what does activities mean in a resume

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Activities Resume: Showcase Your Skills With These Samples

In today’s competitive job market, it’s important to have a standout resume that showcases your skills and experiences. While many job seekers focus solely on their work experience and education, it’s also important to highlight your extracurricular activities and volunteer work. This is where the activities resume comes in.

An activities resume is a document that outlines all of your extracurricular activities, including community service, clubs and organizations, sports, awards, and leadership positions. It provides hiring managers and admissions committees with a more well-rounded view of your skills and experiences, beyond what they can see on your traditional resume or application.

Why an activities resume is important

Having a strong activities resume can set you apart from other applicants and demonstrate your commitment to personal and professional growth. It shows that you are a well-rounded individual who is passionate about learning, giving back to the community, and furthering your interests beyond the classroom or workplace. It’s also a great way to showcase any unique talents or accomplishments that you may have, such as winning a national championship or organizing a successful fundraising event.

Are Activities Resumes Necessary?

When crafting a resume, it’s natural to include your work experience and education. However, adding an “activities resume” can highlight your skills and personal interests, and provide even greater context for your accomplishments.

A. Explanation of Employers’ Expectations

Employers are looking for candidates who not only have strong on-the-job skills, but also have a variety of experiences and interests outside of work. By including an activities section on your resume, you can show employers that you’re a well-rounded individual with diverse abilities and interests.

Additionally, extracurricular activities can demonstrate qualities that translate well in the workplace, such as leadership skills, teamwork, and time management. If you’ve held leadership positions in student clubs or community organizations, for example, you may be more attractive to employers who value these skills.

B. Importance in College Applications

While activities resumes can be important for job seekers, they’re even more essential for college applications. Admissions officers are looking for students who will be active and engaged members of their campus communities, and an activities resume can help demonstrate how you’ll contribute to campus life.

In addition to academic achievements, college applications often ask for information about students’ extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and leadership roles. By creating a comprehensive activities resume, you can showcase all of your experiences and interests in one place, making it easier for admissions officers to get a sense of who you are as a person.

C. Differences and Similarities with Traditional Resumes

While activities resumes share many similarities with traditional resumes, there are some key differences to keep in mind. For example, activities resumes tend to focus more on personal interests and hobbies, whereas traditional resumes prioritize work history and professional achievements.

Additionally, activities resumes may include sections that are unique to this type of document, such as “skills and abilities,” “languages spoken,” and “personal interests.” These sections can help paint a more comprehensive picture of who you are and what you bring to the table.

Ultimately, whether or not you choose to include an activities resume will depend on your individual circumstances and goals. However, for those who want to stand out as well-rounded and interesting candidates, it can be a valuable addition to any job or college application.

Identifying and Selecting Relevant Activities

As you begin crafting your activities resume, it’s important to identify and select the most relevant activities to showcase your skills and strengths. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

A. Types of activities to include

When selecting activities to include on your resume, it’s important to focus on those that demonstrate skills and qualities that align with the positions you are applying for. Some common types of activities to consider including are:

• Leadership roles in clubs or organizations
• Volunteer work in relevant fields
• Internships or part-time jobs related to your field of study
• Athletic or artistic achievements
• Academic honors or research experience

By including activities that are relevant to your desired career path, you can demonstrate to potential employers that you have a strong foundation of skills and experience that will make you a valuable asset to their organization.

B. Identifying your strongest skills

Before selecting which activities to showcase on your resume, take the time to identify your strongest skills and how they can be showcased through your extracurricular activities. Consider the following questions:

• What activities have you been most successful in and why?
• What skills have you gained or improved upon through your activities?
• What unique strengths do you offer that set you apart from other candidates?

By identifying your strongest skills, you can ensure that the activities you highlight on your resume are aligned with the type of candidate you want to be perceived as.

C. Highlighting achievements and responsibilities

Finally, when selecting activities to include on your resume, it’s important to highlight your achievements and responsibilities within each activity. Rather than simply listing the activity itself, include specific details about your role and accomplishments. For example, instead of simply listing “member of the debate team,” you might say “debate team captain for two years, leading the team to the state championships in both years.”

By highlighting your achievements and responsibilities within each activity, you can demonstrate the depth of your skills and experience and leave a lasting impression on potential employers.

By carefully selecting and showcasing your activities, skills, and achievements, you can create an activities resume that effectively showcases your strengths and sets you apart as a top candidate for the positions you’re applying for.

Activities Resume Formatting and Layout

When it comes to showcasing your skills and experiences, the right format and layout can make a significant difference in making your resume stand out.

A. Choosing the right format

There are different resume formats to choose from, including chronological, functional, and hybrid. The choice of format depends on your work experience, career goals, and the industry you are applying to.

• Chronological resumes highlight your work experience in chronological order, starting with the most recent job. This format is ideal for candidates with a consistent work history in the same industry.
• Functional resumes focus on your skills and accomplishments rather than your work experience. This format suits candidates who have gaps in their work history or are changing careers.
• Hybrid resumes combine the elements of chronological and functional formats to create a compelling resume that highlights both your work experience and skills.

When choosing the right format, consider what will best showcase your experiences and match the expectations of the prospective employer.

B. Layout and design tips

Once you have chosen a resume format, it’s essential to present it in a visually appealing layout. Here are some layout and design tips to consider:

• Use legible fonts, preferably between 10-12pt size. Avoid using fancy fonts that may be challenging to read.
• Use bullet points to list your accomplishments, experiences, and skills. This feature will help to break up the text, making it easier to scan for essential information.
• Use white space effectively to ensure that your resume is easy on the eye.
• Use a professional email address on your resume. Your email address should reflect your professional identity and not your personal interests.

C. Do’s and don’ts of formatting

When formatting your resume, it’s essential to be mindful of the following do’s and don’ts:

• Use action verbs to describe your experiences and accomplishments. This feature will make your resume more compelling and engaging.
• Tailor your resume to match the job requirements, making it clear that you are the right fit for the position.
• Use keywords that match the job description to ensure that your resume makes it through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which are used by recruitment agencies and employers to filter out unwanted resumes.

Don’ts

• Do not include irrelevant information, such as your hobbies and interests, unless it’s relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Avoid using images and graphics on your resume. Most ATS systems cannot read images, which may affect your chances of being shortlisted.
• Do not include personal information, such as your age, marital status, or social security number, on your resume.

By following these guidelines, you can create a compelling and visually appealing activities resume that showcases your skills and experiences, ultimately increasing your chances of landing your dream job.

Writing Your Activities Resume

As you create your activities resume, there are a few key elements you should include to make it stand out. One important aspect is your summary statement and objective.

A. Summary Statement and Objective

Your summary statement should be a brief introduction that highlights your experiences, skills, and qualities. This should be no more than 2-3 lines and should intrigue the reader to continue reading your resume.

Your objective statement should clearly state what type of position you’re seeking and what you hope to accomplish by obtaining that position. It’s important to tailor your objective statement to the specific job and organization you’re applying to.

B. Writing Concise and Descriptive Bullet Points

When writing your activities resume, it’s important to use bullet points to make it easy to read and highlight your experiences. Each bullet point should be concise and descriptive, using industry-specific language when possible.

Focus on quantifying your accomplishments, and highlight any awards or recognition you’ve received. By including numbers and measurable results, you’ll make your experiences stand out and show the impact you’ve had.

C. Action Verbs to Use

Action verbs are an effective way to describe your accomplishments and responsibilities in a dynamic and engaging way. Here are some examples of powerful action verbs you can use in your activities resume:

• Accomplished
• Coordinated
• Facilitated
• Implemented
• Strategized

Using strong action verbs will help your activities resume stand out and show your potential employer that you’re a dynamic and accomplished candidate.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

In writing an activities resume, there are common mistakes that you should avoid. Here are some of the most significant ones that you need to be aware of:

A. Lack of specificity

An activities resume should be specific and concise. Writing generic statements will not help you stand out among other applicants. For instance, instead of saying that you participated in a volunteer program, mention the specific tasks you did, how many hours you spent doing it, and how it helped the community.

When you’re listing your accomplishments, be sure to include numbers or statistics that support them. Keep in mind that employers want concrete facts and figures, not vague descriptions.

Also, don’t forget to tailor your resume to the position or job you’re applying for. Research the company or organization, and look for skills or qualities that they are looking for in a candidate. Then, highlight how your activities demonstrate that you possess those skills.

B. Including irrelevant information

In an activities resume, it’s important to focus on activities that are relevant to the job or position you’re applying for. Including irrelevant information will only distract the reader and make your resume less effective.

Be selective in the activities that you include in your resume. Choose those that show your skills, accomplishments, and experiences that are transferable to the job you want to land. If you have limited space, prioritize the most relevant and recent activities.

C. Grammatical and typographical errors

Grammatical and typographical errors are unacceptable in a job application. They show that you’re not careful or detail-oriented, which could negatively affect your chances of being hired.

Remember to proofread your work before submitting it. Review it multiple times, and use spell-check and grammar-check tools to ensure that everything is error-free. Also, ask someone else to read your resume and provide feedback. They may catch mistakes that you overlooked.

Final Thoughts

An activities resume is a powerful tool that can showcase your skills and experiences to potential employers. However, it’s crucial to avoid common mistakes such as lack of specificity, inclusion of irrelevant information, and grammatical and typographical errors. By doing so, you’ll create a distinctive and compelling resume that will help you stand out in the job market.

Activities Resume Examples

If you’re looking to showcase your skills and experiences through an activities resume, we’ve got you covered with these sample resumes for high school, college, and job seekers.

A. Sample activities resume for high school student

Name:  Jane Doe

Contact Information:

• Email: janedoe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some commonly asked questions about activities resumes:

A. How long should an activities resume be?

An ideal activities resume should be one page long. However, if you have significant experience in multiple activities, it is acceptable to create a two-page resume. Just remember to prioritize your strongest and most relevant activities.

B. What should I include in the summary statement?

Your summary statement should be a brief introduction of yourself that highlights your skills and experience. It should be tailored to the specific position you are applying for, and should include the most relevant information that showcases your qualifications. Keep it concise and impactful.

C. Should I include non-traditional activities?

Yes, including non-traditional activities can be a great way to stand out from the competition. These may include hobbies or interests that demonstrate your leadership, creativity, or passion. However, make sure they are relevant to the position or industry you are interested in and highlight the transferable skills they demonstrate.

Remember, an activities resume is all about showcasing the unique skills and experiences that make you a valuable addition to any team. By highlighting your involvement in various activities and organizations, along with your achievements and transferable skills, you can position yourself as a well-rounded candidate who is capable of excelling in diverse roles.

Activities Resume for Different Life Stages

If you’re looking to showcase your skills, there’s no better way to do it than with an activities resume. Depending on your stage of life, however, the resume may need to look different. Here are some tips for creating an activities resume at different life stages:

A. Preparing activities resume for college applications

Your activities resume can be the key to getting into your dream college. Here are some tips for creating a standout resume:

• Focus on extracurriculars: Colleges want to see that you’re more than just a good student. Showcase your involvement in sports, clubs, volunteering, and other activities.
• Include leadership roles: If you held any leadership positions, make sure they’re highlighted on your resume. This shows that you have initiative and can take on responsibility.
• Don’t forget honors and awards: If you received any honors or awards, be sure to mention them. This can help you stand out from other applicants.

B. Activities resume for job seeker with little experience

If you’re just starting out in your career, your activities resume can help showcase your skills and experience. Here’s what to include:

• Volunteer work: If you don’t have a lot of work experience, volunteer work can demonstrate your work ethic and give you valuable experience.
• Internships: If you completed any internships, list them on your resume to show that you have practical experience.
• Relevant coursework: If you’re applying for a position in a specific field, list any relevant coursework you completed to show that you have an understanding of the industry.

C. Activities resume for career changers

If you’re changing careers, your activities resume can help demonstrate how your skills are transferable. Here’s what to include:

• Relevant skills: Make sure to highlight any skills that are relevant to your new career. For example, if you’re switching from marketing to graphic design, highlight your design skills.
• Continued education: If you’ve taken any courses or earned any certifications relevant to your new career, be sure to mention them.
• Volunteer work: If you’ve done any volunteer work that’s relevant to your new career, highlight it on your resume.

No matter what stage of life you’re in, an activities resume can help you showcase your skills and stand out from the crowd. With these tips, you’ll be able to create a resume that’s tailored to your specific stage of life and career goals.

Showcase Your Skills

When creating an activities resume, it’s essential to showcase not just your experiences, but also your skills. Here are some soft skills you can include in your resume to help you stand out:

A. Soft skills to include in activities resume

• Communication: This includes both written and verbal communication skills, as well as the ability to actively listen and ask clarifying questions.
• Time management: It’s important to demonstrate that you can organize and prioritize tasks effectively, especially when balancing multiple activities with other commitments.
• Adaptability: This involves being able to handle unexpected changes and challenges, while maintaining a positive attitude and finding solutions.
• Creativity: Whether it’s designing a poster or coming up with innovative solutions to a problem, creativity shows that you can think outside the box.
• Interpersonal skills: This includes the ability to empathize with others, build relationships, and work effectively with diverse groups of people.

In addition to highlighting soft skills, it’s important to illustrate leadership abilities in your activities resume.

B. Demonstrating leadership abilities

Leadership doesn’t just mean being the captain of a team or the president of a club. It can also involve taking initiative, delegating tasks, and motivating others to achieve a common goal. Here are some ways you can demonstrate your leadership abilities:

• Describe a project or event you organized and led from start to finish, highlighting the specific roles you played and the outcome.
• Showcase how you motivated and inspired others to reach their full potential, such as mentoring younger students or leading a team to victory.
• Highlight any awards or recognition you received for your leadership abilities, such as the National Honor Society or Eagle Scout.

Finally, teamwork and collaboration skills are essential in many activities, and demonstrating these skills can set you apart from other applicants.

C. Illustrating teamwork and collaboration skills

When describing your involvement in group activities, it’s important to showcase how you worked cooperatively with others to achieve a shared goal. Here are some tips for illustrating your teamwork and collaboration skills:

• Highlight any successful group projects you worked on, emphasizing your contributions and the group’s achievements.
• Describe how you handled disagreements or conflicts within the group, highlighting your ability to communicate effectively and find common ground.
• Mention any leadership roles you had within the group, such as facilitating meetings or delegating tasks.
• Describe how you supported and encouraged other members of the group, recognizing their strengths and contributions.

