How to Add Extracurricular Activities in Your CV

The term extracurricular activity is familiar to most students. Extracurricular activities are activities outside of your academic work. These activities often help an individual build up other skills and achievements. 

Although adding extracurricular activities to CV is not mandatory, it often gives the candidates a chance to show their character and skills. In addition, extracurricular activities in CV can also reflect a candidate’s values. 

If you are a high school student, extracurricular activities in CV can boost your chances of landing an internship or a graduate scheme. The extracurricular activities listed on your CV can also serve as a proof of additional skills that you’ve learned previously.

With that being said, extracurricular activities are suitable for young workers without experience. It is also suitable for students without job experience. These people can benefit from including extracurricular activities in CV because it is a good way to show your skills.

Student Council

As a student council member, you need to handle various tasks. These tasks might include sharing ideas from students to senior members of the school department. Also, you need to organize social events and activities for new students. 

💭 Being a student council shows that you possess the following skills: 

• Leadership skills 
• Teamwork 
• Planning and organization 
• Problem-solving 
• Time management 

Associations or Clubs

Being a member of an association or club indicates that you are a part of a community.

💭 Here are the skills you can learn from being a member of a club:

• Communication 
• Teamwork
• Empathy 
• Negotiation 
• Planning 

Sports

Being a part of a sports team can be a win-win situation. Not only you may have a chance to get a scholarship, but also an opportunity to meet good friends. 

💭 Here are the skills you can show by including sports in your CV extracurricular activities: 

• Teamwork
• Work ethic
• Communication 
• Leadership skills 
• Personal development 

Arts

Extracurricular activities in arts mean participating in a wide range of activities. These activities include being a tutor, cartooning, animation, and ceramics.

💭 Here are skills that shows through this extracurricular activity on your CV:

• Time management 
• Creativity 
• Attention to detail 
• Thinking outside the box
• Goal-setting 

Foreign Language

Knowing a foreign language is a popular skill to add to your CV extracurricular activities. Those who speak many foreign languages have a higher chance to land their dream job. 

💭 Learning foreign languages helps you gain the following valuable skills:

• Cultural awareness
• Linguistic skills
• Communication 
• Personal development 
• Information processing   

Sorority or Fraternity

Being a part of a sorority or fraternity can be a great addition to a CV. Being in a sorority or fraternity allows you to network with a lot of people.

💭 Here are 5 skills that can be shown through sorority or fraternity experiences:

• Communication 
• Networking
• Leadership skills
• Recruitment 
• Responsibility 

Tutoring

Tutoring is a popular extracurricular activity to add to a CV. Many students become tutors to earn extra allowance. Sometimes being a tutor also allows you to become a teacher eventually. 

💭 Here are 5 skills you can gain from tutoring: 

• Planning and organization 
• Teaching 
• Leadership skills
• Analytical thinking
• Creative thinking

Study Abroad

Studying abroad is great for professional and personal development. It allows you to meet new people and increase cultural awareness. 

💭 A study abroad experience can highlight these 5 skills in your extracurriculars in CV:

• Flexibility
• Adaptability 
• Responsibility 
• Stress management 
• Cultural awareness 

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to show personal values and personality traits. The benefits of being a volunteer often help a candidate decide their career direction. It also helps personal growth tremendously.

💭 Here are 5 skills you can add to the extracurricular activities in your CV for volunteering:  

• Personal development 
• Patience 
• Empathy 
• Communication 
• Community-oriented 

Profession-specific Activities

Profession-specific activities can be side hustles as well. Side hustles are sided jobs you can take. Often, these side jobs are related to your profession. For example, if you are a graphic designer, your side hustle can be designing T-shirts for local non-profits. 

💭 Top 5 skills you can show through profession-specific extracurricular activities in your CV: 

• Project management 
• Time management 
• Leadership skills
• Creativity 
• Adaptability 

Other relevant hobbies

If you want to add activities that are not related to your education or work experience, consider adding relevant hobbies. You can try to list these hobbies as achievements. For example, if your hobby is photography, consider adding photography awards. 

💭 These are the 5 skills you can show through hobbies: 

• Commitment 
• Personal development 
• Flexibility 
• Time management 
• Project management 

Here are four sections you can use to add extracurricular activities to your CV: 

1. Experience section 

If you consider an extracurricular activity relevant to work and education, you can list it in the experience section, like so:

2. Education section 

If you are adding extracurricular activities to a CV for college and freshers, adding details of the activities in the education section can complement your knowledge. 

Here’s an example:

3. Achievements section

If your extracurricular activities don’t relate to your education, you can create a separate achievement section. Give these achievements an appropriate title. 

4. A dedicated section for extracurricular activities

Adding a dedicated section for extracurricular activities on your CV can help emphasize your skills. 

1. List the organization name.

To make your extracurricular CV stand out, clearly state the organization that you affiliate with. Known organizations can help you get noticed by the recruiters. 

2. Mention your role in the organization.

Similar to listing your work experience, give your role an appropriate title. By mentioning your role when listing extracurricular activities in your CV, recruiters can understand better your extracurricular activities, how well you did and how it can contribute to the position that you are applying for.

3. Include the dates you participated in the activity(s).

Good extracurricular activities for CV do not depend on the title. Rather, it depends on the activities, tasks, and achievements you made through the experience. 

4. Describe your responsibilities, accomplishments or awards in bullet points.

A good way to list extracurricular activities on your CV is by using bullet points. Bullet points are easier to navigate and can help keep the overall CV layout organized. In these bullet points, you can describe your responsibilities, accomplishments or awards to showcase your skills and development.

5. Add any testimonials or references.

Testimonials are known as social proof. It helps the recruiters to understand that your work has satisfied other people. You can add testimonials in the extracurricular section of CV to gain attraction. 

💡 The activity should be relevant to the position you are applying for.

While you may want to include as many activities as you wish, it is crucial to remember that these experiences should match the job position, CVs with an extracurricular activities section often take up space, so try to be concise with and be smart with your choices. 

💡 Mention the activity details (name of organization, title, etc.) to increase credibility.

As mentioned earlier, if you have participated in activities from a known organization, the recruiters will notice you quickly. Always remember to mention clear details of the organization when listing extracurricular activities on your CV. 

💡 For sport activities, mention the soft skills that are learned through the activity instead of number of goals, etc.

When you describe sport activities, try to highlight soft skills you developed during the activity. Extracurriculars in CV are not only about numbers, it is about personal development, growth, and expansion. For example, you can include teamwork, empathy, and communication skills.

--- Originally written by Diana Shih ---