Would this go on a resume?

baktrax
Mon, 15 Sep 2014 05:07:46 +0000

Only put relevant things on your resume, if you can. If you need to fill up a page, then you can put things that are less relevant, but try to emphasize how it makes you a stronger candidate. As you get more and more experience, you won’t have room for things like unrelated undergrad ECs so this will be irrelevant (probably by the time you get to grad school and almost certainly after you get your master’s) on your resume.

That being said, you should still do it if it’s something you’re interested in. Not everything has to be directly related to your future career. Some things are just great experiences. You could have fun, meet new people, or even learn or strengthen skills that will help you in the future.



I have heard people say that the interviewer only wanted to talk about their EC/study abroad/volunteer position etc. How would the interviewer find out about those things then?



To answer that, we’d have to know the context of the person applying and what they were applying for. It’s not that you can never include an EC in your application. It’s just that you should emphasize what makes you a good candidate for the position that you’re applying for. Sometimes, an EC can do that and can be included on a resume. Sometimes, it’s not relevant and should be excluded in light of better experience. Alternatively, it can come up in conversation during the interview (which is how it has happened in every instance that I know of). It can sometimes be included in other application materials.

Your resume has limited space. Don’t fill it up with fluff if you don’t have to.