The key to showcasing your skills in an activities resume is to provide specific examples and use language that highlights your strengths and accomplishments. By emphasizing your soft skills, leadership abilities, and teamwork and collaboration skills, you’ll stand out from the crowd and impress potential employers and college admissions committees.

Activities vs. Employment History

When it comes to creating a strong resume, knowing the differences between your activities and employment history can be crucial. Here are some things to keep in mind:

A. Differences between activities and employment history

Activities refer to any extracurricular or volunteer work that you have done. This can include internships, clubs, hobbies, or community service. Employment history, on the other hand, refers to any paid work that you have done.

While both can be valuable experiences to include on your resume, they should be presented differently. Employment history should be listed in chronological order, with the most recent experience first. Activities can be listed in any order, depending on which experiences are most relevant to the position you are applying for.

B. Highlighting transferable skills

One of the benefits of including both activities and employment history on your resume is the opportunity to showcase a variety of transferable skills. Transferable skills are talents and abilities that can be applied to a variety of settings and positions.

For example, if you were a volunteer tutor, you likely gained skills such as communication, teaching, and patience. These are all transferable skills that could be relevant to a variety of positions.

By highlighting these transferable skills, you can demonstrate to potential employers that you have a diverse range of talents and are capable of adapting to new situations.

C. Combining activities and employment history

When combining activities and employment history on your resume, it’s important to make sure that both are presented in a cohesive and organized manner.

One approach is to use a combination resume format. This format allows you to highlight both your skills and work experiences in one document.

To begin, create a section for each of your work experiences, listing your position, company name, and employment dates. Under each, include a brief summary of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

Next, create a separate section for your activities. Include the name of the activity, the dates you participated, and a brief summary of what you accomplished.

Within each section, highlight any relevant transferable skills you gained from the experience. This will help tie together both your work and activity history and show potential employers how your skills are applicable to the job you are applying for.

Combining activities and employment history on your resume can showcase a diverse range of skills and experiences. When done in a cohesive and organized manner, it can make for a strong and impactful resume.

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List of 50 Hobbies & Interests for Your Resume in 2024

• Hobbies/Interests Examples
• Should Hobbies/Interests Be on a Resume?
• Interests/Hobbies to Avoid
• Adding Hobbies/Interests
• Hobbies/Interests Tips
• Hobbies/Interests FAQs

Imagine: You’re a hiring manager for an athletic clothing brand considering two candidates—both with great resumes . You’re having trouble deciding which of the two to move forward.

During your review, you notice one of the applicants is an avid runner. So, you decide to pick the one you think will be a slightly better cultural fit since the applicant likely aligns with the fitness-related clothing products your brand offers based on their running hobby.

But, why “running hobby” instead of “running interest?” Great question. There is a difference between hobbies and interests. Hobbies are things you actively participate in, whereas interests are your dreams or topics you’re fascinated by. That said, they can both be used effectively on a resume to make your already excellent skill set more personable and relevant.

We’ll dive into interests and hobbies to include on your resume and show you how to list them to gain a leg up in the application process.

Hobbies & Interests Examples for a Resume

Example Resume

Why these hobbies/interests work

• Always choose hobbies and interests for your resume that relate to your field. 
• Don’t be afraid to include something cool and credible, like being a Jeopardy contestant. 
• Thought-provoking activities like helping troubled youths can effectively display your compassion and adaptability in difficult situations.

Most Common Hobbies & Interests for Resumes in 2024

Knowing the value of hobbies/interests on a resume, you may wonder which ones are the most popular in the US. Here’s a quick overview.

• At the top of the list, 40% of US adults have cooking/baking as a hobby or interest. This is a great one to list on resumes for culinary positions or when working around food. It also shows you can follow instructions precisely.
• Want to show some expert research abilities? Reading is an excellent hobby for resumes when applying to jobs involving scientific research or business analysis, to name a couple.
• Everyone’s interested in their pets. Plus, positions like vet techs or even care-based nursing roles can see directly translatable abilities from individuals who love and cherish their animals.
• Applying to a tech-related role? Video games are a potential hobby/interest you could list. It can also show unique problem-solving abilities for analytical positions.
• Nearly half of all jobs require outdoor work. So whether you’re applying to construction, agriculture, or other similar roles, many outdoor activities will be applicable. For instance, a gardening hobby could be great for an aspiring landscaper.

List of Hobbies & Interests for Your Resume

Here’s an extensive list of hobbies and interests to potentially include on your resume.

Volunteering

What better way to demonstrate you’re a caring, civic-minded person than by including your volunteer efforts on your resume?

People want to work with kind people. Not to mention, many companies now give employees time off each year to volunteer for efforts they care about.

Volunteering ideas

• Fostering animals
• Serving within your religious organization
• Firefighter/ EMT
• Coaching youth sports teams
• Volunteering with organizations that help the homeless
• Assisting at local meetups or hackathons
• Volunteering at an animal shelter
• Working for local committees or organizations in your community (like the Board of Education, for example)

Mentioning how you exercise as one of your interests or hobbies can be a great way to build a quick bond with the person reviewing your resume.

However, saying something like “sports” in your interests section is not worth including. What sport do you play?

Exercise can be anything that gets the heart pumping. If you dance or do karate, those are unique hobbies that you should definitely mention on your resume.

Exercise ideas

• Running (if you run events like 5Ks, say so!)
• Weight lifting
• Dance (salsa? square dancing?)
• Basketball (do you play in a league?)
• Rock climbing
• Skiing/ snowboarding

Most companies would benefit by having a creative person join their company. If you’re looking for a career in marketing or design, that’s especially true.

Even if you’re looking for a job as a programmer or data scientist, creativity can still be an invaluable skill.

Listing “music” is not a particularly unique hobby. Saying you play guitar, however, may catch the employer’s eye.

If you have a portfolio of your work, you should link to it in your resume, too, if you’re really proud of it.

Creative ideas

• Photography
• Comic books
• Classic films
• Instruments (guitar, violin, piano, etc.)
• Interior decorating
• Writing (fiction? slam poetry?)
• Calligraphy
• Stand-up comedy

Puzzles/Games

Much like your artistic endeavors can showcase your creativity to a prospective employer, an interest in strategic games indicates that you can strategize and plan.

We likely sound like a broken record but remember to be specific. Saying “video games” is not going to add value to your resume, whereas “PC gaming” might (do your research on the company to make sure this would be appropriate).

Puzzle/games ideas

• Dungeons and dragons
• Jigsaw puzzles
• Crossword puzzles

Your hobbies or interests don’t have to be (and likely aren’t) confined by neat category distinctions. Just ask yourself whether your passion has the potential to showcase a valuable skill.

For example, in the list below, you’ll see brewing beer as a hobby. As long as the business you’re applying to is a more modern company, this could be appropriate to include. To be a successful brewer, you need to be precise and thorough—both great traits in a prospective employee.

Other ideas

• Learning languages (which/how many languages have you learned?)
• Foodie (talking about local restaurants can be a great way to break the ice in an interview)
• Brewing beer
• Cooking (which cuisine is your specialty?)
• Baking (who doesn’t love the person who bakes for office parties?)
• BBQing (this would grab our attention)
• Social media (if you run a successful social account for a local cause, that can be an invaluable skill)

We know! That’s a lot of examples to look through! You can always list a slew of things you enjoy on your  resume outline  and narrow it down when you create a resume . We’ve also got some simple resume templates from Google Docs  with a section just for hobbies and interests.

Remember, your hobbies are supposed to be for your enjoyment. If you don’t think you have any hobbies for your resume that will work, that’s okay, too!

Should Hobbies and Interests Be on a Resume?

Before we dive into the types of hobbies and interests you should add to your resume, we first need to answer the question of whether you should include them at all.

The primary factor in determining whether you should include a hobbies and interests section on your resume is the type of role and company you’re applying to .

While older, more established businesses are less likely to be intrigued by what you do outside of work, modern tech companies or startups will likely be interested in learning about your prospective cultural fit. One great way to demonstrate that on your resume is through your hobbies.

• Entry-level candidates can approach  resume writing  with a “small but mighty” mindset.
• For example, mentioning that you’re a World Sudoku Championship Competitor for not just one but  three  years in a row shows dedication and laser-like focus.
• If you’re applying for a web development job, try adding a related side project like apps; alternatively, If you’re playing up your artistic side, talk about your interest in web graphics!

How to know whether you should list hobbies/interests

• Read the  job description  of the role you’re applying to.
• If the answer is “yes,” that’s a good indication that you should list hobbies and interests.
• Visit the company’s website. Read their “about us” section as well as their employment pages.

When it comes to your resume,  not all hobbies and interests are created equal ! For example, some of us here at BeamJobs are expert television show binge-watchers. If there was a binge-watching championship, we think we could win gold. 

Still, this is a hobby we would leave off our resumes. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with this hobby; it’s just that it’s neither particularly unique nor noteworthy. Remember— the goal of your hobbies and interests are to help you stand out . If the hobby you include is something the hiring manager has seen hundreds of times, it won’t accomplish what you want it to on your resume.

This means you should be as specific as possible when describing your hobbies or interests. “Sports” is not the same as “captain of co-ed basketball team.”

Here are a few more examples of what we mean:

• Wrong: Cooking
• Right: Cooking Middle Eastern cuisine
• Wrong: Travel
• Right: Backpacking through Europe
• Wrong: Music
• Right: Electric guitar
• Wrong: Volunteering
• Right: Volunteering at local ASPCA
• Wrong: Puzzles
• Right: Expert at Sudoko

Interests and Hobbies to Avoid on a Resume

If you’re on the fence about whether you should include a particular interest or hobby on your resume,  err on the side of caution . The last thing you want to do is turn a “yes” into a “no” by including something taboo on your resume. This means you shouldn’t list anything about politics on your resume (unless, of course, you’re applying for a job in politics).

This is not to say you should avoid talking about your volunteer experience through your local church if that’s your hobby! Just imagine you’re meeting someone you’d like to make a good impression on. If it’s a topic you’d avoid in that conversation, leave it off if you’d like to present a  professional resume . With that said…

BeamJobs’ co-founder, Stephen, knows a thing or two about including a hobby that, under different circumstances, would have been better left off his resume

Before I started BeamJobs with my brother and dove head-first into the world of resumes, I was a data analyst at a company called Chegg.

At that time, one of my biggest hobbies was playing poker. Now, as a data nerd, I took a very data-driven approach to playing poker. I studied the game religiously to develop a deep understanding of winning strategies and probabilities.

Since I was applying for jobs as a data analyst, I thought that would be worth including as an interest on my resume.  I also understood poker would likely not be appropriate for all of my job applications .

When it came time to apply to Chegg, I learned that the role I was applying for would be as an early employee for their recently acquired company, Imagine Easy Solutions. I researched the founders and learned they had a history of entrepreneurship.

As such, I included poker as a hobby on my resume. That gamble (poker pun intended) paid off. I learned during my interview that one of my interviewers was a big poker player.  This gave me an opportunity to elaborate on my data-driven approach to the game and how I would take a similarly quantitative approach to my job .

We hope this illustrates the potential positive impact of including unique interests or hobbies in your job applications.  They help humanize you and give you a potential common interest with your interviewers .

Stephen’s anecdote also highlights two important points:

• Do your research on the company and role you’re applying for; make sure what you’re including as a hobby is relevant.
• Don’t lie. By his own admission, Stephen would have been quickly exposed by a much better poker player in his interview had he told a lie!

How to Add Hobbies and Interests on a Resume

Before we dive into the best way to include hobbies or interests on your resume, let’s start with an example.

• Have outdoor interests like kayaking? These kinds of hobbies can suggest experience in nailing the perfect photography shot and other design strengths.
• Hobbies like fly fishing and comic art can suggest sociability and interconnectedness with others—good  soft skills to list on your resume .
• You can use hobbies and interests to express that you’re well-rounded, but the way to really rock this section is by displaying those that directly or indirectly relate to the job you’re after. 

Guidelines for adding hobbies/interests to your resume

• Add a specific section to your resume called “Hobbies,” “Interests,” or “Hobbies & Interests.”
• Limit the number of hobbies you include to five at most.
• We have brand-new  Google resume templates  and  Word resume templates  that already have this section built in. 
• Be as specific as possible.
• Don’t let this section be the reason your resume extends to two pages.

All of these rules follow the principle that your interests/hobbies shouldn’t be the focus of your resume.  They’re on your resume to add color.  Sadly, some hiring managers won’t put much or any weight on this section of your resume. That’s the reason you shouldn’t make it so prominent.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to land a job as a surgeon with your hobbies alone—you still need to have the right qualifications for the role! With that said, the more specific you are with your hobbies and interests, the more likely what you list will resonate with the person checking out your AI cover letter and resume . 

You also want to be able to relate your hobbies or interests to what makes you a particularly good fit for the role you’re applying to. Let’s look at a few examples.

Job title: Marketer

Hobby: Painting

How it relates: This demonstrates an eye for creativity and design—both important characteristics for a marketer.

Job title: Manager

Hobby: Long-distance runner

How it relates: Committing to improving at long-distance running requires dedication without the ability to see immediate results, which can happen in management as well.

Job title: Software engineer

Hobby: Baking cakes

How it relates: To be an effective baker, you need to be exact with measurements, temperatures, and time but also need a high degree of creativity. To be a strong developer, you must be creative and rigorously logical.

Job title: HR manager

Hobby: Volunteering as an EMT

How it relates: Much like an EMT, to be a good HR manager, you must be caring and empathetic while staying calm in tense situations.

Hobbies and Interests Resume Tips

Most people don’t live to work; they work to live. Therefore, most of your time is likely going to be spent outside of your office.

Including your hobbies and interests on your resume is a great way to humanize yourself and become more than just a resume  to the hiring manager.

Tips for adding hobbies and interests to your resume

• Research the company and job description for the role you’re applying for to determine if you should include hobbies.
• Remember: Interests are related to topics you find interesting, while hobbies are activities you participate in and enjoy.
• Keep this section short (four to five interests at most ) and move it to the bottom of your resume.
• Your hobbies are for you—don’t take up a hobby just to please a potential employer.

A hobbies/interests section works great for entry-level candidates who want to include additional relevant abilities or when applying to companies that emphasize workplace culture in the job description. For example, many retail organizations emphasize their culture, so someone applying to be an entry-level retail clerk could benefit from a hobbies/interests section.

