RSOs on Resumes: Say More or Say Less

Extra-curricular involvements absolutely belong on a resume. Where they go and what you say about them depends a lot on what you’ve done in those activities.

When students come to us to improve resumes, we often find ourselves saying “say more or say less” about RSO activities.

Say Less

To be clear: not everything in your life needs to be resume material. Joining a club because it’s a way to make friends and do things you enjoy or that matter to you is good! Showing up for meetings and taking part in events that someone else has organized can add a great deal to your life. It may not be that relevant to employers, though. They want to know what you have done, contributed, accomplished.

If your role is, essentially, “active member” – then say less on your resume. Maybe use space on your resume for add more detail about other things you do.

Say More

If your involvement in the club involves making things happen, however – say more. “Making things happen“ can include:

  • planning and executing activities and events,
  • recruiting new members,
  • promoting the club and its activities
  • managing a budget,
  • guiding a team of active participants,
  • training new volunteers,
  • fundraising,
  • collaborating with other RSOs and community members,
  • organizing and documenting club and membership structure,
  • maintaining relationships with your club’s national organization.

Depending on what you’ve done and what skills you want to emphasize on your resume, club involvements can and should be described in as much detail as you might give to an internship or research project. Mention specifics: the name of the event you planned, the scope of the service project you helped organize, the dollar amount of the budget you managed or the funds you raised, the number of new members you recruited (and the specific strategies you used to make your organization visible).

Level Up

If you’re struggling to find ways to get career-relevant experience (particularly if the problem is time), sometimes your existing RSO involvements can help you build and demonstrate career-relevant skills, without having to add more hours to your day. If you are spending time anyway with your RSO activities, look for ways to contribute your strengths to your RSO to make things happen. For example:

  • Create (or restart) a social media account (many RSOs have a dormant social media presence on one or more platforms).
  • Find a way to document procedures so that there will be continuity even if all the leadership graduates at the same time.
  • Set a goal of recruiting a certain number of new members and organize the event or outreach campaign that will help your club achieve it.
  • Create a service/volunteer project for members to take part in.
  • Collect and analyze data that will help advance your club’s mission or core goals.
  • Propose and plan a social event to complement existing activities.

Note, too, that a disorganized or languishing RSO presents leadership opportunities. If your organization is not meeting your expectations or filling the needs you brought to it, that may be a sign that you have a role to play in developing its potential.

 

For more ideas on navigating your future career path, visit our LAS Career Services Blog. 

By Kirstin Wilcox, Director of LAS Career Services