You may be surprised about how many ways there are to gain leadership experience in college and begin building a resume you can use after graduation. See how time management, decision making and problem solving skills can come from your stint on campus doing what you’re already passionate about.
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There’s so much more to the college experience than simply registering for and attending classes.
Rather, the pathway to a lifelong career includes exploring and participating in vibrant campus life, including student clubs and organizations that can help you gain invaluable leadership experience.
Opportunities for leadership experience in college empower you to begin building a robust and in-demand student resume, one that can help you land everything from a summer internship to a rewarding job soon after graduation.
And what counts as leadership experience may surprise you, with many aspects of the Â鶹ӰÊÓ underÂ鶹ӰÊÓ experience slotting easily into your resume.
Whether you’re a first-year college student, soon-to-Â鶹ӰÊÓ high school senior, or anything in between, you can supercharge your student resume and hone professional skills by choosing a college rich with leadership experiences.
Turn your Passions into Leadership Experience through Campus Clubs
Taking place outside of the classroom, involvement in student clubs and organizations can not only demonstrate a dedication to your interests, but also allow you to take on new and exciting leadership roles in college.
You don’t need any previous leadership experience to thrive in student organizations, and with the wide variety of clubs hosted at Pacific, every student can find a place to put their passions into practice.
Some of the best examples of student resumes use campus club participation and leadership to demonstrate the kind of skills sought after by employers.
Campus clubs and resources that help improve student resumes include:
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Cultural organizations. Through multicultural centers, specific cultural heritage organizations and collaborative communities, students from all corners of campus can gain leadership and organizational skills.
First-generation college students and those from historically marginalized populations can gain essential time and project management skills simply from participating. -
Skill-building opportunities. Some campus organizations allow you not only to meet new people and grow your interests, but gain expertise around a future career.
Interested in journalism? . Want to pursue a career helping others? Service clubs are abundant. Need to scratch that creative itch? Gain hands-on training in multimedia. -
Clubs in your major. Advised by experts in their field, academic clubs not only give students opportunities for leadership within their major, but also allow them to meet working professionals.
With clubs in everything from chemistry to criminal justice, you can discover real-world ways to put your leadership and technical training towards a rewarding career. -
Passion projects. It’s not just academics that contribute to a successful student resume. Leadership roles in your extracurricular interests are great examples of resume boosters.
Through the arts, athletics and even in academic interests outside of your own major, you can demonstrate not only a commitment to the interests on your student resume, but also your ability to lead within them.
Student Government Turns Leadership into Experience
Combining teamwork, decision-making and management, participating in student government can have a lasting impact and help you gain vital leadership skills that you can transfer into a career.
The benefits of participating in student government in college are immense, giving you real-world experience in a hands-on setting designed to reflect your interests and passions.
Through coordination with their peers, professors and advanced university leadership, students who participate in campus government Â鶹ӰÊÓ with a ready-made skillset centered on collaborative problem solving.
All underÂ鶹ӰÊÓ students are welcome to participate in Pacific’s UnderÂ鶹ӰÊÓ Student Senate, building a foundation for a resume with service and leadership at its core.
Develop People Leadership Skills During College as an RA
Essential to the campus community, Resident Assistants (RAs) receive hands-on job training in fields like conflict resolution, time management and leadership.
As students themselves, RAs are able to complement their academic focus with robust and challenging professional development while in college, managing people and helping others grow.
When applying for internships, fellowships and entry-level roles in your chosen field, the impact of RA experience cannot be overstated, as it provides real-world problem solving opportunities.
RA training can greatly enhance a resume and give you a leg up on those without leadership experience before graduation, making yourself very attractive to employers.
If you enjoy giving back to those in your school community and want to acquire in-demand skills, the RA experience can’t be topped.
Federal Work-Study Can Boost your Resume
Available to those who qualify using their FAFSA, Federal Work-Study programs allow enrolled students to work part-time jobs on campus that adapt to fit their class schedule.
Not only does Work-Study enable you to earn money while you study, but it also provides job training from experienced professionals eager to help develop your resume and skills.
Work-Study participants have found positions in athletics, education, communications, civic engagement and more, all of which have prepared them for a career after graduation.
There are, of course, non-Work-Study jobs available to students as well, meaning that anyone who studies on campus can gain experience and get ready for a lifelong career.
How to Use Leadership Experiences in College on Your Student Resume
The secret to writing an effective resume using the experiences you’ve gained in college is to turn what you already enjoy doing into valuable skills in-demand in the current job market.
You can leverage skills gained outside of your degree on your student resume by:
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Including your interests. Whether you were a member of student-run clubs, participated in extracurriculars or studied outside of your major, showing how these experiences led to gaining meaningful skills can make up for a shorter job history.
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Highlighting experiential learning. Experiences like study abroad and work-study show that you have the capacity to advance your skill set outside of the classroom in real-world settings.
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Demonstrating leadership. Through any of the opportunities listed above, you can demonstrate an ability to lead people and projects, while also emphasizing how those experiences relate to the skills gained in your degree.
It’s not too late to visit campus and discover the benefits of becoming a Boxer! Talk to professors, explore research facilities and see what life is like in beautiful Forest Grove.