A hobby is something you actively do, whereas an interest is something you may be fascinated by or dream about. For example, someone who actively reads an hour per day could consider reading a hobby. On the other hand, someone fascinated by psychology could consider that an interest. You could even combine the two to say you enjoy reading about psychology, which could work great for an aspiring therapist.

Between one to three hobbies/interests works best for most resumes . It typically shouldn’t be the focus of your resume, but moreso act as a way to provide a bit more information or personability to your already excellent skill set.

Either the bottom or the left-hand side margin beneath your education and top skills is the best place for hobbies/interests. This placement leaves room for your work experience, education, and achievements to remain the primary focus of your resume.

Volunteer work is one of the best things to put in a hobbies/interests section when you don’t have work experience since it’s the most similar to a work-related environment. Otherwise, aim for things that are the most relevant to the position. For example, listing a favorite sport or fitness activity, such as rugby or HIIT training, could be great when applying for an entry-level job at a gym.

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Top Extracurricular Activities to Add to Your Resume (Samples)

Customers Interviewed by:

When you’re a new grad entering the workforce, extracurricular activities on your resume can help you stand out to hiring managers. But what types of activities should you include?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• The best types of extracurricular activities to include in your resume writing . 
• How activities can add value to your resume.
• Where to add your extracurricular activities on your resume for maximum impact. 

The best extracurricular activities for a resume

Extracurriculars are any activities that aren’t required for your college credit. Depending on the jobs you’re applying for, certain activities will look more appealing to hiring managers.

Some of the most popular activities to add to your resume include:

• Student council
• Clubs or societies
• Volunteering
• Study abroad programs
• Additional languages
• Sororities or fraternities

Your role in extracurriculars can help you build transferable skills . These are skills you take with you from job to job. Transferable skills on your resume can make you a stronger candidate in your job search. 

Use Jobscan’s resume scanner to ensure your resume includes the transferable skills you need to secure the interview. Below is a screenshot of the match report generated by our tool. It illustrates exactly which keywords from the job description you need to integrate to be competitive.

Resume activities: student council or union

Members of a student council or students’ union are often elected by their peers. They collaborate on student-led initiatives, address school issues affecting students, and organize school activities or events. 

If you take part in student council, you develop some essential soft skills, including:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Organization
• Decision making
• Time management

Participation in student council builds practical skills you can relate to your post grad job hunt. 

Resume activities: team sports

Playing team sports isn’t just a fun hobby. Sports can help you grow valuable skills you need in any workplace, including:

• Strategic thinking
• Problem solving

Even if you don’t play on a competitive team, recreational sports helps you establish key transferable skills to add to your resume.

Resume activities: clubs or societies

There’s a club for almost any interest. And if they help you cultivate transferable skills, they can enhance your resume. 

Examples of popular clubs include:

• School newspaper
• Choir or chorus
• Orchestra, jazz band, or concert band
• Girl or boy scouts
• Debate club
• Mock trial club
• Literature club
• Photography club

Clubs are a great place to build a network and hone skills like:

• Relationship building
• Creative thinking
• Adaptability

Resume activities: volunteering

Volunteering positions are like unpaid jobs. You gain practical experience you can add to your resume with desirable skills to back it up.

Helping out your community has the added benefit of boosting your resume. You can volunteer your time to organizations that match your interests and are relevant to your dream job.

Skills you show by volunteering include:

• Customer service

Don’t add every activity you’ve participated in. Instead, be strategic and choose the activities that can help in the role you’re applying for. 

Resume activities: tutoring

Helping a peer or younger student learn tough concepts can help you build desirable skills for your resume. Some skills include:

• Flexibility
• Active listening

A proven ability to mentor others is a valuable skill and can stand out to hiring managers. This is especially true if you’re looking for a teaching or management role. 

Resume activities: study abroad experience

If you have the opportunity to study abroad, it can be life changing. You make friends, see new places, and experience unique cultures. 

It also lets you develop unique skills that attract potential employers, including:

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Independence
• Foreign languages
• Interpersonal skills

Resume activities: additional languages

Bilingualism or multilingualism is becoming more common. But even if you’re not fluent, speaking a second language can improve your starting salary in some industries.

Some of the most common and valuable languages to learn include:

Even less common languages, like American Sign Language, shows skills like:

• Cultural awareness
• interpersonal skills

Resume activities: sorority or fraternity

Sororities and fraternities are social organizations that can broaden your network. Experiences in a sorority or fraternity vary, but members often participate in:

• Regular meetings
• Philanthropic activities
• Special events

These organizations help you develop skills like:

• Project management

Why should you add extracurricular activities to your resume?

Extracurricular activities on your resume, when added correctly, can make your resume stronger. The key is to use your activities to highlight important resume skills relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Skills are either hard or soft. Hard skills are specific skills you need to do a particular job. Soft skills are transferable skills that you can develop and use in any job. 

Extracurricular skills for your ATS resume

All job descriptions are full of skills that hiring managers want in a candidate. Those skills determine whether your resume will reach the hiring manager at all.

When you apply for a job, your resume goes into the applicant tracking system , or ATS. It acts as an internal search engine for the hiring manager.

They can search for specific keywords and the ATS will parse resumes for those terms. It then pulls out the strongest resumes for the hiring manager. It’s crucial to include the right keywords to get your resume in front of the hiring team.

Here’s a sample job description with keywords and soft skills underlined. These are among some of the critical skills you should add to your resume when applying for this job. Extracurriculars can help you hone them.

Never forget to include keywords again with Jobscan’s resume scanner to support you. The match report will give you a resume score to measure the strength of your resume and show you which keywords are missing. It’ll also catch any formatting issues that will affect your resume’s readability by the ATS.

Take it further and make your resume optimization easier with Jobscan’s premium Power Edit . It will show you which skills you’re missing and also provide suggestions on how to integrate them into your resume.

Below is an image of the match report generated for transferable skills or soft skills . The highlighted skills need to be added to the resume to increase your chances of the hiring manager finding your resume.

Extracurricular activities can be a great way to integrate skills and keywords into your resume.

How to put extracurricular activities on resume

You can incorporate your extracurricular activities in your resume in a few different ways.

• In your work experience section.
• In your volunteer section.
• In your education section.
• In an achievements or awards section.
• In your interests or extracurriculars section.

How to add activities to your work experience

For new grads, work experience can be a short section. But you can add volunteer positions in your work experience section if they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for. Highlight the skills you used in your volunteer role to draw connections to the proficiencies the hiring manager will be searching for. 

Sample resume extracurricular activities: work experience section

Below is an example of how to add volunteer extracurricular activities to your resume. Achievements are quantified and skills are integrated into the summary.

How to add activities to your volunteer section

Your volunteer section can show off your skills while keeping it separate from paid work experience. Format the dates and position descriptions in the same layout and emphasize the skills that helped you excel in your position. 

Sample resume extracurricular activities: volunteer section

This volunteer experience section highlights the soft skills gained in the role, from collaboration to creative thinking.

How to add activities to your education section

When your extracurricular activities are related to school, adding them to your education section makes sense. Add details to include clubs and organizations, and the skills you developed while there. 

Sample resume extracurricular activities: education section

Below is an example of extracurricular activities in the resume under the education section. The sorority is affiliated with the school, so keeping it with your education maintains organization. The summary demonstrates transferable skills like organization and planning.

Another example of extracurriculars in the education section includes a student-run news organization on campus. Including the role and the skills developed can help illustrate experience when work history is limited.

How to add activities to your achievements and awards

If your extracurricular activities earned you recognition, an achievements section can highlight it. When you excel at your activities, you’re demonstrating to the hiring manager that your skill set is exceptional. 

Sample resume extracurricular activities: achievements or awards section

Below is an example of adding an extracurricular to an awards section of your resume. Not only does this example have the achievement listed, but it includes a summary of the skills they used to win the award.

How to add activities to their own section

Another option is to include your extracurriculars in their own section of interests and activities. This can be the place to include activities that don’t quite fit into other resume sections. A a separate heading can organize the resume layout . 

Sample resume extracurricular activities: interests or activities section

In this example, the extracurricular activity has its own resume subheading. While it’s not affiliated to education, volunteering, or awards, it can still demonstrate valuable soft skills employers seek, like teamwork.

Tips for including activities on your resume

Here are some quick tips to including activities on your resume.

The activities on your resume should be relevant to the job

You may have varied interests and pastimes you enjoy, but they don’t all have a place on your resume. Keep the activities hyper relevant to the job description you’re applying for. Otherwise, the overflow of information can distract from the valuable information you include. 

Include details about the activity in your resume for credibility

Try to be as specific as possible about your volunteer roles, participation in official organizations, and achievements. Details can provide credibility to your experience and skills.

Take advantage of soft skills gained from activities

Soft skills are not less valuable than hard skills. Many hiring managers see the value of soft skills. They’re increasingly seeking candidates who prove those skills.

Wherever you’re putting your soft skills in your resume, leverage the ones that align with the job description. 

To ensure your resume is as strong as possible, use Jobscan’s resume scanner tool to generate a match report. This report can tell you what key skills you’re missing from your resume and your overall resume match score. It will also detect any parts of your resume that aren’t ATS-friendly. 

Make your resume stand out and get noticed

Upload your resume to see what’s missing and get a free match rate.

View full results and optimize your resume

When your extracurricular activities highlight relevant skills to the job, hiring managers take notice. If you include irrelevant activities, your resume can look overcrowded and take attention away from critical skills.

Extracurriculars can help develop skills you need to make your resume stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. If you lack practical work experience or your activities developed critical skills you’d need for your new role, adding resume activities can benefit your job application.

Activities for your resume come in a range of types to suit every interest and ability. Some of the most common include: • Student council • Sports • Clubs or societies • Volunteering • Tutoring • Study abroad programs • Additional languages • Sororities or fraternities

Hobbies can count as extracurricular activities as long as you can demonstrate valuable skills relevant to your the job description you’re applying for.

You won’t be punished for not including extracurricular activities on your resume. It’s an extra way to incorporate skills and keywords to your resume, but it’s not essential. You can also develop skills from other jobs, your education, and certifications.

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Kelsey is a Content Writer with a background in content creation, bouncing between industries to educate readers everywhere.

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How to Add Extracurricular Activities to Your Resume—So They Actually Help Your Job Search

When you’re writing a resume, your education and past jobs are far from the only things that matter. The truth is, the past experiences and skills that employers care about can come from a number of places. And particularly when you’re a current student or an entry-level candidate , extracurricular activities can be a great addition to your resume.

Extracurriculars are any structured, ongoing activity you took part in during school, but not as an academic requirement. They are often (but not always) affiliated with or run by the school you attended. And your participation in these activities (especially in a leadership role) can set you up to succeed in your future jobs.

When You Should List Extracurriculars on a Resume

According to Muse career coach and founder of Flourish Careers Jennifer Smith , who has recruited, coached, and hired early-career candidates across a number of industries and jobs, there are two main situations when you should include extracurriculars on your resume:

• When you’re a current student or recent graduate and the extracurricular (or your role in the organization) showcases leadership or is specifically relevant to the job or industry you’re applying to
• When you’re a current student or recent graduate and you don’t have a lot of internship or paid work experience

Once you’re more than five years past graduation, your extracurriculars probably don’t belong on your resume anymore—unless they’re especially relevant to the industry or role you’re applying to and you don’t have more recent, relevant experience, Smith says. This would most likely come up if you’re looking to make a career change or pivot.

Why You Should List Extracurriculars on a Resume

Early in your career, particularly when you don’t have much or any professional experience, employers want to see that you have transferable skills . These are abilities and knowledge that can be applied in multiple contexts—for instance, both an extracurricular activity and an office environment. In other words, extracurriculars can prove you’re a great candidate for a job even if you haven’t already held a similar—or any!—job.

If you held a leadership position within an extracurricular—whether you were the president of a student group, programming chair for your sorority chapter, or treasurer for your intramural sports club—that experience is especially valuable on an early-career resume. Smith, who used to lead a team that hired university students for internships and entry-level jobs, has often seen companies seek out students who had led clubs and societies, knowing they would bring valuable traits and transferable skills to the workplace.

For example, if you ran large club meetings, you likely have some communication and presentation skills. Or maybe you were responsible for advertising or outreach and you gained some marketing skills. These roles also show that you’ve taken on responsibilities—a core requirement for any job.

If you didn’t hold an official position in an activity, but you were in charge of an event, campaign, or some other aspect of the organization’s management, that can also go on your resume as relevant experience. Maybe you designed the club’s website and want to get a design role, or you put together a charity event and want to go into fundraising.

Even without a formal or informal leadership role within your extracurricular, you still likely picked up some transferable skills, such as teamwork and collaboration, organizational skills, time management, communication, and project management, Smith says. If you were a highly active member, especially over a longer period of time, this shows dedication and work ethic as well.

Your extracurricular activity might also show that you are passionate about the industry you’re trying to join and may be more knowledgeable and prepared than your peers. “For example, a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) who is applying for an entry-level engineering role” should include that membership on their resume, Smith says, as evidence that you’ve put time into preparing for this career path, possibly attending industry conferences or taking part in other career development activities.

What Types of Extracurriculars Can Go on a Resume (Examples)

Not sure what type of extracurriculars might go on your resume? Here are some examples to get you started:

• Academic clubs or societies related to a specific discipline (for example, the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA))
• Arts organizations (such as a drama club, marching band, or a cappella group)
• Community and civic activities (for example, Students for Environmental Action)
• Greek life (as long as your sorority or fraternity hasn’t been in trouble for inappropriate behavior)
• Media or publications (such as the student newspaper or campus radio station)
• Multicultural organizations (such as a Black student association, Muslim student group, or Pride group)
• Political groups (but use your discretion here—if it’s especially controversial or you know the company you’re applying to holds opposing views, these activities might be best left off)
• Sports teams
• Student government
• Volunteer activities or organizations (such as Habitat for Humanity)
• Other clubs (even if you joined a group “just for fun” you might’ve still picked up skills doing it!)

Which Extracurriculars Belong on Your Resume

Before deciding to add extracurriculars to your resume, identify the skills you need for the job you want, Smith says. You can do this by reviewing the job description or setting up an informational interview with someone who works in a role or industry you want to work in—or even at the specific company you have your eye on. For each application, take into account the company you’re applying to, as well. What values do they have? Are they all about teamwork? Do they value creativity? Do they want people who will take initiative to solve any problems they spot?

