resume, as most employers like to see that their employees have a passion for something outside of their work.

Even if your interests outside of work aren’t listed here, any extracurricular you add will be a boost to your resume, as it will help you look like a more well-rounded candidate.

Sports

Being a member of a sports team, or multiple sports teams, can also be an extremely valuable asset on your resume. Depending on what the sport is, it could show that you are able to work well in a team environment and that you are able to work with many different personality types. Also be sure to mention if you held a leadership role while playing, such as being a captain, or if you received any personal awards (Hardest worker, MVP, etc.).

Time management and commitment are also a major plus of being a member of sports team that employers respect – managing a full schedule of games, practices, workouts, and a full class schedule is grueling, and takes very good time management skills to maneuver.

School projects

In class projects can be an important addition to your resume; while some of the work that you do in class might be more theoretical in nature, most programs have large, hands-on projects that have direct, real-world application. If you don’t have as much relevant volunteering or work experience, adding school projects, and including the industry relevant transferable skills and abilities that you had to utilise while completing it, can be used to bolster your resume and make you seem like a much more attractive candidate.

For more professional tips & tricks, be sure to check back on our blog at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/category/blog/

For more information about co-op at Algonquin College, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623


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