Extra Curricular Activities to Boost Your CV

When we talk about qualifying ourselves to land the job of our dreams, so much emphasis is placed on education. Sure, educational qualifications can often be a major deciding factor in whether an employer offers their job to you or to someone else who has applied. You want to ensure that not only do you participate in higher education and complete your course but that you also achieve impress grades and make a great impression on the academics who surround you in order to secure glowing references. But it’s important to remember that there are other things that you can do in order to improve the overall appearance of your CV too. After all, education isn’t necessarily the be all and end all of any application. Here are a few extracurricular activities that you could try out to bulk up your appeal further!
Previous Work Experience
Now, education can be full-on, and you often need to dedicate the majority of your time and effort to your studies. But when possible, you should seize opportunities to work or actively participate in the field you’re interested in entering professionally. But why is work experience so important? Well, it shows that you are being productive in your attempts to break into the field. Rather than just studying it, you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and dive in head first! Work experience also allows you to network and meet other individuals in the field. This gives you a strong standing and puts you in touch with people who will be able to give you advice based on their personal experience or inform you of things like job openings before they reach the awareness of the wider public.
Volunteering
Volunteering is by no means a new concept. For years now, people have volunteered their time and effort to charitable organizations. Their reasons for doing so are often diverse and majoritively altruistic. But it’s important to remember that by volunteering, not only do you help others but you benefit yourself too! You also gain new knowledge and skills while you are there. Choosing a charity or cause to support may not always be the easiest decision to make. After all, there are so many out there! Many people will support causes that have had some kind of influence or played a part in their personal lives. They will volunteer for charities who have helped themselves or their loved ones as a mark of thanks and respect, or in order to help the charity support others in situations they have personal experience of. Some will support political parties who are pushing policies that they believe will better the societies that we live in. They will campaign on their behalf, handing out information leaflets and spreading the word of their values. However, whatever the cause you choose, you show that you are committed to working towards something you believe in!
These are just a couple of ideas to get you started. But whether you take them up or not, always bear in mind that there are indeed alternative ways to boost your CV with extracurricular activities!