Then think about what you’ve done in your extracurriculars and what skills and qualities you developed or demonstrated. “Pinpoint the skills [you gained] that will serve you best in your new path,” Smith says. These skills, the circumstances in which you used them, and extracurriculars attached are what belong on your resume.

Let’s say you want to go into sales. The juggling skills you gained from three years of Circus Club might not be very helpful in landing your first full-time job, but the time you sold 50 tickets to the “Circus Skills Expo”—more than anyone else—might catch a recruiter’s eye.

Similarly, if you played a sport, the number of goals you scored probably matters less to a prospective employer than how well you work with a team, the time management skills you gained balancing your practice schedule with classes and studying, or your work ethic—unless you’re going into a sports-related role.

Doing some research on the specific companies you’re applying to can help you highlight the right aspects of your extracurricular experiences. For instance, Smith says, “I often saw big-name companies specifically seek out student athletes because they know the competitive spirit will be a good fit with their company.”

Where to List Your Extracurriculars on a Resume

Where your extracurriculars go on your resume depends on what your role and scope of responsibility was in the organization, how relevant it is to the job you want, and whether you have other work experience to include on your resume, Smith says.

These are three common options:

• Your experience section: An extracurricular belongs in your experience section when you either had responsibilities and a time commitment similar to that of a part- or full-time job, or when your achievements showcase skills and experience that are directly relevant to the role you’re applying to. A stage manager for a drama ensemble play might spend 20+ hours a week coordinating multiple teams and making sure everything needed is ready by opening night. Or perhaps a video editor for a film club edited multiple student films using the same or similar software and technical skills to the ones that the content creation role they’re applying for uses.
• Your education section: Smith suggests including an extracurricular within your education section when you had minor responsibilities but it’s related to the industry you want to work in. For example, maybe you were a member of a business honor society and want to work in finance.
• A dedicated section: If you have multiple extracurriculars that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, you might consider including an “Extracurricular Activities” section to highlight them a bit more than your education section might. Or a “Leadership Experience” section might be appropriate for someone who held leadership positions in multiple organizations, Smith says.

How to List Your Extracurriculars on a Resume

Regardless of where you choose to list your extracurriculars, you should generally include the name of the organization, your role within it (“member” or any positions held), and the dates you participated. Particularly when you want to use your extracurriculars to demonstrate your skills and experiences, you should also include major responsibilities, accomplishments, or any awards won in the form of bullet points .

How would this look in practice? In your experience section or within a dedicated section, an extracurricular activity entry can be listed just like a job or internship. In this example, the person wants to demonstrate leadership and management skills as well as their ability to adapt to changing circumstances:

Vice President , Young Educators of America at Duke University | Fall 2019–Spring 2020 Chapter Secretary, Fall 2018–Spring 2019 Member, Fall 2016–Spring 2018

• Ran twice-weekly tutoring program with an average of 30 tutors and 80 local high school students, advertising program at three area schools, booking rooms, matching students with tutors for appropriate subjects ahead of time, overseeing sessions, managing conflicts, and collecting feedback on tutor performance
• Pivoted program to operate entirely online during COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting tutoring practices for remote sessions and increasing session availability to help students struggling with remote learning

Even without a leadership position, you still want to show what you did as a member with strong, quantified bullet points that highlight the skills you want an employer to see. A college musician who wants to highlight their time-management and teamwork skills might say something like:

Member , Lehigh University Jazz Ensemble | 2017–2020

• Attended two-hour practices four times weekly and played up to eight shows a month on campus and across the state
• Organized weekly rehearsals for 10-person trumpet section to help one another with new pieces, give feedback on individual performances, and identify any problems with our group’s playing

Within your education section, an extracurricular could be a single bullet point that might look like this:

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics | University of Connecticut | 2015–2019 Major Track: Applied Mathematics

• Member of Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society | 2017–2019 : Participated in weekly meetings, listened to monthly talks by researchers, and attended national conferences to learn more about new mathematical theories and speak with applied mathematics professionals

When & How to Add Extracurricular Activities to Your Resume

We've all been there—staring at a blank screen, trying to piece together the jigsaw puzzle that is your resume. And if you don’t have a ton of experience under your belt, it can be even more stressful figuring out what resume sections you need to include. 

When you’re new to the job market or returning from a long pause, you don’t want to overlook an important aspect of your resume: extracurricular activities . 

Extracurricular activities offer a unique glimpse into your character, skills, and passions; they tell a story about you that extends beyond your professional capacity and into who you are.

That’s why, in today’s post, you're going to master the art of presenting your extracurricular activities in a way that makes potential employers sit up and take notice.

Understanding extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are things you do outside of your regular academic curriculum or professional work. In other words, these are activities you willingly participate in during your free time. 

This could range from volunteering at a local shelter, participating in a football league, organizing cultural events, or leading a book club. But that doesn’t quite answer the big question: why (and when) should you put extracurricular activities on a resume?

While extracurricular activities might be good in some scenarios, they aren’t always needed. 

Do you need extracurricular activities on a resume?

While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, Teal recommends including these resume activities in two specific scenarios:

1. When you have no relevant work history

If you're a recent graduate or trying to break into a new industry with no relevant work experience , including extracurricular activities on your resume can be beneficial. These activities are proxies for professional accomplishments, highlighting your transferable skills and demonstrating your potential to succeed. 

In this case, having a resume section dedicated to extracurriculars can be a good move. This is especially true for students who need to create their first resume with no professional history to draw from. 

2. When the activity aligns closely with the job

In some cases, you might have a lot of work experience; still, an extracurricular activity aligns so closely with a prospective job that it becomes a powerful addition to your resume. This can be particularly true if the activity demonstrates skills or knowledge directly applicable to the position. 

In these scenarios, incorporating extracurricular activities can add depth to your resume and make you a more compelling candidate. It's not always necessary, but it can provide the extra push your resume needs to stand out in the right context.

But be judicious in your selections. 

Only include those activities that add substantial value and refrain from adding activities to fill space. Resumes are short by nature, so make every word count. 

Do you already have professional experience at the entry, mid, or senior level? If so, you might be better off with a traditional resume focusing on your achievements rather than your extracurriculars. 

For that, you should consider getting started with Teal’s AI Resume Builder . It comes with built-in tools to help you create a personalized resume for each job application you send, regardless of your experience level.

Teal’s Keyword Checker, for example, highlights hard and soft skills mentioned in the job posting: 

This allows you to craft a resume that gives you an advantage with Application Tracking Software (ATS) , as you can use that language when describing professional accomplishments. 

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience and need to add resume extracurricular activities, this feature can really help you identify the best way of describing your experiences. 

Plus, when you use Teal’s generative AI to flesh out your resume sections, many of these words will be automatically injected into your text. 

You can do the same with any section to help complete better, more impactful resumes in less time. Finally, simply use Teal to generate a cover letter that matches your resume and is perfectly tailored to the job you’re applying for. 

But why not see it in action for yourself? Sign up for Teal’s AI Resume Builder and give it a shot.

9 examples of extracurricular activities on a resume (no job experience)

The following are examples of extracurricular activities that would work well on a resume if you don’t have lots of job experience. We’ve also added a list of transferable skills that these activities may convey. 

1. Professional and industry-specific clubs

If you're a member or leader of a club or organization related to your target job or industry, this is an excellent addition to your resume. 

The transferable skills from these activities might include:

• Industry knowledge: By participating in a professional club, you likely had access to industry-specific knowledge and resources that would be a good addition to your resume. 
• Leadership: If you take on a leadership role within the club, such as becoming a board member or organizing events, you demonstrate your ability to lead a team, project manage, and coordinate with diverse individuals. 
• Networking: Networking skills can be essential in business roles (like sales), where building and maintaining professional relationships is critical.
• Communication: Whether you're presenting at a meeting, writing for a club newsletter, or simply discussing topics with fellow members, you're honing your verbal and written communication skills. 

Of all the extracurricular activities on the list, participating in professional-related clubs should be a top priority for professional resumes. 

2. Freelance projects

If you’ve undertaken freelance work or projects , especially ones relevant to your target role, these showcase initiative and practical application of skills. Taking on freelance projects can showcase your skills in many ways:

• Proof of specific skills: Freelance projects, especially those relevant to your target role, demonstrate the practical application of your skills. For instance, creating a website or mobile app shows your technical skills if you're an IT professional.
• Problem-solving: As a freelancer, you need to identify and solve problems independently, indicating strong problem-solving abilities.
• Self-management: Freelance work requires self-management, time management, and the ability to meet deadlines.

Like professional or industry-related clubs, this should be highlighted for any professional resume if you don’t have many professional accomplishments for your resume . 

3. Volunteer Work

Volunteer work demonstrates a commitment to your community and, depending on the specific role, collaboration. But it also gives you a ton of transferable skills that could appeal to various roles:

• Commitment: Regular volunteer work shows a commitment to helping others and giving back to your community. It reflects positively on your character and shows you are responsible and reliable.
• Leadership and collaboration: If your volunteer work involves leading a team or project, it showcases your leadership abilities. Even if it didn't, simply working as part of a volunteer team shows your ability to collaborate with others.
• Project management: Coordinating a large fundraising event or similar initiative requires planning and execution, both of which are key project management skills.

Listing volunteer work on your resume can be particularly appealing to companies that do charity or non-profit work. Use Teal's AI Resume Builder to create an exhaustive list of your volunteer work, and pick and choose relevant work as it relates to the job you're applying for.

4. Sports teams or athletics

Being part of a sports team can show you're a team player, dedicated, and in some cases, have leadership skills.

Participation in sports teams provides several transferable skills:

• Teamwork: Sports inherently involve working as part of a team, demonstrating your ability to cooperate and collaborate with others.
• Dedication: Regular participation in a sport shows your dedication and commitment, indicating you are someone who can be counted on.
• Leadership: If you were a captain or took on any leadership role, it showcases your ability to motivate others and lead a team to achieve a common goal.

You don’t have to be the star quarterback of your football team to add this to your resume. Any team you were a part of can give you transferable skills that any hiring manager would find desirable. 

5. Event Organization

If you've been involved in organizing events in college or in your community, it could demonstrate organizational and communication skills. These are especially relevant for roles in event planning but also for roles that require project management skills.

Organizing events can provide you with several applicable skills:

• Organizational skills: Planning an event requires coordinating many moving parts and demonstrating strong organizational and planning abilities.
• Communication: Events involve coordinating with stakeholders, showcasing your strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Project management: Managing an event from start to finish is a form of project management emphasizes your ability to oversee a project and ensure its successful completion.

Events are a great example of a project that shows you can transform an idea into something tangible. 

6. Language clubs or cultural organizations

Whether it’s for your career or a personal interest that you want to highlight , involvement in language clubs or cultural organizations can demonstrate:

• Appreciation for diversity: Participation in these groups signifies your interest and respect for different cultures and perspectives, a highly valued attribute in today's globalized workplace.
• Communication skills: By interacting with people from different backgrounds, you enhance your ability to communicate effectively with diverse individuals.
• Language proficiency: If the club or organization is focused on a particular language, it can demonstrate your proficiency or fluency in that language, which is an in-demand skill in many multinational companies.

So many positions would benefit from a bilingual or multilingual worker. If you’ve participated in language clubs and you’re missing concrete professional experience, you should consider adding this extracurricular. 

7. Certification courses or workshops

Earning additional certificates or attending relevant workshops is a strong way to show you're proactive about learning and staying up-to-date in your industry.

Completing additional certifications or attending industry-related workshops demonstrates:

• Proactive learning: Certificates and workshops show you’re committed to continuous learning and keeping your skills current in a fast-paced industry.
• Industry knowledge: It can also highlight your deep understanding of specific aspects of your industry.
• Initiative: It's a clear sign that you take the initiative to go beyond what's required and continually advance your professional development.

Managers like “go-getters,” and nothing says that you get after it, like taking the time to push your industry knowledge deeper. 

8. Public speaking or debate clubs

If you're part of a debate team or Toastmasters, it displays your communication and critical thinking skills. These skills can be particularly relevant for sales, law, or any role requiring presentations or negotiations.

Participation in public speaking or debate clubs highlights:

• Communication skills: This kind of involvement proves your ability to articulate your thoughts and engage effectively with diverse audiences.
• Persuasion skills: Debating equips you with the ability to persuade others effectively, a key skill for roles in sales, marketing, and law.
• Critical thinking: Structuring arguments and rebuttals in debates also demonstrates your critical thinking and analytical abilities.

Public speaking is a rare skill and one that many hiring managers would find appealing. 

9. Mentorship programs

Mentoring programs, especially those related to your professional field, can demonstrate a host of valuable and transferable skills:

• Leadership: Mentoring involves guiding and influencing others, which shows your ability to lead and inspire.
• Expertise: If you're mentoring in your field of study or work, it reinforces your proficiency and knowledge in that area.
• Patience and persistence: These are often necessary when helping mentees learn and grow, demonstrating your resilience and patience.

These skills are highly applicable across many industries and job roles, making mentoring a strong extracurricular activity to feature on your resume.

How to list extracurricular activities on a resume (no job experience)

The trick to including extracurricular activities on your resume when you have no job experience is less about what you include and more about how you present them . 

Here's a step-by-step guide to getting it right.

Step 1: Identify the right activities for your resume 

Choose activities that demonstrate the skills relevant to the job you're applying for. 

• Did your role as the captain of a sports team showcase your leadership skills? 
• Did organizing a charity event exhibit your project management abilities? 
• Did volunteering at the local radio station teach you about teamwork and collaboration? 

Think about the key skills needed for the prospective role, and match them with the activities that best demonstrate them.

Again, for this, there’s no better solution than Teal’s Keyword Checker:

Even if you don’t have much work experience, you can still give yourself an advantage by using the right verbiage and keywords to express your extracurriculars. 

But rather than guess what these skills are and how you should convey them, Teal pulls out all that information for you. Then, you can use that information to build a resume that lands your next interview much faster. 

Check it out by getting started with Teal’s AI Resume Builder today. 

Step 2: Create an “Extracurricular Activities” section  

Once you've identified the activities, create a separate section on your resume, typically near the end. 

Important note: Again, only add this section if you don’t have any professional experience relative to the job description or if your extracurricular activities are so well aligned with the role that it makes sense to do so. 

