• 3-minute read
  • 1st February 2017

6 Extracurricular Activities to Put on Your CV

When writing a CV, it isn’t just your academic achievements that matter. Your extracurricular activities at university can also make a difference!

Some extracurricular activities are more relevant than others, admittedly. But there are many things that you can add to your CV for different reasons, including the following…

1. Clubs, Societies and Politics

Most students get involved in societies at university. Whether or not you include these on your CV will depend on the specifics: as fun as LARPing might be, there are relatively few jobs to which it is directly relevant.

Costume design, maybe? (Photo: RalfHuels, Anja Arenz, Chris Kunz, Dossmo, Niamh, Paolo Tratzky, Svenja Schoenmackers)
Fantasy costume design, maybe?
(Photo: RalfHuels, Anja Arenz, Chris Kunz, Dossmo, Niamh, Paolo Tratzky, Svenja Schoenmackers)

Consider the skills you’ve developed from your involvement in clubs and societies and how they might transfer to work situations, such as organising events or meet ups. If you’ve been involved in your student union, this can look especially impressive.

2. Student Media

Another popular extracurricular activity is getting involved in student media. This could be radio, a student newspaper, or even TV and film making.

Even if you’re not looking for a media career, you can use your involvement to demonstrate your communication skills and dedication.

3. Sports

Although there aren’t many careers where your abilities as a footballer or cricketer will be directly relevant, being involved in student sports can boost employability.

He was destined to kick things from a young age. (Photo: bottomlayercz0)
He was destined to kick things from a young age.
(Photo: bottomlayercz0)

As well as showing your enthusiasm, teamwork and time-management skills, you might be able to boast of your leadership potential if your captained a team!

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

4. Volunteering

Student volunteering looks great on any CV, especially if you’ve gained experience in a particular field or developed skills through your voluntary work. If you’ve made any connections through volunteering, you can also ask them to give you a reference.

5. Drama, Music and Art

Drama, music and art activities are obviously most relevant if you’re looking for work in the creative industries. But they’re often worth including on your CV even if this isn’t the case.

'It's not why I went to art school, but at least I'm a painter.'
‘It’s not why I went to art school, but at least I’m a painter.’

As with other extracurricular activities, the arts can demonstrate your ability to work with other people, manage your time effectively and work towards particular goals.

It all depends on what job you’re applying for and what your creative experiences have been. Think about how your creative skills might apply to your application.

6. Foreign Languages

It’s not necessarily an extracurricular activity in the strict sense, but if you speak a language (or languages) other than English, you should definitely mention this on your CV.

Employers always value the ability to communicate with people in other parts of the world. So even if this isn’t part of your job description, speaking a foreign language is a great bonus!

Expert CV Proofreading

If you are preparing a resume or CV, make sure to have it proofread. This will help to ensure it is free from typos and other errors, thus boosting your chances of making a strong first impression on employers. Want to see how we can help? Then submit a trial document for proofreading today.

Comments (3)
Rahul Ekbote
20th September 2017 at 05:40
That's a Great Post!! thanks a lot for this great tips and i am sure i am going to use it while making my CV and on similar note you can also check this article which tells you about Mistakes to avoid on your CV which i think it will be a great addition to your page. Thanks & regards, Rahul Ekbote
Mayur kohli
20th September 2017 at 05:40
Yes it is true that CV just not include some university or academic accomplishments but also some extra activities in which we takes part. That will really help in boosting our CV, here you have shared great and enjoyable activities will surely help in improving our cv. Thanks a lot.
eddie
31st January 2021 at 11:42
Thanks so much 4 this insight, I've never known its important to include activities in a resume. I think it's high time I updated my cv.




Get help from a language expert.

Try our proofreading services for free.

More Writing Tips?
Trusted by thousands of leading
institutions and businesses

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.