Part of the USN&WR rankings takes into account the percentage of graduates that have a job within a certain period of time (6 months? 9 months?) of graduation. So I can see that an applicant who has experiences that would help them get a job upon graduation would be a big plus in an admissions officer’s eyes.
A good resume that shows the skills an applicant has learned gives additional context to the school that might not otherwise be seen on the application. Re “uplifting”, I don’t like how the author presented this point because it seems like padding a resume, which is a big turn-off. I think the real point is that even low-level jobs with seemingly little value actually give an engaged worker skills. The receptionist? That’s the first point of contact for many customers and a receptionist is responsible for projecting an image of the company and handling sometimes irate people with decorum. The guy flipping burgers at McDonalds? He’s learning time management skills and coordinating with other members of a team.