Step 3: Format and describe each activity  

List each activity in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. 

For each activity, provide a brief description highlighting your role, achievements, and the skills you used or developed. Remember, your description should be concise and compelling, aiming to make potential employers excited to learn more about you.

Final thoughts

Extracurricular activities on your resume are not just 'nice-to-haves.' They're valuable elements that provide a more well-rounded picture of who you are, showcasing the diverse skills and experiences that make you a compelling candidate.

But remember, it's all about choosing the right activities and presenting them in a way that aligns with your career aspirations and the job you're eyeing.

And, of course, Teal's AI Resume Builder is here to guide you every step, ensuring your resume and you stand out from the crowd.

Jumpstart your resume with Teal's AI Resume Builder today and showcase your extracurricular activities like a pro.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i choose which extracurricular activities to include on my resume, where on my resume should i list extracurricular activities, can extracurricular activities make up for a lack of work experience.

Nathan Thompson

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The Power of Extracurricular Activities on Your Resume

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Though this quote has its roots in proverbs written centuries ago, it is still relevant to the recruiters of today who want to see a resume with extracurricular activities .

Why? Participation in extracurricular activities can go a long way toward showing companies that a candidate possesses skills in leadership, teamwork , loyalty, communication, and collaboration.

Captain of your college softball team? President of a student club? Volunteering at your local food bank? These are activities that reflect the development and application of job-related skills that could directly relate to the position you are pursuing if you include them when writing your resume.

In this post, we will outline what activities you might consider listing , why you should list them, how you should format them , and what to leave off.

Remember, if you use our resume builder , putting your sections together in the right order with the right information is that bit easier too!

Why Add Extracurricular Activities to Your Resume

While adding a list of extracurricular activities is sometimes best suited for a student or graduate resume , where job experience may be and often is lacking, it is also helpful for those with an adequate work history. 

What’s more, adding different types of extracurricular activities to your resume demonstrates that you have built new skills in addition to those developed on the job . This presents you as a well-rounded individual, the kind that many companies will be interested in hiring.

In 2021, CoursesOnline General Manager Sarah-Jane McQueen told Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global leader in higher education networking, “Certain skills and ways of operating can be learned but various traits can only be forged through life experiences, so don’t be afraid of fully embracing who you are. Remember, employers want to hire real people, not interchangeable drones .”

In other words, a recruiter sees a good list of extracurriculars and envisions a potential employee who brings an enthusiasm to learn new things , a healthy interest in diverse subjects , and the ability to multitask.

Finally, having extracurricular activities to discuss is beneficial for job interviews as well. Your experience in extracurriculars provides you with a well of details you can draw on to answer interview questions such as “Describe a time when you worked successfully in a team”, “What is your greatest accomplishment ?” or “What is the professional achievement you are most proud of?”

Take any opportunity to volunteer, join an academic club, or become a member of a professional association, and add that detail to your resume especially if you lack work experience. According to a 2018 study published by the Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, participating in one or more extracurricular activity can increase employability.

What Types of Extracurriculars Can Go on a Resume?

Basically, almost any activity outside of work that has helped to build skills in various areas, such as leadership or communication , you can and should add to a resume.

To illustrate what we mean, here are some examples of extracurricular activities you might want to add to your resume:

• Student council/clubs
• Sports involvement
• Student newspapers
• Volunteering
• Civic activities
• Philanthropic activities
• Club memberships
• Foreign language studies
• Fundraising activities
• Freelance projects
• Work-study program
• Study abroad program
• Student government involvement

In any case, you don’t necessarily need to have assumed a leadership role in any of these activities. Simply fitting these activities into your schedule displays organizational, time management , collaboration, teamwork , and interpersonal skills.

What Skills C an You Demonstrate Through Extracurricular Activities

Employers might see involvement in extracurricular activities as having been a way to develop soft skills needed for the position they are offering. Some particular extracurriculars that employers might look for and the skills these activities build include:

• Student associations: organizational and teamwork skills
• Study abroad: communication skills; learning a foreign language
• Volunteering: collaboration and leadership skills
• Freelance project development: decision-making and creative skills

What A ctivities Do Not Count As Extracurricular?

On the other hand, any task directly related to your college studies , such as writing a research paper or heading a specific student project, would not be extracurricular.

However, if your research paper was published or you led a team to complete an assigned project, you might list those in the Education section following your degree earned and school attended.

There is no need to add details such as leading a school project assignment if you have an extensive work history that demonstrates leadership.

How and Where To Put Extracurricular Activities on Resume

Now that you know what to include when it comes to a resume with extracurricular activities, exactly how do you list them? 

By and large, you can add your extracurriculars under a heading titled Extracurricular Activities following your Work History section.

Let’s see some examples. First, here is an example that lacks some details.

• Member, National Honor Society
• Vice-President, Student Council
• Third baseman, Thomas Edison High School Varsity team

The best format when listing your extracurricular activities on your resume is to:

• Firstly, name the organization
• Secondly, list your position
• Then, add the dates you served in this organization
• Lastly, add the location of the organization

Let’s see it done right.

• Student Council, Vice-President, University of Wisconsin, 10/2021 – 12/2022
• National Honor Society, President, Walter Grove High School, 2020 – 2021
• Member,  Walter Grove High School Varsity Baseball team, third baseman, co-captain 2019 – 2020

Finally, you could also use a bullet list for each entry that details your responsibilities and gives examples of which skills you developed and how you used them.

To sum up our advice with a visual example, here are extracurricular activities for a resume that provide details in each entry:

President/Member

Student Council, University of Wisconsin, 10/2021 – 12/2022

• Served as President, January 2022 – June 2022
• Ran weekly general assembly meetings
• Created and implemented council budget
• Coordinated fundraising events, exceeded fundraising goals by 30%

National Honor Society, Walter Grove High School, October 2018 – May 2021

• Elected President February 2020
• Oversaw team to promote activities and schedule events
• Conducted monthly meetings
• Maintained 4.0 GPA for all three years to remain eligible for membership

Varsity Baseball Player

Walter Grove High School, 2019 – 2021

• Played primarily third base, relief pitcher
• Elected co-captain, 2020
• Assisted in leading team to state semifinals, 20120
• Voted Most Improved Player, 2019

Check out which skills an employer looks for in the particular position you are persuing by researching the company , then, when possible, highlight those extracurricular activities.

Your Resume Format Might Affect Where You List Your Extracurricular Activities

Remember, not all resumes look the same. These days some candidates and recruiters prefer skills-based resumes, while others stick to the tried and tested reverse-chronological format which focuses more on work history.

• If you are creating a functional resume that focuses more on skills than experience, put the extracurricular activities section before your work history. 
• In a reverse chronological resume format , put the list of extracurriculars after your work history.

Whenever you’re unsure about how to put together your resume or how to format your document, you can always try out our free online resume builder . 

Our resume examples are also a great way to guide you through the resume writing process for different industries and work sectors.

When Not To List Extracurriculars on Your Resume

Some suggest that extracurriculars can be left off of a resume if there is ample job experience listed. While this may be true, the exception would be if an extracurricular activity or two directly relates to your profession. 

In that case, it could demonstrate your passion for the type of work or industry, show that you have built additional skills pertinent to the position, and let potential employers know that you are highly prepared for the responsibilities associated with the job they are offering.

Don’t Make a Hobby of Adding Hobbies As Extracurricular Activities

It’s important to remember that hobbies are not necessarily the same thing as extracurricular activities. For resume or college application purposes, the reason for listing these activities is to show that you have developed a skill set beyond your past work positions or academic studies.

A hobby doesn’t necessarily help you build usable skills. For example, if you enjoy fishing, there is nothing wrong with that, but standing on a riverbank or pier with a fishing rod does little to develop communication, leadership, or other desirable skills that you can apply in your academic or professional life.

Nevertheless, hobbies and interests can sometimes become extracurricular activities . You might love exercising so much that you’ve become a fitness instructor and manage an exercise program for a fitness club, or you enjoy painting and have become an art instructor at a local community college or community center .

These would certainly be details you could include in an extracurricular activities section of your resume.

No Extracurricular Activities? No Worries!

As you can see, listing extracurricular activities on your resume has several positive effects, but does this mean that having no extracurriculars dooms your resume and hurts any chance of landing the job you are seeking?

Of course not.  

There are other sections you can add to your resume to help you stand out if you lack extracurricular activities. Professional certifications , memberships in professional associations , publications , awards , and projects you’ve worked on are details you can add.

Key Points To Remember

To summarize the above, when you are a student or graduate looking for your first role within a professional work environment, listing extracurricular activities on your resume can boost your application. In short, you can demonstrate the skills you have not yet had the chance to prove in a job. 

Remember these important tips when adding these activities to your resume:

• Include activities that demonstrate your abilities in teamwork, communication, leadership, problem-solving , and handling responsibility.
• Don’t add your academic work or hobbies in this section , these belong in the education or hobbies and interests section of your resume.
• List the organization , your position , dates , and the location for each entry.
• Expand these entries with more detail in bullet points to prove your skills if there is space on your resume.
• Remember that where these activities are placed might be different for different resume formats.

If you are unsure about how to structure your resume, check out one of our many examples. These include many student examples and modern templates . If you follow our tips and use our samples for inspiration , you should be lining up the job interviews in no time!

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How To List Extracurricular Activites on Your Resume

Everything you ever wanted to know about how to include extracurricular activities on your resume — and whether it’s a good idea in the first place.

2 years ago   •   10 min read

Getting a job isn’t like getting into college — Hiring managers generally don’t care about your extracurricular activities. So why even bother including them on your resume?

Extracurricular activities can be a good way of showcasing your abilities when you don’t have a lot of work experience — in particular, if you’re still a student or have only just graduated. In that case, recruiters can look to your extracurriculars for evidence of transferable skills like leadership , teamwork , communication , and work ethic . This doesn’t mean that extracurricular activities are a substitute for relevant experience, but they’re a great place to start.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to determine if extracurricular activities are a good addition to your resume, which ones to include to show competitive transferable skills, and how to tailor your extracurricular activities to your particular industry and career level.

Should you put extracurricular activities on your resume?

Before we delve into how to showcase extracurricular activities, let’s decide if they’re the right fit for your resume.You should list extracurricular activities on your resume if:

• You’re a current student or recent graduate seeking an entry-level position.
• You don’t have a lot of paid work experience .
• It was through a prestigious or recognizable organization, like a law review or official charity.
• They demonstrate relevant transferable skills or noteworthy accomplishments that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

You should not list extracurricular activities on your resume if:

• You have enough paid work experience to showcase the same skills.
• The activity is more than 5+ years old.
• You’re applying for a senior position (with exceptions).
• It was a one-time activity rather than a regular, ongoing thing.

You can consider listing extracurricular activities on your resume if:

• You’re changing careers and want to include skills that are relevant to your new field.
• Your extracurricular activities are highly relevant or especially noteworthy.
• Your extracurricular activity includes a board membership or a similar position of leadership.

In these cases, you should still prioritize relevant paid work experience but can include extracurricular activities if there’s space on your resume. If you’re not sure if extracurricular activities are helping or harming your resume, upload it for free to Score My Resume , an online resume checker that will provide instant and detailed feedback on how to improve your resume.

How to list extracurricular activities on your resume

There are three ways to best showcase extracurricular activities on your resume: In a separate ‘Activities’ section, in your ‘Education’ section, and in an ‘Additional’ section at the end of your resume.

Generally, in any of these sections, you should list your activities in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. However, if older activities are more relevant to the job you're applying for, it's ok to list them first. For instance, a leadership role you had in college might be more relevant to a managerial position than more recent but less relevant activities.

In an activities section

If you were heavily involved in extracurricular activities and want to showcase that, it’s okay to have a whole section of your resume dedicated to it. Title it ‘Activities’ and include the name of the organization, the dates you were involved, your role or title, and 1-2 of your most relevant accomplishments. When deciding what to put under ‘Activities’ on your resume, consider activities that showcase your skills, interests, and professional experise.

For example:

In your education section

If your extracurricular activities were school clubs, they can go in the education section of your resume. For current students, your education section might be the most detailed section of your resume and can go at the top. You can also include other information like your major and relevant minor(s) , awards, relevant coursework, study abroad, and GPA.

If you’re a mid-level hire who graduated less than 10 years ago, you can still include extracurricular activities on your resume if they’re relevant and particularly noteworthy. In that case, you should keep it brief by listing extracurriculars on a single line in a short education section at the end of your resume, as shown in the example below.

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, you should aim to show transferable and soft skills that hiring managers and recruiters look for in your extracurricular activities. To find out if your bullet points are strong enough and have no mistakes, upload your resume to the tool below — it'll perform a quick scan and let you know if your extracurricular experiences can be improved.

In a volunteering section

If your extracurricular activities doubled as volunteer work, you can create a separate ‘Volunteering’ section on your resume. List each project or activity separately, including the dates you worked on it, and include 1-2 bullet points outlining your main accomplishments.For example:

In an additional section

If you want to include extracurricular activities on your resume without taking up a lot of space, consider including them in an additional section at the end of your resume. Include a subheading like ‘Activities’ and keep it to a single line, as shown in this resume example:

Optional resume section titles for extracurricular activities

Using appropriate section titles helps improve the readability of your resume and makes it easier for a recruiter to pick out the most useful information. Here are some additional resume section titles you can use when listing extracurricular activities:

• Extracurricular: Use this title if you have a broad range of activities outside of your academic or professional work that are relevant to your application.
• Activities: Use this title if your extracurriculars demonstrate a wide range of skills, including clubs, sports, or other group activities.
• Leadership : Choose this title when you want to emphasize leadership roles, such as president of a club or captain of a sports team. This is particularly effective if you’re applying for roles where leadership is a priority.
• Other: This title can be used to gather various parts of your resume that don’t fit into standard categories, such as extracurriculars, certificates, affiliations, etc.

Sample resume showing extracurricular experience

Here’s a good example of a resume for a student or recent graduate that showcases extracurricular activities, providing you with activities examples that easily fit into a high-performing resume:

How to highlight transferable skills through extracurricular activities

When considering what extracurricular activities to include on your resume, focus on those that demonstrate transferable skills, leadership, teamwork, or community involvement. Good activities to put on a resume can range from sports teams and clubs to volunteer work and personal projects.

