Extra-curricular and voluntary activities

Many employers are keen to see what kind of things you have done outside your degree revealing something about you, your interests and your motivations. This is where extra-curricular activities come in - the kind of activities that you participate in out of interest but help you learn new skills and gain valuable experience at the same time. These include:

• clubs and societies on campus, many organised through the Students’ Union (SU). These might be sporting, cultural, or political or maybe linked to a particular interest such as the environment, business or languages.
• voluntary activities in the local community such as providing support in local schools or helping at a daycare centre. There is probably an agency on campus that has links with local community groups so check this out with the SU or careers service.
• opportunities in your department to get involved, for example, as a course representative or a mentor to younger students. Talk to your personal tutor about any possibilities in this area.

You may already be involved in these types of activity when you are back at home in the holidays or you may have family responsibilities that you could also talk about as examples of skills and experience that you have.

Try to do something that you are interested in and will enjoy; that way you will learn more from the experience and show more commitment and motivation. Remember also that this is the type of activity that you can record on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR); ask your personal tutor for details.

Further help & information