Activities and organizations are a crucial part of any resume, showing that you are not just a strong student academically, but are well-rounded and involved on your campus. That said, many of my friends are going into their senior year with the realization that they did not get involved early enough and don't have extra-curricular activities to enhance their resume and personal brand. Some are opting to join anything with a call-out in fall (communication majors in hydroponics club?!), while others are joining organizations where you simply have to pay to be a member. Great solution, right? Wrong. "Fluffing" your resume is a major mistake - here's why:
Anything on your resume is fair game for an interviewer to ask you about, meaning that it is essential for you to be passionate about your involvement. If you can't talk about an organization's purpose, how the organization benefited you, and your contribution to it, you should reconsider putting it on your resume. Having two organizations that you committed to and preferably held a leadership role in will outshine four organizations that you paid to be in, but never went to a single meeting. Simply put, if you didn't care about the organization, your potential employer will notice your apathy when you try to compile an answer about it.
Even if you didn't get involved early it isn't too late - but make sure you pick organizations you can commit to and take on leadership roles when they're available. Purdue's Get Involved website is a fantastic resource - as are your friends, advisor, and professors.
On my first week as an LACD intern:
I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience as I am using my talents and challenging myself to write in a completely different style than I am used to - one that is creative, yet informative. I'll blog more about this next week when I have spent more time in the office and had a little more experience!
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