You’ve heard it in school, and you’ve heard it in university: Extracurricular activities are important if you want to get a job. After your CGPA, they are the best way for companies to get to know more about you and to understand what kind of candidate you might be on their company.
But what if you have no extracurricular activities? Read on to find out what else you can focus on your resume.
Do You Really Have No Extracurricular Activities?
The first step is to determine if you actually have zero extracurricular activities. Most students actually have a few, but they just haven’t realized it.
Extracurricular activities can be almost anything you’ve done outside of the classroom that doesn’t count for academic credit.
Some of these things will also be something you are interested in. To see if you have an extracurricular or two, make a list of the following:
How do you spend your time between classes? Do you ever participate in groups, specific activities with your friends or even tutoring?
Have you volunteered in the community?
What did you do during semester breaks?
What are your hobbies? Do you have activities that you do in your free time?
If you can think of anything you have spent time doing for a good reason, it can be counted as an extracurricular activity!
Can Anything Be An Extracurricular Activity?
The bad news is that not everything counts as an extracurricular. For example, if you spent all your free time playing video games, you can’t list those as extracurricular activities.
But at the same time, there are many things that count as extracurricular activities.
1. Extracurricular activities don’t have to be sponsored by the university
Extracurricular activities can be almost anything you are dedicated to. It can be an activity in your school, in your community, or something you find online. The important thing is that you are actively involved with these activities.
Examples: Organising and participating in a community festival do count as extracurricular activities.
2. Extracurricular activities can be academic
There are many extracurriculars that are related to academic activities. In fact, these activities are highly regarded because they show a passion for an area of study.
Examples: Competing in a competition and participating in an academic research do count as extracurricular activities.
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3. Gaming/blogging/shopping/social media can be turned into extracurricular activities
Blogging and social media are both professional activities. If you can show that you are dedicated to digital communication and you have made an impact in the online community, you can count it as an extracurricular.
Similarly, things like shopping can be leveraged into a fashion interest, and games now have tournaments too. If these are your interests, try to see what you can do to take your passion and turn it into something that allows you to inspire or teach others.
Examples: Starting a gaming club at school and organising a gaming tournament for a charity do count as extracurricular activities.
4. Not all extracurriculars need to involve many people
If you have dedicated a lot of time over the years to develop a talent, such as art or playing a musical instrument, this also counts as an extracurricular activity.
Example: Taking guitar and singing classes do count as extracurricular activities.
Your “off hours” don’t mean that you’re wasting time. Your extracurricular activities and experiences can contribute nearly as much to your skill set as your paid jobs.
So when you're writing your resume, give yourself credit where it’s due. By highlighting your activities, you’ll paint the best picture of your talent and abilities. Ready to apply for your dream job? Upload your freshly updated resume and apply with Maukerja! If you are looking for an internship, you can also apply on Internsheeps!
This article is based on "No Extracurricular Activities? Here's What You Should Do" by Mary Ann Barge.
