Extracurricular Activities on Resume

Updated June 17, 20221.3k

Extracurricular activities are a great way to highlight your skills if you don’t have work experience. Learn how you can add these activities to your resume.

Extracurricular Activities on Resume

If you want to use every opportunity to show off your skills and experiences on your resume, a way to do so is by including some extracurricular activities. Whether you did them in high school, college, or outside of school, extracurricular activities are a good way to fill out your resume. They can help if you don’t have tons of work experience, and they can help showcase a bit of your personality to potential employers. Here’s what you should know about listing extracurricular activities on your resume.

Why List Extracurricular Activities on Your Resume?

Many job seekers overlook extracurricular activities while writing a resume. However, extracurriculars can showcase several great hard skills and soft skills if you have limited job experience. Extracurricular activities on your resume can showcase some of the following transferable skills:

Leadership skills
Teamwork
Communication skills
Time management skills
Critical thinking
Technical skills
Work ethic

Most employers are looking for candidates who have these skills. So, if you don’t have an extensive work history, adding extracurricular activities to your resume can be a great way to showcase some of your most relevant skills. For example, Keep in mind that if you’ve held leadership positions in your extracurricular activities, mention that on your resume. After all, if you have leadership experience in other management positions, why can’t you apply for a full-time management role?

Extracurricular Activities To Add to Your Resume

Any activity you participated in outside of high school or college is an extracurricular activity. That said, there are some additional school-related activities you can add to your resume as well. Here are a few of the best extracurricular activities to add:

Internships
Sorority or fraternity leaderships activities
Fundraising
Sports teams
Peer mentoring
Community service activities
Clubs and organizations (chess club, foreign language club, etc.)
Volunteer experience
Student council

No matter what extracurricular activities you list, whether it’s volunteer work or community service, you should tie it back to the skills you need, according to the job posting. For example, if you did volunteer work at Habitat for Humanity, you can stand out from other applicants by listing responsibilities and accomplishments that tie into a strong work ethic and excellent leadership skills.

When Should You List Extracurricular Activities on Your Resume?

Job seekers may have trouble finding a good way to insert their extracurricular activities on a resume. If you’re not sure when to add them, here are some instances where you’d include relevant extracurricular activities:

- If you don’t have existing work experience
- Your extracurriculars are relevant to the job at hand
- You have a lot of high-level extracurricular work experience

Many people add their extracurricular activities when they don’t have much to add to their work history section but as long as volunteer work and other extracurriculars showcase several relevant skills, you can add them to your resume.

Where to List Your Extracurricular Activities on a Resume

You can list extracurricular activities in several different places on your resume. Most resumes have these activities listed in the work history section. That said, volunteer work is considered work history. You can also put some of these activities as key achievements in your education section if they apply.

On the other hand, if you’re using a functional resume format or you want to create a new section for your extracurricular activities, you can create an “other activities” section to showcase your experiences.

FAQ: Extracurricular Activities on Resume

Which extracurricular activities are best to list on your resume?

When deciding which activities to list on your resume, it’s essential to look at the job description. Your hiring manager will want to see extracurriculars that showcase your abilities and skills that match what the job is looking for. So, become familiar with the responsibilities listed in the job posting and choose extracurricular activities that show relevant experience.

What extracurricular activities should I leave off my resume?

It’s important only to include recent, relevant information on your resume. Listing activities from more than ten years ago can weaken your resume since employers will wonder why you’re listing outdated extracurriculars. However, if you’re regularly involved with volunteering, this can be a great activity to add to your resume.

Can teammates from my extracurricular activities be references on my resume?

When it comes to listing references on your resume, you can think of your teammates in extracurricular activities as coworkers. If you think they’d put in a good word for you, you can list them as references. However, it’s important to have other contacts, too. Don’t just list teammates as references if you can’t find professional connections as well. It’s best to find a variety of solid references that can showcase your ability to add value in the workplace, and have them at the ready in a separate document.

Link copied!

About The Author

Jessie Oleson Moore

Jessie Oleson Moore is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer / ghostwriter and artist. As a writer, she has written extensively on finance, day trading, personal growth, and career development and has extensive experience producing in-depth, research-based articles and guides. In addition, she is an accomplished illustrator and author who has appeared on The Today Show and been featured in Publisher's Weekly. In her free time, she’s an avid traveler, Ashtanga yoga practitioner, and unicorn enthusiast.