Identify key transferable skills

Extracurricular activities are a great way to showcase both hard and soft skills in a professional setting. Consider the activity you took part in and identify if you can showcase any of the soft skills listed below:

• Leadership: Showcasing roles where you led a team or project.
• Teamwork: Demonstrating collaboration and collective problem-solving.
• Digital literacy: Showcasing your competence with digital tools and technology.
• Communication: Highlighting roles that required effective verbal or written communication.
• Organization: Managing events or projects efficiently.
• Problem-solving: Demonstrating your ability to identify challenges and come up with productive solutions.
• Innovation: Showing your ability to think outside the box.
• Time management: Highlighting your ability to juggle multiple responsibilities.
• Adaptability: Showing your ability to thrive in changing environments and adjust to new challenges.
• Conflict resolution: Demonstrating your skill in resolving disagreements and conflicts.
• Project management: Showcasing your ability to plan, execute, and oversee projects from start to finish.
• Analytical thinking: Showing your ability to analyze information, identify trends, and make informed decisions.

If you want to find relevant skills for the job you’re applying for, use our hard skills and keywords tool below to search for the job, and it’ll give you a list of skills relevant to the position.

Quantify your achievements

Once you have chosen an activity that showcases your desired skill, quantify your achievements with numbers and metrics . This gives a recruiter tangible proof of your skills while also explaining why your experience is relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you were involved in fundraising, specify the amount raised, or if you led a team, specify the size of the team.

Organized a charity event that raised $5,000 for environmental conservation.

Led a 15-member team to organize a college debate, attracting over 300 participants.

Use action verbs to create power phrases

Start your resume bullet points with a strong action verb , followed by a quantified metric, and end each phrase showing the positive result of your work. This formula creates eye-catching power phrases that succinctly demonstrate your skills.

Coordinated a team of 10 volunteers, leading to a 20% increase in fundraiser efficiency.

Designed and implemented a new marketing strategy for a college event, resulting in a 30% higher attendance than in previous years.

Tailor your examples to the job description

To make your extracurricular activities relevant to each application, tailor the examples you use to align with the job description. Identify key skills or responsibilities mentioned in the job description and choose extracurricular examples that best demonstrate these skills or qualities.

For instance, if the job requires strong leadership skills , highlight a time you led a team or project in your extracurricular activities.

Led a team of 20 volunteers in organizing the annual campus charity event, raising over $10,000.

Organized and directed a student-run theater production, coordinating a cast and crew of 30 people.

Align your examples with employer cultural and ethical values

When selecting which extracurriculars to highlight on your resume, consider the cultural and ethical values of the organizations you're applying to. Research each company’s history and their involvement in community and global initiatives. This will help you choose activities that resonate with their company structure and values as a whole.

For example, if a company prioritizes sustainability, describe your involvement in environmental clubs or eco-friendly initiatives. If a company values innovation and creativity, highlight your participation in tech projects or creative competitions.

What extracurricular activities to include on your resume based on your experience level

Not sure if your extracurricular activities belong on your resume? Here are some extracurricular activities that add value to your resume at every experience level.

Current students and recent graduates

For high school students and recent graduates, extracurricular activities are a major asset. On a high school activities resume, include sports, leadership roles, and any volunteer activities you’ve been involved in, such as:

• Foreign language activities — particularly study abroad
• Sports teams
• Performing arts
• Student government
• Fundraising
• Official clubs

Determining where to put clubs on a resume depends on how relevant they are to the job you’re applying for. If they are highly relevant, they can be included in the main 'Experience' section. Otherwise, they can be listed under an 'Activities' or 'Extracurricular' section.

For mid-career professionals, extracurricular activities should demonstrate continued personal growth. Include activities that highlight your leadership skills, industry involvement, or community engagement, such as:

• Volunteer work
• Publications
• Business venture and other projects — if these are significant enough, you might even want to consider including them in your regular work experience section.

Senior level

For senior-level professionals, the focus should be on activities that showcase strategic leadership and industry influence. Highlight roles that reflect your expertise and contributions at a higher level, including:

• Board memberships
• Consultancy
• Speaking engagements
• Business ventures
• High level of leadership

Tailoring extracurricular activities to your particular industry

Tailoring your extracurricular activities to the specific industry you're applying to is an important part of ensuring your resume stays relevant and impactful for each application. Below are examples of extracurricular activities that align well with different industry sectors:

Technology and IT:

• Coding clubs that demonstrate technical skills and proficiency with specific tools.
• Tech-focused volunteer work that showcases skills such as AI, machine learning, and web development.
• Personal tech projects, such as creating your own apps, websites, or software projects.

Led a team in a university hackathon, developing a mobile app that won second place for innovative use of AI in healthcare.

Finance and business:

• Leadership roles in investment clubs or business associations.
• Organizing fundraising events or managing budgets for student organizations.

As President of the campus Investment Club, grew membership by 40% and consistently outperformed market benchmarks in mock portfolios.

Education and academia:

• Tutoring or mentoring roles, showcasing teaching and coaching abilities.
• Involvement in educational clubs or academic competitions.

Tutored 30+ high school students in math and science, achieving an average student improvement rate of 25% in test scores.

Creative arts and design:

• Participation in arts clubs, creative writing courses, or performing arts groups.
• Contributions to campus publications, blogs, or design contests.
• Personal creative projects, such as films, photography, portfolio design, and art exhibitions.

Organized a campus art exhibit featuring 30+ student works, attracting over 300 attendees and promoting local artists.

Marketing and communications:

• Leading or participating in marketing or advertising clubs.
• Managing social media or publicity for student organizations or events.

Directed social media campaigns for the Campus Music Festival, increasing online engagement by 50% over previous years.

• Involvement in mock trial competitions or law student associations.
• Volunteering for legal aid societies or related community service.

Active member of the University Mock Trial team, reaching national finals and winning first place in our category.

Hospitality and tourism:

• Leadership roles in event planning or hospitality-related student organizations.
• Volunteering at local tourism events or cultural festivals.

Coordinated a local food festival, managing over 20 vendors and logistics, drawing an attendance of 5,000+ people.

Using extracurricular activities to help a career change

Extracurricular activities can be especially helpful when changing careers. When you’re moving to a new industry or field, your direct work experience may not align perfectly with your new career path. This is where extracurricular activities come into play, helping bridge the gap in your professional experience by showcasing relevant skills and interests in your new field.

• Focus on activities that demonstrate relevant skills to your new field. For example, leadership roles in community organizations can translate well into managerial positions in various sectors.
• If you're moving into a field that requires new technical skills, extracurricular activities like attending workshops, online courses, or certifications can demonstrate your commitment to learning and adapting.
• Demonstrate commitment to your new sector by showing involvement in industry-related groups. For example, someone transitioning to a career in environmental science might highlight their active role in conservation projects or environmental clubs.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what should i include in an activities resume.

Hello, I'm a junior and I want to create an activities resume to showcase my extracurricular involvement and achievements. What should I include in this resume, and how should I format it? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hello! It's great that you're thinking ahead and planning to create an activities resume. An activities resume is a helpful tool to showcase your extracurricular involvement, accomplishments, and passion for certain areas. Here are some suggestions on what to include and how to format it:

1. Contact information: Start with your full name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the page.

2. Categories: Break your resume into categories such as leadership, community service, sports, arts, employment, and awards/honors. This will make it easier for the reader to understand your areas of involvement.

3. List your activities: Under each category, list your extracurricular activities in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. For each activity, include the name of the organization/club, your role or position, the dates of involvement, and a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements. Be specific and use action verbs.

4. Awards and honors: Mention any significant awards or honors you've received related to your activities. Be sure to include the award name, the organization that granted it, and the date it was awarded.

5. Formatting: Keep the formatting consistent throughout your resume. Use a clean, easy-to-read font like Arial or Times New Roman, and maintain a font size between 10 and 12 points. Use bullet points to make your resume easy to skim, and try to keep it to a maximum of two pages.

Remember, the goal of your activities resume is to paint a picture of who you are and what you're passionate about. Good luck, and I hope this helps!

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40+ Hobbies & Interests to Put on a Resume [Updated for 2024]

“Hobbies and interests have no place on the resume.”

Done right, hobbies on a resume can help you stand out from other candidates, show a bit of your personality to the hiring manager, and potentially even get you the job!

That said, not every resume needs hobbies and interests, and at the same time, not every hobby belongs on a resume.

In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about hobbies on a resume, including when to list them, how to pick the right ones to mention, and more!

Here’s what we’re going to cover:

• Should You Mention Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume?
• 12 Best Hobbies and Interests to Put On Your Resume

How to List Hobbies and Interests on a Resume

4 tips to keep in mind when listing hobbies and interests, 40 best hobbies and interests to put on your resume [complete list].

Let’s dive in!

Should You Mention Hobbies & Interests on Your Resume?

There’s no straight-up answer to this question as it depends on several factors.

For example, if you’re a professional with many years of experience in your field, you could probably do without a hobbies and interests section on your resume. 

As a seasoned professional, you probably have tons of skills, work experience , and certifications to fill your resume with and set yourself apart from the competition. 

If adding a “hobbies and interests” section will make your resume spill over to page two , then you should definitely leave it out. 

On the other hand, if you’re a recent graduate with little work experience, adding your hobbies and interests to your resume can help you stand out as a candidate, as well as help fill up your resume to take up an entire page.

But enough with the hypotheticals! Let us tell you exactly when to mention hobbies and interests on your resume and how they can benefit your job application.

What’s the Difference Between Hobbies and Interests?

First things first - what are hobbies and interests? 

These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re not exactly the same thing:

• Interests are topics, ideas, or subjects that interest you, fascinate you, and you want to learn more about. Culinary art, history, and classical music are all examples of various interests.
• Hobbies are activities you actually engage in. Some examples of hobbies may include cooking, playing basketball, or visiting museums.

Hobbies show the hiring manager how you spend your free time and what kind of additional skills you may possess. For example, if you include “basketball” as your hobby, you’re also telling the hiring manager that you have great teamwork skills. 

Interests , on the other hand, indicate what topics and ideas you’re currently interested in or you’d like to explore in the future. If, for example, you’re applying for a job that requires relocation and you list traveling as your interest, you may seem like a more relevant candidate because you enjoy traveling to new places. 

So, as you can see, hobbies and interests can add value to your resume if they’re relevant to the job and if they point to soft skills the company may be looking for. 

Which leads us to the million-dollar question: when exactly should you include hobbies and interests on your resume? 

When to Include Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume

You should include hobbies and interests on your resume when:

• You still have space after including all the essential resume sections (contact information, work experience, education, and skills).
• You have limited work experience, education, and skills related to the position you are applying for.
• The company puts emphasis on its employees’ personalities and unique traits.
• The company specifically asks to list additional hobbies and interests.
• Your hobbies and interests show that you’re good at your job. E.g. if you’re applying for a writing role, having Dungeons & Dragons as an interest might help (as it shows that you’re creative).

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

12 Top Hobbies and Interests to Put On Your Resume

So here’s the takeaway: for hobbies and interests to add value to your resume, they should be somewhat relevant to the job you’re applying for. 

In most cases, though, candidates list pastime activities that say nothing to the hiring manager reading their resume, like watching movies or listening to music. 

To help you avoid such a mistake, we’ve listed some of the best hobbies and interests to put on your resume, based on companies’ most commonly required skills and abilities: 

#1. Community Involvement

Volunteering and community involvement is probably the best hobby/interest you could be adding to your resume, as it’s associated with 27% higher odds of employment . 

In a nutshell, volunteering shows initiative, empathy, and the ability to see beyond your personal interests. On top of this, volunteering teaches organizational skills, teamwork, and leadership. 

#2. Writing

Communication skills - both verbal and written - are some of the most sought-after soft skills by companies . 

As such, having writing as a hobby can effectively show potential employers that your communication skills extend beyond the workplace and are, as such, stronger than other candidates. 

#3. Blogging

Blogging is another hobby that proves you’ve got excellent communication skills, which is essential for most roles.

At the same time, blogging as a hobby also shows that you’re a self-starter that can work on independent projects, which is another very in-demand skill for most roles.

#4. Learning Languages

It’s no secret that speaking foreign languages can improve your chances of getting a job . 

For starters, employers are always on the lookout for candidates who can communicate with people from different nationalities and can be an asset when dealing with international markets.

On top of that, learning languages is associated with improving valuable skills like problem-solving and dealing with abstract concepts, both of which are desirable employee skills. 

Some of the jobs where listing learning languages as a hobby can come in handy include social workers, human resources managers, flight attendants, community health workers, hotel managers, customer service agents, etc. 

#5. Photography

Just like all the other hobbies on this list, photography can represent you in more ways than “this candidate likes to take pictures.”

After all, photography takes creativity, interpersonal skills, and even technical skills ! 

This means that, in addition to all the jobs that require photography skills, there are many other positions out there that could benefit from a candidate who’s into photography. 

Traveling may not seem like the best hobby to include on your resume at first sight. After all, it simply involves picking a destination and being a tourist, right? 

Well, not exactly. 

Someone who loves traveling is also likely to be: 

• Curious to learn new things, experience new cultures, and meet new people
• Well- organized and adaptable to new situations and people
• Not afraid to step out of their comfort zone

All of these personality traits make for an adaptable and flexible employee, something that employers appreciate!

Sports - and any kind of physical activity, really - are known to improve brain health and your ability to do everyday activities . 

Not only, but sports also help you develop self-discipline, teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills . 

All of these are essential skills that could help you “adapt” your resume to different kinds of jobs. 

#8. Reading

Reading is one of the best hobbies to put on your resume, regardless of what types of books you like to read.

Reading exercises the brain, improves the ability to focus, increases general knowledge, can sharpen your communication skills, and helps relieve stress . 

#9. Making Music

Making music not only takes creativity, but also a lot of determination, patience, and endurance. Not to mention, studies show that playing an instrument can also improve your memory and focus . 

Showing such qualities can instantly make you more attractive to hiring managers.

Yoga is known to create mental clarity , relieve chronic stress patterns, relax the mind, and sharpen concentration.

And - let’s be honest - who doesn’t want an employee who’s mentally clear, unstressed, and able to concentrate on their work? 

To do any kind of art, you need to be creative, which is among the most popular transferable skills companies are looking for in 2022. 

According to this Adobe study , creativity has gained the most value in driving salary increases in the past five years. That’s also because creativity is also linked to inventiveness, imagination, and problem-solving abilities. 

