Part II: Work and Extracurricular Experience

1. Sports. Even if you aren’t a star athlete, your participation in an organized sport (varsity, JV, club level or just for fun) is valuable. An employee who is a “team player” and works well with others can move mountains in the workplace. Athletic experience builds your competitive nature, increases your level of confidence and gives you strong leadership skills. Remember to consider these lessons and experiences when discussing your skills and abilities in a job interview.

2. Clubs and organizations. From French club to student government, be sure to note your involvement in organized group activities. Make special note of any leadership roles that involved coordinating events, budgeting or acting as liaison among group members, faculty and staff. Also take some time to think about club projects you managed from beginning to end — employers will correlate these to workplace project management skills.

3. Greek life. Aside from the toga parties (which employers definitely don’t want to know about), Greek organizations provide some valuable experience for the working world. Many Greek organizations place significant value on networking events, fundraisers and recruitment. If you held a direct leadership role, planned events or coordinated publicity for your fraternity or sorority, you should share these achievements with potential employers. Keep in mind that there are some lingering stereotypes from Animal House and the like, so proceed with caution.

4. The arts. Whether you’re involved in art, music, dance or theater, your performance skills and the self-confidence it takes to share your talents in front of an audience are very attractive to an employer. Don’t be shy about touting your creative accomplishments, even in a serious corporate setting.

5. Entrepreneurship. Did you start a business, activity or club? Have you participated in a family business? Whether it’s been a success or struggle in today’s economy, the lessons you’ve learned from taking initiative and building your own group or company are worthy of mention. Be able to speak of your motivation to become an entrepreneur and the ups and downs you faced throughout the process.

6. Volunteer experience. Did you tutor peers at your school, help manage a food drive or give your time to an elderly community? Whether you’ve spent one week, one month or one year volunteering, you have gained skills, built relationships and experienced struggles and triumphs that are valuable to an employer. Include these experiences on your resume and discuss them in your professional conversations.

7. Part-time work. Have you worked in retail, at a restaurant or behind the snack bar at your neighborhood pool? Even telemarketing, babysitting, mowing the lawn and dog walking can demonstrate hard work, dedication, organization and persistence — qualities that all employers want and need. When you discuss these work experiences, however, it’s up to you to point out how they are relevant to jobs you are seeking now. Give serious thought to what your part-time work has taught you and how it’s contributed to your skill set.

8. Campaigning and activism. Were you active in the 2008 presidential election? Have you written letters, made phone calls or found other ways to speak out about the causes you support? If you’ve shown dedication to a cause or movement, it can be smart to share this in a job interview. Keep in mind that politics and certain issues are a source of controversy, though, so focus more on explaining your involvement and the specific abilities you developed rather than trying to convert a recruiter to your cause or point of view.

Remember to check back on Monday for Part III!

Willy Franzen over at One Day, One Job blogged today about a unique experiment he coordinated with some entry-level job candidates:

Instead of helping employers target students with recruitment messages, why not help students/new grads target employers with Facebook ads? Basically, we want you to create an ad for yourself. The goal is to sell yourself in a few short sentences and convince any recruiters who may see your ads to click through to your resume/web page/contact information. 

Read Willy’s post to see how five job candidates fared with their Facebook ads.  He also provides a step-by-step guide to how you can apply this strategy if you’re interested in trying it.

All of this reminds me of the former investment banker who drew headlines this summer. Frustrated with his job search, he decided to stand on Park Avenue handing out resumes and wearing a sandwich board that said, “Experienced M.I.T. Grad for Hire.” The Facebook experiment seems to be the online version of the sandwich board job search strategy.

Do I think these types of stunts are effective ways to find a job? Well, they’re clearly a way to make yourself visible and make some new connections, which can only help your prospecting. The danger is that you might turn off the exact people you want to impress — some employers may find Facebook ads a little too self-promotional. On the other hand, some employers might love the idea of a go-getting job hunter who isn’t afraid to be aggressive.

I’m looking forward to seeing if the five candidates in Willy’s experiment get real-life jobs from their online ads. What do you think of this approach? Share your thoughts!