How important are extracurricular activities?

Rebekah,

When you don't have much work history to put on a resume, you can put some extra-curriculars on it. Be careful not to list so much that it appears you could possibly have scheduling conflicts that would preclude you from working!

Even though you are not in a leadership role, you want to look towards activities you participated in. Did you plan a car-wash? Have you worked the soda counter at the game? Try to find things that show how you have experience handling money, doing customer service, following rules, being dependable, etc. These are transferable skills that will help you land a job. (If possible, try in the future to take a more active role in leadership).

On the resume, explain VERY briefly what the club is, what it does. Not everyone knows about Model UN, FBLA, etc.

As you gain work experience, you will drop off school activities, usually.

But, you can acquire other activities, as an adult. Some employers like to see community involvement, and expect you to participate when they are out doing charitable events in their company t-shirts! It could be that "little extra" that results in you getting hired!

Good luck!

Kim

I think it depends upon what you plan on majoring in when you go to college. For example, if you are majoring in a science based filed (Chemistry, Biology, Pre-Med, etc.) your extracurricular activities will look great on your application because it displays a strong interest and also shows how serious you would take your courses to get ahead.

Also, keep in mind you don't necessarily need to be in a leadership role to get noticed. You could have been in charge of certain projects or teams within the club which would be examples of leadership roles. Last, you could have held certain positions such as Treasurer, Secretary, etc. which demonstrates you are willing to accept responsibilities to get the job done for the benefit of the team.