<p>Do you think [unrelated] extracurricular experiences should be listed on a resum</p>
<p>I can only think of a small number that you would want to list on a post-graduation resume when looking for work. Here are a few. I might put them in paragraph form (just listed with commas) after the school name and degree, as they likely are not the parts of your resume you want to emphasize the most.</p>
<ul>
<li>Varsity sport participation in college (for some interviews this is a conversation starter, and some employers just like to hire athletes…)</li>
<li>Eagle Scout/Gold Award (for Girl Scouts). I might take that off after the first couple years of work, but would put it on for the first job search.</li>
<li>If you won or did well in a major academic competition while in college (eg, Putnam math competition), might put that on.</li>
<li>Anything that is closely related to the position (eg, if you held office in a college political club like College Democrats, and were applying for a position in a Dem congressional office, you would put that kind of thing in).</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m sure there are a few others that people will suggest.</p>
<p>I would keep most others off the resume, although sometimes the opportunity to discuss will come up in an interview. The interviewer might ask what you do outside of class with free time. In that case, I’d be ready to mention a couple of your more intensive activities, but be sensitive to the fact that the interview might not be interested (eg, you may love theater and be ready to talk about it for hours, but the interviewer might not…). So carefully watch their interest level if you mention things like that before spending too much time on them. That really isn’t their main focus in the interview (although it can help break the ice and build some bonding if you do have a common interest).</p>
<p>I think it’s fine to include them. Doing so can “spark” conversations. That can make for a better interview. </p>
<p>Now, certainly it’s possible to overdo it; such ECs shouldn’t constitute a large proportion of the resume. But listing a few can help.</p>
<p>I ignore most of them when reviewing resumes.</p>
<p>Particularly when a resume is short and especially if you aren’t targetting a specific field I think a short sentence at the end as kind of a coda is fine.</p>
<p>Something like: “In her spare time mathmom hikes, paints watercolors and solves the New York Times crossword puzzles.”</p>
<p>I’d put Eagle Scout/Putnam math competition under a section labeled Awards at least in the early years of job hunting.</p>
<p>I also tend to ignore them when reviewing resumes. I think you should put a few but not everything.</p>
<p>I think there’s a big difference between college ECs and hobbies of the type mathmom mentions. I would not include hobbies. But college ECs aren’t really the same thing.</p>
<p>Either way if they are real leadership positions related to the job you’d list them in the resume. (i.e. Editor of the Current Affairs journal in the resume.) The rest can be squished into a simple sentence. I don’t think they will make a difference to the HR person, but the interviewer may or may not glance at it. (Of course the danger is that the reaction could be negative not positive!)</p>
<p>“While at xx college mathmom was a member of the Outing Club, acted in several plays, and played intra-mural tennis.”</p>
<p>I tend to ignore them when looking at resumes but occasionally during an interview I will chat briefly with a candidate about those items, mostly as an ice-breaker.</p>
<p>HOWEVER: Bing Gordon of Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm, takes these items a lot more seriously. He was interviewed by the NY Times recently in their ‘corner office’ series. See quote here and the link below</p>
<p>
[quote]
Q. This notion of people being motivated on their own is obviously important to you. Is that something that you get a pretty quick sense of with people?</p>
<p>A. In my world, I read r</p>
<p>Tread lightly: some hobbies can be percieved as something taking up too much of one’s time and distracting from work duties.</p>
<p>I was a finalist in my home state Miss USA pageant. In the very sexist early eighties, I don’t think it hurt to list it. lol</p>
<p>If I listed it now, they would ask: “My God, what happened?”</p>
<p>^LOL. I think it would be interesting especially if it’s really out of line with your current line of work. But I’d probably be too chicken to put it on a resume.</p>
<p>Team-related sports, whether varsity or intramural can be very important for companies that highly value teamwork.</p>
<p>I looked at a resume the other day where the kid listed his “interests” such as “coffee cupping”, barbequing with friends, and the kind of music he liked. Don’t do that. Just don’t. </p>
<p>As a rule of thumb ask yourself, “Why is it important for the person reading this to know I participate in this activity? How does it pertain to skills I can bring ot this job”. </p>
<p>So for example, if you play a team sport that shows teamwork. If you play an individual sport, that shows disicpline. But only put it on if you’re competing in an organized fashion. If you like to swim laps in your spare time, that’s not really relevant. </p>
<p>For music or theatre (which, by the way, are not necessarily any more or less recreational than Model UN, nor do they automatically fall into the category of not “looking good” or being related to your major), use your head. If the job is with a creative company that’s going to value that you have these creative pursuits, add it. If it’s with an accounting firm that doesn’t care, skip it. </p>
<p>You don’t need to have a one size fits all resume. You can and should tailor your resume to the audience you hope to attract. It may not always be good to announce that you were the President of the College Democrats/Republicans if it’s a non-political job. There may be instances where putting down that you rowed crew in college are useful. Think it over, use your common sense about whether or not its applicable.</p>
<p>Good one MD!</p>
<p>If you’re just coming out of college, therefore without a whole lot of experience, I’d think you’d definitely want to write some, especially if it’s job-related. It shouldn’t take up too much, but it does show your interests outside of work.</p>
<p>I prefer to see ECs especially when you’ve had a leadership position, but I’m not keen on seeing a list pastime activities. Employers prefer to see what you do with your interests, rather than just how you like to spend your time. Yes = “write a blog on XXX”, No = “I like to write poetry when I take walks in the woods”</p>
<p>I agree with the majority here. I tend to ignore them, but like others I might notice a leadership position or an activity that related to the position that was being filled. For instance someone interested in a position that required heavy writing would be smart to include an editorial position at the school media outlet. Those sorts of activities that enhance a resume or “substitute” or are similar to an internship position. Leadership positions such as captain of a team, could enhance a person’s resume by showing dedication and teamwork. In generally pick carefully. Choose one or two that support the resume. I also notice a long history of work. So don’t be afraid to put your high schools jobs, jobs you did while in college etc.</p>