by Billie Streufert
Employers rank the importance of skills/qualities
- Communication skills
- Strong work ethic
- Teamwork skills (works well with others)
- Initiative
- Analytical skills
- Computer skills
- Flexibility/adaptability
- Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
- Problem-solving skills
- Technical skills
Source: Job Outlook 2009
Co-curricular activities—what used to be called extracurricular activities—develop leadership, time management, teamwork, interpersonal communication, and other skills employers value when making hiring choices. These experiences and activities outside of the classroom are directly related to your career development.
How do you use these experiences on your resume or during an interview to demonstrate your skills to potential employers?
On Your Resume
Before you begin to describe your co-curricular activities, identify your key accomplishments. What are you most proud of? What skills did you develop through experience? What were your primary responsibilities? Did you hold any executive positions? What skills do your future employers need and value? This will help you identify the best way to document your experience.
You may document these experiences in one of two ways on your resume. Use a broad “leadership” section or add them under your experience section. See below for examples.
Option One: In a broad leadership section with no details
Collegiate Involvement & Leadership Activities
Football Team Member
Member, Accounting Club
Women’s Choir
Participant, Dance Marathon
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer
Member, Psi Chi Honor Society
Option Two: In the experience section in a similar format to your employment
Work History & Experience
Program Council
Student Activities Center, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
● Collaborated with 11 colleagues to plan more than 20 campus-wide social, cultural, and educational events.
● Developed a comprehensive marketing campaign that increased attendance by 27 percent.
● Received a highly competitive campus leadership award that recognized my work ethic, innovation, and contribution.
● Effectively managed a $54,000 budget and the contracts of keynote speakers.
● Solely responsible for the coordination of an annual wedding show that brought nearly 50 vendors and generated $10,000 in revenue.
Water Safety Instructor
Recreational Services, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
● Instructed six students in basic swimming skills. After completing my course 100 percent of the students advanced to Level II.
● Built rapport quickly with children to facilitate a positive learning environment and designed age appropriate activities.
● Assessed potential risks and maintained a safe learning environment.
● Communicated with parents in regard to their child’s progress. In a satisfaction survey, 99 percent of the responding parents described me as knowledgeable, organized, and friendly.
New Student Orientation Group Leader
First Year Experience Office, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
● Served as a student leader for 16 first-year students who represented diverse backgrounds during orientation.
● Facilitated the academic success of students by sharing information on study strategies and campus resources.
● Served as an ambassador of the college by educating students on the college’s core values and traditions.
● Role-modeled effective study habits, decision-making and career exploration strategies.
● Attended training sessions on diversity, leadership, and drug use prevention.
During an Interview
Behavioral based interviewing is commonplace. These questions require you to describe your previous experience, with the assumption that your past behavior will predict your future performance. When asked these questions, you should use the STAR technique:
Situation: What happened?
Task: What was your goal?
Action: What did you do to achieve this goal? Be specific.
Result: What happened as the result of your action? Did you achieve your goal?
Here are three examples that use the STAR technique for co-curricular experiences.
Describe a time when you found yourself in a difficult situation and used your problem solving skills.
Situation: When I served as a community adviser last year, a resident came to me and requested a roommate change.
Task: I needed to assess her needs, empower her to resolve any conflict, and create a follow-up action plan.
Action: I asked her to why she wanted to change roommates. She had a long list of complaints, most of which related to the cleanliness of the room. I asked her if she had communicated her needs to her roommate. When said that she had not, we rehearsed this. We also made a list of her needs so she was able to articulate and prioritize them. I then followed up with her later that night after she had talked with her roommate.
Result: The resident appreciated the information that I shared with her and reported that the conversation went well. I continued to touch base with her throughout the semester. She later thanked me for my assistance and stated that I helped her understand how to recognize and celebrate difference. The two of them remained friends and plan on living together again next year.
Describe a time you set a goal and how you progressed toward achieving it.
Situation: I was a member of the Chemistry Club for four years. Last year, I chaired the membership committee.
Task: One of my goals was to increase membership by 10 percent.
Action: I set a timeline, led brainstorming sessions with other members, and created a survey to assess the effectiveness of our previous marketing activities. I then initiated recruitment activities. We attended the Student Activities Fair to inform incoming freshmen of our organization. We also posted flyers around campus, placed an ad in the student newspaper, and created a Facebook group. From the survey we learned that one of the most effective methods was to have faculty stress the importance of club membership in their classes. We met individually with each instructor to explain the value of the organization. They all agreed to make announcements in their classes.
Result: Under my leadership, the team was able to increase our membership by 16 percent.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Situation: As an office assistant in the Admissions Office, I had already punched out for the day, but I stayed behind to help a colleague solve a problem.
Task: My colleague was new to the Admissions Office and she was unsure of the answer to a student’s question. The student was very upset as he had been transferred several times.
Action: I got on the phone with the student, apologized for any inconveniences that may have occurred from being transferred, and assured him that we would do everything possible to get his question answered.
Result: My colleague and I were able to resolve the student’s questions by consulting with the other admissions staff. The student thanked us for our assistance and stated that he appreciated our willingness to take the extra time to help him. Ultimately, my actions communicated the college’s commitment to customer service. My supervisor later heard about my actions and applauded me for my response.