Dancing is more than just a fun pastime. It improves your cognitive abilities, and collaboration skills (especially if you’re dancing with a partner), and can help you unwind and keep your stress levels low. 

Top Soft and Hard Skills Related to Hobbies and Interests On a Resume

And here’s what the hiring manager is likely to read from including the hobbies and interests listed above to your resume in terms of soft and hard skills: 

Yep, you heard that right.

There IS a right and wrong way to list hobbies and interests on your resume.

In this section, we’ll teach you all you need to know to make your hobbies and interests section as effective as possible!  

#1. Decide whether you need them

The first thing you want to do is decide whether you’d benefit from adding hobbies and interests to your resume. As we already mentioned, hobbies and interests can be a breath of fresh air for your resume, but only in certain circumstances.  

If you’re a professional with many years of work experience under your sleeve, your resume can do without a hobbies and interests section.

You already have a lot of professional achievements , relevant skills, and qualifications to make your resume a full one-pager, while adding a hobbies section would mean removing some other critical section from your resume.

On the other hand , if you’re a student with almost no work experience or skills, or if you’re applying to a startup or to a company that puts more emphasis on company culture, then you could definitely benefit from listing your hobbies and interests. 

The optimal length for a resume is one page.

If including a hobbies and interests section spills your resume over to the second page, that means that you can probably just skip including the section in the first place.

#2. Research the Company

So, you’ve decided it’s a good idea to include your hobbies and interests on your resume. But, which ones do you actually include? 

To make the best possible choice, start by researching the company. See if they have any specific work culture, work retreats, and what qualities would complement your role.

Here’s exactly where you should look: 

• The job ad. Read the job ad and identify the type of skills that they’re looking for.
• The company website and any employee profiles you can find there.
• Their social media accounts . Specifically, their LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

#3. Choose the Right Skills

Once you’ve done this, you should think about how specific skills or requirements may transfer to a hobby or interest and tailor yours to the job accordingly. 

You may have dozens of exciting hobbies and interests, but your resume isn’t the right place to list them all. Just to reiterate - you want your hobbies and interests to be as relevant as possible . 

So, for example, if the job ad mentions the company’s looking for someone who’s “outgoing” or a “great team player,” then any kind of sport is a good hobby to list on your resume. 

Meanwhile, anything that involves you sitting alone and being introverted (e.g. reading or knitting) is not very relevant. 

An alternative approach to choosing the right hobbies and interests is to use them to fill your skill gaps.

Let’s say that you’re an entry-level professional and you’re applying for your first job as an illustrator. Chances are, you lack some of the technical skills required for the job, simply due to your lack of professional experience. 

In such a case, choosing a hobby that proves you’ve got an eye for design and aesthetics can help your application. Anything art-related, including photography, painting, drawing, etc., will show the hiring manager that you’re passionate about this line of work. 

#4. Create a Separate Section (and Push It Down) 

By now you should have a clear idea of what hobbies and interests to add to your resume. 

The rest is fairly easy. 

Simply create a separate section titled “Hobbies and Interests,” and place it at the end of your resume . It’s crucial that this section doesn’t overshadow the more important parts of your resume, like your contact information, work experience, education , or even any volunteer work or internships you’ve completed. 

Ultimately, adding a “Hobbies and Interests” section at the end of your resume is a great way to wrap up your resume. 

It can help you make an impression that extends beyond the professional aspect and give the recruiter a little extra something to remember you by. 

Want to start your resume in a way that will grab the hiring manager’s attention? Learn how to write a resume summary with our guide! 

#5. List Up to Four Interests or Hobbies

Last but not least, it’s important to list the right amount of hobbies and interests on your resume. 

We recommend listing 4-6 total, at most. Anything less, and your hobbies section will look too empty. Anything more, and it’ll look like you’re just trying to fill in space.

Here are some additional tips you should always remember when you’re creating the “Hobbies and Interests” section of your resume: 

#1. Find out what you specifically enjoy about your hobbies 

People enjoy hobbies for different reasons. 

For example, someone might enjoy photography because they love being outdoors and capturing beautiful landscapes, while someone else might enjoy it because it gives them an opportunity to remember every place they visit or every person they meet. 

By identifying exactly what it is that you enjoy about your hobbies, it can be easier to describe them on your resume and talk about them genuinely in case the hiring manager asks about them during the job interview . 

#2. Be honest

Just like with everything else on your resume, you should be honest about the hobbies you list. 

Meaning, don’t lie about hobbies just because you think they sound cool, and don’t over-exaggerate something that can come back and bite you later on during the interview.

Just because you like to go on walks sometimes, doesn’t mean you’re “passionate about hiking” . Imagine the hiring manager’s also a hiking enthusiast and they ask you about the latest trail you hiked, but the only thing you can mention is how you enjoy taking a one-hour walk around your neighborhood daily to clear your mind. 

In such cases, it’s better to be honest and write this: 

• Physical exercise: exercising daily for 45 minutes by taking a walk in nature.

Instead of this: 

#3. Be specific 

The more specific you can be about your hobbies and interests, the higher the chances to stand out from other applicants and make an impression on the hiring manager. 

Here’s what we mean by that: 

• Learning languages: studying and practicing some of the most-spoken languages in the world, such as Mandarin and French. 

#4. Keep these hobbies OUT of your resume

A very thin line separates unique from weird, and you want to make sure not to cross it. 

To be on the safe side, avoid listing hobbies and interests that might be considered weird or controversial, such as any of the following:

• Hobbies that signal antisocial behavior or activities.
• Hobbies and interests that could be misinterpreted, even if you meant them as a joke (e.g. partying like there’s no tomorrow). 
• Hobbies and interests that reveal personal information such as your political or religious views. 
• Hobbies that could be considered violent or dangerous (e.g. lighting things on fire). 
• Hobbies and interests with little or no interactivity. 

Looking for inspiration?

Here are several hobbies you can include, by category, based on your personality type.

Sports Interest and Hobby Examples

Generally speaking, there are two types of sports you can include on your resume - individual and team-oriented .

Depending on the sport, they either show you work well with others, or that you have the self-discipline and perseverance to work alone (or both!) 

Endurance sports (like jogging) show your drive and discipline.

Team sports (like football, basketball, etc.) show that you’re comfortable working with others.

Which one you might want to include depends on you and the job. Here are some sports hobbies you could list that will paint you in a positive light:

• Marathon running
• Mountain climbing

Most of these sports are outside and physical activities. They show that you’re comfortable with working with other people and that you have discipline. Therefore, they’re relevant for most job roles that require you to be communicative and self-driven.

Analytical Thinking Interest and Hobby Examples

What’s a thought hobby?

Anything that points to your creative skills and imagination. 

If you’re applying for a job that requires a lot of out-of-the-box thinking, you can list the following hobbies:

• Playing a musical instrument
• Photography
• Blog writing

These all point to your analytical thinking and that you’re a creative person.

Possibly more calm and self-composed, and also that you think before you speak.

These qualities can be relevant depending on the job.

Though, your interest section doesn’t necessarily have to consist only of sports. 

Social Interest and Hobby Examples

Social hobbies are a great way to show you directly work well with others. Nowadays, most jobs require you to be in contact with other people, in one way or another

To show you work well with others and you’re adept at communicating, you can include:

• Creating and organizing a book club
• Networking events
• Local meetups
• Volunteering at a charity center
• Public speaking
• Exploring other cultures
• Language classes

Social hobbies are great because you’re going to be interacting with other people in most jobs - so one way or another, they’re going to help. Even more so if the job is in a leadership position.

Unique Interest and Hobby Examples

Do you have a particularly unique hobby that not a lot of people are into?

This can work in your favor and help you stand out, as long as it’s still in the unique area and not in the weird one.

The HR manager shuffling through a stack of resumes can remember your unique hobby and come back to your resume later. Or they could even ask about you during the interview, so be prepared to talk about it.

Some unique hobbies that can speak about your character may include:

• Stand-up comedy
• Calligraphy

How do these hobbies help?

Archery implies you might be a precise and focused person. And yoga shows that you can be calm and don’t lose your cool in stressful situations.

Though, just how effective those hobbies will be in your resume may depend on the job.

But as long as it’s not too weird, a unique hobby can help you get your foot in the door and show that you’re not afraid of being different.

Looking for tips on writing a CV instead of a resume? We've got you covered! Head over to our in-depth guide explaining how to write a CV !

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have some questions about hobbies and interests on a resume? Check out the answers below:

1. Should hobbies and interests be on a resume?

If you have the extra space to list them, then yes, you should include hobbies and interests on your resume.

Hobbies and interests can help you stand out from other candidates by shining more light into your personality and can also highlight skills you may have that employers seek, such as creativity, organization, problem-solving, etc.

2. What are some good hobbies and interests to put on my resume?

Some of the best hobbies or interests you can put on your resume are community involvement, writing, blogging, learning languages, photography, traveling, doing sports, reading, and art.

3. What are some hobbies and interests for a student resume?

Some hobbies and interests you can put on your resume as a student include creative writing, blogging, volunteering, learning a new language, and singing and/or playing an instrument.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on everything you need to know about hobbies and interests on a resume!

Before you go and start applying what you learned to your own resume, let’s go over the main points we covered in this article: 

• Hobbies and interests can help shine a light on a candidate’s personality and get them to stand out from other applicants with similar work experience and skills. 
• Include hobbies and interests on your resume if you still have space after listing all the essential sections, if you have limited work experience and relevant skills, if the company specifically requires it, or if the company puts emphasis on its employees’ character traits. 
• Some of the best hobbies to add to your resume include community service, writing/blogging, learning languages, traveling, doing sports, and reading. 
• Before creating a separate section for your hobbies and interests, first make sure that your resume would benefit from them, then research the company, and choose the right skills that could complement your skills and qualifications. 
• Four things to remember when you’re compiling your hobbies and interests are, to be honest, be specific, and keep hobbies that may be considered weird or antisocial out of your resume. 

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Should you include activities on your resume?

With the ever-growing competition in the job market, it is imperative to have a standout resume that can help you showcase yourself as the ideal candidate.

One way to ensure that your resume meets its purpose is by including resume activities, especially if you are a fresher or a recent graduate with no professional experience.

Resume activities refer to extracurricular activities or volunteer work that you were a part of, either during or outside your academic career.

Given that 60% of employers look for problem-solving and teamwork skills in resumes, including resume activities, which can help you pose as a well-rounded candidate and also help you showcase your transferable skills, which can be crucial for any job profile.

Plus, 41% of hiring managers consider volunteer work as valuable as paid work experience when evaluating candidates. So why not leverage them by including resume activities?

Continue reading to learn more about resume activity and get clarity on related questions like the following:

• What do activities mean on a resume?
• Can you list professional associations as resume activities?
• How to showcase extracurricular activities on your resume?
• What are some resume activities examples?

What are the Different Types of Resume Activities?

Apart from highlighting professional experience and educational qualifications in your resume, including different types of resume activities can help your resume stand out from other applicants.

Depending on your level of experience, you can include various types of resume activities. For instance, if you are a fresher, you can highlight resume activities like extracurricular activities and volunteer work.

Meanwhile, if you are a seasoned professional, highlighting resume activities like professional associations, conferences, and workshops makes more sense than extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities refer to the activities that students take part in outside of their academic work. Some of the common examples of extracurricular activities include:

• Clubs & organizations
• Hobbies & interests
• Sorority/Fraternity
• Debate teams

Including details about such extracurricular activities on your resume can help demonstrate your interests, transferable skills, leadership abilities, and people skills.

For instance, if you were part of the debate team, it highlights your problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Volunteer Work

• Volunteer work involves offering unpaid services to communities or organizations that stand for a positive cause. Including volunteer work on your resume showcases your commitment to giving back to the community and the ability to take on projects independently.

Volunteer work can include anything from working at old age homes or hospitals to organizing charity events and tutoring underprivileged students.

Professional Associations

Professional associations are groups and organizations formed by seasoned professionals who belong to the same industry or niche. These associations share valuable insights, learnings, news, and networking opportunities for their members.

Being a part of such organizations shows your dedication, interest, expertise, and desire to stay abreast with the latest industry trends and best practices.

Conferences and Workshops

• Conferences and workshops are events that allow professionals to learn new skills, update themselves with the latest industry trends and findings, and grow their professional network.

By including details about attending such events, you can showcase your dedication to growing your industry knowledge and polish or acquire new skills that are in demand.

Also Read: How to list volunteer work on resume in 2023?

How to Showcase Resume Activities the Right Way?

When it comes to showcasing resume activities the right way, it is important to keep the relevance of these activities in mind.

Meaning, when you are deciding on which resume activities you must include in your resume, you should ask yourself, “how relevant is this activity to the role you’re applying for?”

For instance, if you are applying for a leadership position, you can include extracurricular activities like leading a sports or debate team.

Similarly, if you are applying to a nonprofit organization, including volunteer experience can help showcase your commitment to community service and social work.

Given below are some additional tips you can follow to showcase resume activities effectively:

Create Separate Sections

To give your resume a clean format and make it easy for recruiters to scan through details of the activities, you must create separate sections for different resume activities.

Keep it Concise

When listing any type of resume activities, you must ensure to use bullet points to explain your role and responsibilities.

This way you can keep the sections concise and crisp by avoiding unnecessary details or lengthy paragraphs.

Use Action Verbs & Numbers

While describing your extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, or professional associations, it’s important to use action verbs like participated, led, organized, executed, etc., for making it more engaging and impactful.

Additionally, using exact numbers to describe your achievements or duties will help make more impact on the recruiters with your resume activities. For instance, if you organized a fundraiser, you can mention how much money you raised and the number of people who attended the event.

Also Read: How to showcase extracurricular activities on a resume?

Activity Resume Examples

Given below are some resume activities examples (extracurricular activities) that you can refer to:

Also Read: How to list certifications on a resume in 2023?

• Resume activities refer to extracurricular activities or volunteer work that you were a part of either during or outside of your academic career.
• If you are a seasoned professional, highlighting resume activities like professional associations and conferences & workshops makes more sense than extracurricular activities.
• Extracurricular activities refer to the activities that students take part in outside of their academic work. Some of the common examples of extracurricular activities include sports teams, clubs & organizations, hobbies & interests, etc.
• Professional associations are groups and organizations that are formed by seasoned professionals who belong to the same industry or niche. These associations share valuable insights, learnings, news, and networking opportunities for their members.

