Extracurricular Activities That Make a Great Employee

By Brittany Loeffler on January 24, 2018

When filing through hundreds of resumes, you may find that those in college or recent graduates don’t have much professional work experience. Rather than tossing them from the pile, take a look at the extracurricular activities they participated in while attending school.

Grades will only go so far when applying for jobs. It’s the extracurricular activities that separate a great employee from an acceptable employee. The following activities nurture certain traits job candidates are expected to have.

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Athletic Teams

There’s no extracurricular activity out there that builds a team player like a sport. If your job candidate was part of a sports team, whether recreational or college-level, you can bet that they know how to be a part of a team and support their members.

No company wants someone who thinks that they can do a multiple-person-job on their own, which is why they need people to be part of a team. With this extracurricular activity, students also gain communication skills and respect for others’ thoughts and actions.

Not to mention, they are bound to be energetic!

Presidential or Board Position

You’ve hit the jackpot when you see a job candidate held a presidential position of an extracurricular activity or was on the board of a club or organization. This candidate promises to show confidence and strong leadership skills. They will have no problem giving presentations and speaking in front of people. Voicing their opinion is second nature. Their organizational skills are impeccable. This position also helps them grow as a team player.

It doesn’t matter what the job candidate was president or board member of, it separates them from anyone who never held a leadership role and has no experience in managing people.

Student Government

A student who chose student government as an extracurricular activity promises to show leadership and confidence as well. They will also be used to public speaking. One way this extracurricular is different from a presidential or board position is that it shows that they are able to follow rules and procedures.

An employee who is able to follow directions and understand rules and procedures will save supervisors and managers a headache. It’s a simple skill that you assume everyone learns at a young age, but some people miss the boat.

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via Pixabay

Academic and Professional Organizations

You may be turned off when you see a lack of variety and diversity of extracurricular activities on a job applicant’s resume. Don’t look passed this job candidate because it shows that they are passionate about what they study and just can’t get enough of it. If your company is in the applicant’s field of study, then you have probably just found one of your top candidates.

Students who choose to take on an extracurricular activity that focuses on developing their academic studies more or their professional skills, it shows that they have a willingness and eagerness to learn. This is so important for an employee to have because it is someone who is probably looking to move up in the company.

Started a New Organization

When you come across a resume that says “Founder” next to an extracurricular activity, you’ve stumbled across a beautiful gem. This job candidate is someone who is passionate enough about something that they went through hoops and loops to bring their passion and interest to life. Not only does this person have incredible leadership skills, but is also organized, and extremely motivated.

This is the kind of person you want on your team. They are confident and does what they have to do get the job done.

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via Pixabay

Volunteer

Depending on the level of volunteer work, there are many skills that this job candidate can have. Maybe it’s a simple job on the weekend for a couple of hours. Maybe the candidate started a volunteer initiative or organization. Either way, this candidate shows both dedication and the willingness to help others and their community. It’s always nice to have someone in the office who is kind and cares about others.

Number of Extracurricular Activities Matter

Take an extra five seconds when looking at a resume and analyze it a little. Compare how many extracurricular activities the job applicant has compared to their GPA or their field of study. The number of extracurriculars definitely matters when screening job applicants. If the applicant is able to be a part of multiple clubs, teams, and organizations while doing well in school, it shows that they have a firm grasp on time management.

If your industry involves multiple projects that require deadlines, the job applicant with the most extracurricular activities is the one to go with.

It’s amazing what a resume can tell you about a person. Just by looking at a job applicant’s extracurricular activities while attending college can build them into the ideal candidate for the position. Depending on positions held, they could have leadership skills, confidence, public speaking skills, time management skills, and many more skills that employers search for.

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