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Did you know that a potential employee's involvement in extracurricular activities can be a valuable asset, putting him/her ahead of his/her competition, in the interview process? Hiring managers confirm that a good extracurricular background speaks volumes about a candidate's personality that boring statistics otherwise don't.

 

Arun Rao, Vice President - Human Resources at Applabs says that they have hired more than 20 freshers/trainers at entry-level positions, who have had extensive co-curricular exposure. "These employees have either been 'Student Secretary' of one of the committees or members of a social service organisations and have worked actively in the organising committees of their respective college events." He says that some of these employees have been associated with the Mother Teresa Institute, while some of them have been involved with NGOs who work with the destitute.

 

Par Excellence believes in hiring individuals who are actively involved in co-curricular activities. Rajeshwar Upadhyay, Director says, "We hired a employee totally committed to helping the poor and deprived, mostly children. She spent most of her weekends doing just that. The weekends were completely sacrosanct and nothing could get her to budge from her commitment to social work. She was bright, extremely experienced in the IT domain and had travelled the world. I was highly impressed by her narration of her wide array of experiences in the social service domain and immediately, I got her on-board."

 

Vikram Kallianpur, Director - HR, Virtusa Corporation adds, "Extra-curricular activities help build and foster qualities like teamwork, self-awareness, adaptability, leadership and most importantly, it reveals an individuals drive to succeed and his/her ability to face challenges head on."

 

So the question here arises is whether having extra-curricular activities on a candidate's resume actually helps him/her get a job. Though experts say that it does not guarantee top positions, they are given preference at certain entry-level jobs.

 

Ramanand Padiyar, Global Head - HR, Kale Consultants Ltd says that very often, these experiences work in the candidate's favour. "These extra-curricular activities set a candidate apart from his/her peers. The mention of extra-curricular activities does play an important role in forming the initial impression of the candidate," he adds.