Adding extracurricular activities in your CV (+ UK examples)

If you’re looking for a job and want to stand out from the mass of other job seekers, highlighting your extracurricular activities in your CV could be the solution.

Extracurriculars are any activities you complete outside of work or school. They can help prove to employers that you have what it takes to succeed in the job and add a twist of personality to your CV.

If you’re wondering which extracurricular activities spark the interest of employers, we have you covered. In this article, we’ll explore the best extracurriculars to include, where to place them on your CV, and a few examples to give you some inspiration.

The best extracurricular activities to put in a CV

The main criteria for adding extracurricular activities in your CV is that they be relevant to the specific job opening and reflect the abilities that employer is seeking. Use the job description as your guide on which essential skills and abilities are required for the role, and then address these via your extracurriculars. 

For example, you could relate volunteer work at a charity shop to communication skills and a willingness to help others if you’re targeting a customer service role. Extracurriculars can range from creative writing to cricket, so the opportunities are endless. 

With that in mind, here are some specific extracurricular activities that can impress potential employers:

Volunteer work and fundraising

Contributing to society is not only extremely fulfilling, but can also help you secure in-demand skills. After all, volunteer work is a job. The only difference is that you aren’t being paid.

There are plenty of skills that you can acquire by volunteering. For instance, you may be working with underprivileged people, performing administrative duties, or overseeing volunteer teams. If your role is linked to fundraising, this can also highlight an enterprising outlook, including skills in sales, marketing, PR, finance, and relationship building.

As another bonus, volunteering allows you to show some passion and personality on your CV, particularly your empathy and compassion. If you’re volunteering within your chosen industry, you’ll also have gained some relevant experience.

How to get started: Research and reach out to charities that align with your passions and offer to volunteer. Your school, university, or workplace may also have links to non-profits. Fundraising can be as easy as setting up an online fundraiser or gaining sponsorship for a charitable organization.

Sports

Playing a sport is a great way to demonstrate traits like determination, reliability, teamwork, and leadership on your CV. Whether you captained the school football team or are a member of the local athletics club, there are a number of skills you can showcase on your CV.

For example, team sports involve working with different individuals to achieve a shared goal, which is the crux of teamwork in a business setting. Losing a game can build resilience, which can prepare you for dealing with project challenges in the workplace.

How to get started: Join a school, college, or university sports team, or an external sports club to enhance your fitness, develop transferable skills, and meet new people. Many companies participate in local football or netball leagues, so consider starting your own team.

Clubs and societies

Joining clubs and professional societies can boost communication and teamwork capabilities, as well as industry-specific skills if linked to your dream job. For example, joining the law society at university or getting involved in debating competitions would look great on a legal CV.

Make sure to highlight if you’ve held any responsibility within the club, such as club secretary or treasurer, as this will reflect your knack for leadership.

How to get started: There are many opportunities to join clubs or societies during school, college, and university. You can also research clubs in your local community via social media, search engines, and local news listings.

Foreign languages

Learning a foreign language can strengthen your CV in multiple ways. Recruiters are likely to be impressed by your commitment and enthusiasm for learning outside of your general education. Plus, your efforts could also benefit their company if they have international locations or clients.

In-demand languages in the UK include German, French, and Spanish, with an increasing requirement for multilingual professionals across a range of industries. Studying a foreign language as an extracurricular activity could really open doors for your career and hone your skills in lateral thinking, problem solving, and communication.

How to get started: Most schools offer one language as part of the curriculum, but you may need to find a local class or private tutor to learn another language of your choice. Travel, language apps, and online courses also offer different ways to enhance your learning.

Theatre and the arts

Artistic endeavours can boost confidence, communication, and creativity. From acting with a local performing arts society or playing in a band, to set design and production support, there are plenty of options out there.

While theatre and the arts might not be your end goal in terms of a career, this extracurricular activity can provide you with some unique transferable skills. Most jobs involve some form of public speaking, whether delivering presentations, communicating with clients, or contributing at meetings. The ability to confidently communicate and be creative is highly valued by employers.

How to get started: Check out drama clubs at school or university to see if they need any actors, designers, or technical crew members. Most towns and cities have amateur theatre groups. Research online and contact them to find out how you can sign up.

How to add extracurricular activities in your CV

After figuring out which activities to include, you may be wondering where exactly to place these extracurricular activities in your CV:

Choose where to list your extracurriculars

Deciding the best place to position your extracurricular activities in your CV will depend on your level of experience. If you have little to no work experience, then your extracurriculars can fill this gap and show your potential to the hiring manager. 

On the flip side, if you have relevant work experience, then extracurriculars will take more of a back seat on your CV.

Here’s a breakdown of the three main options for listing your extracurricular activities in a CV:

• Professional experience section. If you have no work experience, then you can include relevant extracurriculars in your professional experience section to add some substance to your CV. For example, you may have completed a nursing degree and volunteered at a local hospital to gain practical experience.
• Education section. Should your extracurriculars relate to school or university, such as clubs or societies, then include these activities in your education section. You can simply list the information in bullet points under the respective institution.
• Dedicated extracurriculars section. If you have some direct work experience, but you need to bolster your CV, then add a dedicated section for extracurriculars towards the end of your CV (after your education section).

Describe each position and your contributions  

List extracurricular activities in your CV in reverse-chronological order, starting with a sub-header that includes the position title, organisation name, location, and dates. Then create a few bullet points detailing your contributions and any achievements under each position.

Focus on transferable skills

When writing about your extracurricular activities, highlight any relevant key skills you have acquired. For example, if you were the captain of your university football team, you can mention how you gained valuable leadership skills that you can apply to any professional environment.

Extracurricular activities in a CV: Examples

Framed the right way, your extracurricular activities can spotlight your skills and impress the hiring manager. Let’s go through a few examples to give you some inspiration.

Professional experience section

Don’t let a lack of work experience hold you back. Here’s how to highlight your extracurriculars as professional experience:

Education section

If your extracurricular activities are tied to your studies, add them to your education section:

Extracurricular activities section

If your extracurriculars don’t fit neatly into a box or do pertain to direct work experience, you can list these activities at the end of your CV in their own standalone section. Choose a section title that is relevant to the content included, such as “ Hobbies and Interests,” “ Awards,” or “Languages.”

Key takeaways

Extracurricular activities during school, college, and university are key in shaping the early years of your career. As you move forward, these experiences can also hone the skills and abilities required in the workplace, allowing you to stand out from other job seekers.

Select extracurricular activities to put in your CV that align with your career goals and showcase your transferable skills. There's no need to include everything—just the most relevant ones. If an activity is directly related to the job you're applying for, include a brief description to highlight its relevance.

If you need some help with how to do this, check out our CV builder with professional templates and expert advice to help you quickly and easily create an impressive CV.