Use Hiration’s AI-powered resume builder with 24x7 chat support to build a stellar resume within minutes and showcase resume activities effectively.

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What is an Activities Resume for College? Tips and Examples

In This Guide:

What to include on your activities resume, tips and tricks, when not to send an activities resume, example of an activities resume.

Quick Answer: An activities resume for college showcases a student’s hobbies, organizations, and activities, proving to prospective colleges that they are a well-rounded candidate. When crafting one, start with education, including GPA, academic awards, rank and extracurricular activities. Detail volunteer hours, community service, and any part-time jobs held. Use clean fonts, share the resume with recommenders, only mention significant roles, and avoid sending one if specifically asked not to. Finally, there is no set list of activities to include, so take part in opportunities within your community that interests you.

An activities resume for college is an opportunity for students to share what hobbies, organizations, and activities they are involved in. This is important because it’s a chance to prove to your prospective college that you are a well-rounded candidate. Included in this article, you’ll discover:

• Tips and tricks for building the perfect activities resume
• Dos and Don’ts when crafting your activities resume

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Because recent high school graduates may not have much in the way of employer experience yet, many students rely on an extracurricular activities resume for college . Not sure what’s relevant? Here’s what to include when crafting your resume.

• Start with your education section . Include your school’s name and your graduation date.
• Don’t forget your GPA. Make sure it’s cumulative and weighted.
• Here’s your chance to brag! Include any academic awards, honors, or recognitions.
• If beneficial, add your class rank!
• Include any summer programs, internships, or classes you’ve taken that don’t appear on your transcript.
• What extracurriculars were you involved in? Mention any athletic organizations, clubs, or organizations you were involved in. If you held a leadership position, be sure to include that!
• Detail volunteer hours and community service
• Did you have a part-time job in high school? Include that as well.
• Any special skills that you haven’t mentioned yet, such as another language or proficiency in software such as Photoshop.
• Only mention organizations you played a significant role in.
• Talk about specific lessons learned, or achievements earned to emphasize commitment to your organization.
• Use clean, easy-to-read fonts and formatting.
• Share your activities resume with those you’re seeking a recommendation letter from! It will help them remember your achievements.
• If the university specifically asks you not to
• If the application provides space to discuss extracurricular involvement, use that instead of sending a separate document.

Below is an activities resume for college template. Remember, this is an opportunity to showcase that you are a well-rounded, accomplished candidate.

Savannah Smith 555-555-5555 [email protected]

Green Lake High School Class of 2021

• Class rank: 9 out of 623 students
• Awarded GLHS Math Scholar of the Year Award in 2020

Extra Courses and Internships

• Interned at Mount Joy Veterinary Clinic for the 2019 school year
• Taken part in the Green Lake High Math Camp for three summers
• Interned at the Women In Business Organization in 2020

Volunteering Experience at St. Timothy’s Humane Society (2017-Present)

• Cleaned dog and cat environments daily
• Socialized nervous animals to help them prepare for adoption
• Worked alongside staff to learn about animal behavior and health
• Administered temperament tests and medications
• Incorporated photography and videography for social media
• Fluent in Spanish
• Proficient in Photoshop
• Social Media Management

You may ask what activities on your resume are required for college admission?

The good news is that there is no setlist. Look around for opportunities within your community you can take part in. Getting involved in local organizations that interest you will help you build the perfect extracurricular activities resume for college. Looking for more resources on building the perfect activities resume? Check out our resume builder here .

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What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Fill Out the Common App Activities Section

Your GPA and SAT don’t tell the full admissions story

Our chancing engine factors in extracurricular activities, demographics, and other holistic details. We’ll let you know what your chances are at your dream schools — and how to improve your chances!

Our chancing engine factors in extracurricular activities, demographic, and other holistic details.

Our chancing engine factors in extracurricular activities, demographic, and other holistic details. We’ll let you know what your chances are at your dream schools — and how to improve your chances!

What’s Covered:

How important is the activities section, types of activities and positions held, selecting activities to include.

• Position/Leadership Description

Writing the Description

Participating grade levels, estimating time commitment, participation in college.

Filling out the Common App can be a very involved process. There are so many sections to go through, and it seems overwhelming at times. This article provides you with step by step instructions, as well as do’s and don’ts for each section, that will help you break down the activities section of the Common App. 

Selective colleges use grades and test scores to filter out applicants, but once you get past that initial stage, extracurriculars make up about 30% of your admissions decision. This shows us that they’re almost as important as academics! Since there are many applicants with similar academic backgrounds, colleges use extracurriculars to help them differentiate and choose between applicants. For more information about how colleges filter applicants, check out our post on the Academic Index .

While extracurriculars might seem subjective, colleges are methodical in their evaluation of them. They use the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars :

Tier 1: These are rare activities that show exceptional achievement or leadership. They include national awards or other prestigious achievements.

Tier 2: These are little more common than Tier 1, but these activities still showcase high levels of achievement and leadership. They include top leadership positions for well-known clubs and organizations, winning regional competitions, or state-level sports/music distinctions.

Tier 3: These lack the distinction of Tier 1 and 2, but still highlight student’s interests. They include minor leadership positions for well-known clubs and organizations and smaller athletic/musical distinctions.

Tier 4: These are the most common activities and are seen most often by admissions committees. They include general club/sports/musical membership and general volunteering.

If you’re wondering where your extracurriculars fall within the tier system, check out our free Chancing Engine . We’ll let you know if your profile is competitive for your dream schools and give you tips on improving your profile!

The Common Application offers a drop-down menu with the following activities from which to select:

• Athletics: Club
• Athletics: JV/Varsity
• Career-Oriented
• Community Service (Volunteer)
• Computer/Technology
• Debate/Speech
• Environmental
• Family Responsibilities
• Foreign Exchange
• Journalism/Publication
• Junior R.O.T.C.
• Music: Instrumental
• Music: Vocal
• School Spirit
• Science/Math
• Student Gov.t./Politics
• Theater/Drama
• Work (paid)
• Other Club/Activity

For each activity you include on your application, choose the appropriate category. If you find that a particular extracurricular activity fits into multiple categories, choose the more specific one (e.g. “Math Club” would go into “Science/Math as opposed to Academic”). If the activity fits into two equally specific categories, choose the more relevant one. You will be able to expand in the description if needed.

Since the list is fairly broad, you will probably find that your activity fits into at least one of the sections available. If not, select “Other Club/Activity” and identify it in the “Position/Leadership” description and organization name section. In this case, unless the position and organization names are fairly self-explanatory or very recognizable, you will need to be a bit more specific in your description.

While many of these extracurricular activities are fairly general, such as “Academic” and “School Spirit,” a few of them refer to specific positions or organizations. “Junior R.O.T.C.”, for example, refers to Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, a Federal Program sponsored by the U.S. Armed Forces. Accordingly, you should only list that activity if you actually participate in that specific organization.

Colleges do want to see that you are specialized , but you probably don’t want to choose the same category for every activity. If it seems like you are choosing one category for everything, try to diversify a bit and think about how activities can be related without being exactly the same thing. 

For example, if you are the secretary in student government and participated in a leadership program over the summer, select “Student Government/Politics” for the secretary position, and “Career-Oriented” for the leadership program. Both categories indicate that you are a driven leader, but they present different facets of your personality.

The activities section has a limit of ten extracurricular activities . The restrictions mean you will need to be selective in reporting your activities, limiting you to the most important ones or those that are most meaningful to you. If you need to add more activities, use the additional information section or your essays. However, you should only do so if these activities are truly essential to the admissions committee’s understanding of your extracurricular life .

Many schools allow you to submit a resume in addition to your application. Not only does doing so allow you to include more extracurricular activities, but also provides more space for you to expand on the descriptions of your activities since you are not limited to a certain number of characters.

Also, remember that you don’t have to list ten activities just because the space is available; some require much more of a commitment than others, so it’s okay if you only have 5 activities that are time intensive and mean a lot to you.

For each activity, the form will ask you in which grade levels you participated in the extracurricular activity, the timing of your participation (school year vs. school break), and how many hours you spent on it per week and weeks per year. 

These questions can help you narrow down which activities to include, since you should only be adding the ones to which you are truly dedicated. Colleges want to see that you’re committed to your activities because that indicates a passion for something outside of academics that you will bring to college and hopefully beyond.

For example, if you played tennis all four years of high school and became captain of your school team senior year, that is an activity to include in this section. On the other hand, if you dabbled in the clarinet briefly in ninth grade before quitting, it’s probably a good idea to skip that one, unless you don’t have a lot of activities to list.

There may be some activities that are naturally limited to a set time period or commitment, such as a summer academic program or sports camp. Colleges won’t see the brevity of your involvement as a negative factor; they understand that some activities simply have an imposed beginning and ending that are not within your control.

You will have a chance to indicate the timing of the activity — during school year, school break, or all year — and colleges will take that into consideration when evaluating the activity. Additionally, if you have participated in related activities, colleges will see the pattern of your interest and commitment.

Position/Leadership Description and Organization Name

After you choose the activity type, the application will ask you to describe the position you held (or hold) and the organization name. This section is limited to 50 characters.

Be as specific as possible here. If you participate in a club, define your role, rather than just listing “member.” If you participated in an activity for multiple years and have had multiple roles within it,  list your roles in order of importance rather than chronologically. For example, if you were Student Council Vice President freshman year and a class representative the other three years, list these out as: Vice President (1 yr), Class Representative (3 yrs).

You should also be specific in defining the organization. If it has a name, say it, and define what it is if that is unclear. If the activity is typically referred to by an acronym, be sure to list the full name, as you never want to assume that admissions committees will be familiar with the activity to which you are referring.

You are limited to 150 characters for details, accomplishments, honors won, and accomplishments within each activity, so you will need to be concise and offer only the most pertinent details. If you absolutely need more room to thoroughly explain truly important details about the activity, use the additional information section to expand, or describe it in more detail in your essay if it relates to the topic you choose.

Remember that this section is not there for you to prove your eloquence as a writer; you have the essay to do that. Rather, this serves to inform the admissions committee about your life outside school as succinctly as possible. Use active verbs and limit the use of adjectives and adverbs. You don’t need to use complete sentences. Be as specific as you can be in the space available. If you hold a leadership position, emphasize that role in your description.

Try to focus on quantitative descriptions over qualitative ones. Adding numerical values offers concrete proof of your success , and can show colleges how you were involved specifically. If you are a leader in the activity, mention how many members the group has, how many people you serve (if applicable), how many people your work affected, and so on.

Try not to be redundant, especially considering the limited space. For instance, if you are the president of the tutoring club at your school, you don’t need to list “tutoring” in the description, since colleges are likely to consider that a given; instead, emphasize your duties as president, how you manage and distribute tasks and how you work with club members. If you want to talk about the actual tutoring in more detail, discuss your approach — e.g., “Meet with students one-on-one, develop study aids, and create practice examples.”

Editor, The Daily (school newspaper)

Run weekly meetings, brainstorm topics, assign and revise 10 articles/week, collaborate with printers to distribute 500 copies to students and faculty.

Goalkeeper, Varsity Field Hockey (school team)

2018 conference champions; led weekly trainings for the JV goalkeepers; organized team bonding events. 

Concert master (school orchestra)

Member of most advanced ensemble, led sectionals to teach difficult passages, performed five concerts per year.

Example 4: 

Service Club President and co-founder

Chapter of club at high school; participated in toy and food drives, raised $1000 for refugees, made 200 cards and blankets for children in hospitals.

Science Olympiad school team member

Participated in multiple science-based events; 2nd place 2018 for Write It Do It, 3rd place 2019 for Meteorology. 

Example 6:  

Model UN school team member

Participated in three conferences per year; Best Small Delegation 2018, Outstanding Delegate 2019.

These are examples of strong activity descriptions because they provide a large amount of information in a few words. College admissions officers don’t have the time to read large blocks of text, and it’s generally better to try and write less in areas where they are not asking for an essay. 

An example of a weaker response would be:

Position: Hospital Volunteer

Description: Helped patients and doctors.

This example does not elaborate on what the student did, nor does it show what they learned from their time at the hospital. Instead, they could say something like: entertained children in the waiting room by sharing riddles and performing “mathemagics”; fully digitized the patient filing system.

If you’re have trouble figuring out how to word your activity descriptions, here is a table of action words that you can use:

The application will ask you in which grade levels you participated in a particular activity. The key is as follows:

9-12: High School Grades

Post-graduate: After High School

If you participated in an activity over the summer between grade levels, choose the rising or later grade level (e.g., the summer between 10th and 11th grades should be listed as “11th grade”).

When you estimate the amount of time you spent on a particular activity, it doesn’t need to be exact. However, it does need to be realistic. If you claim to spend ten hours per week on all ten activities, colleges will know you’re exaggerating, to say the least. It’s understandable that you spend more time on some activities than others.

If you are having trouble estimating your time commitment, try keeping a time log for a couple weeks and provide an average.

The last question for each activity asks you whether or not you plan to continue a similar extracurricular activity in college. The application asks this because colleges want to know what kind of student you will be when you arrive. Remember, they are looking for a diverse student body filled with future leaders in their respective fields. If you intend to continue a particular pursuit in college, it shows them that you are truly interested and dedicated to it. To some degree, they also want to see that you are doing the activity because you are truly passionate about it, not just because you want to impress colleges.

That doesn’t mean you have to continue it. Some activities have a natural end and simply aren’t adaptable to a college environment, such as a club particular to your high school. Or perhaps you just don’t want to continue it. But if it is something you don’t really care about, you may want to reevaluate whether or not it is a good idea to include it in your application.

Also keep in mind that just because you intend to continue the activity in college at this point does not mean you are obligated to do so when you actually matriculate. Colleges may give your name to members of a club, organization, or activity in which you participate so they can follow up with you, but you are by no means bound to joining when you begin college (unless, of course, you are accepted on an athletic or other scholarship that requires your participation in a certain activity). So by answering “yes” to this question, you are merely indicating that you are interested in continuing the activity.

A Few Other Considerations

List your activities in order of importance. To delete an activity, move it to the bottom of the list and click on the delete icon. You can also simply edit the activity to reflect a different one.

You may want to start by watching the short tutorial video available at the top of the section to get started. Try not to feel too overwhelmed — college applications take a lot of work, but the reward is well worth it.

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