Another trap: reason for leaving
You might be tempted to include it for any civilian jobs you held way back when. We're surprised so many people put this down on their resumes.
Frankly, prior to the interview, it's none of the recruiters' business why you left a particular job. Of course, if they grant you an interview, they can and will ask why you left a particular position, and you should be ready to answer that question. Employment: A Summary. Before moving on to Activities, let's summarize the Employment heading. You're using a resume to get employment. One therefore could argue that the Employment heading is the most important of all. As you write your Employment entries, keep at the forefront of your mind your audience, your prospective employer. You're giving or mailing your resume to someone you want to work for. That employer wants to see not only the positions you've held, but also what you've accomplished. That employer wants to see evidence of hard work, initiative, responsibility, relevant vocational skills, interpersonal skills, competitiveness, leadership, imagination, goal achievement, stress management, direction, self-knowledge, intelligence, self-confidence, communication skills, and flexibility, indeed all the qualities employers typically desire in their employees.
Your task in writing your thirty-second advertisement is to create an ad in which your strongest attributes leap off the page. You want an eye-catching document that grabs the employment manager's attention. You want a resume that shouts, "Put me in the I-like-it pile! You'll never, ever regret it!" Show the employer you've got what it takes. Show not just what you did, but what you accomplished. Give those employment managers exactly what they want. The results are guaranteed: you'll get what you want-interviews and ultimately a job.
Activities
The Activities heading can be a source of resume filler. If you are fairly young, just finishing a tour of duty, then you might be having trouble finding stuff to include on your resume. If, on the other hand, you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or 60s, then you've got more than enough material for your resume and should only include those activities that directly relate to your targeted career.
If you were active in military base activities, college student groups, or community activities, and if you need some resume filler, then you should probably include a separate Activities heading. If you have not been particularly active in such activities because you've been working, studying, or playing hard, or because you're just not a joiner type, then exclude this heading. If you have some activities, but they are not impressive enough to warrant a separate Activities heading, include them as a subheading under Education, Military Experience, or another appropriate heading.
This heading might also be called Volunteer Work. It should be included in your resume if you've done any significant work in the community that shows you are the joiner type or the public service type. Companies are acutely aware of their community images. Indeed, they employ full-time people to look after their community affairs. They know their business image will benefit if their managers and other employees are active in the community. If you have a public service streak in you, you should display your accomplishments in this heading.
Be careful in deciding which activities to include and in writing the entries. Community service is likely to involve politics or religion, which can be sensitive areas in your own life and in the lives of your prospective employers.
The Don't-List Rule
When you write the entries for the Activities heading, follow the same procedures we described for the Employment heading. In other words, don't just list the groups you've been affiliated with and the positions you held with those groups. Instead, describe what you accomplished or the purpose of the group (if not evident from the group's name). Thus, don't just list the name of your Little League team and your position as coach like this: "The Blue Blazers, Coach, 1981-82." Instead if you've been extraordinarily active, you should resist the urge to include every organization you've been associated with. A resume that lists every activity you've had will be too cluttered and boring. Instead, select the more impressive ones and devote your resume space to showing your specific accomplishments.
If space is at a premium in your resume, you might decide to violate the don't-list rule. Certainly in some situations you can simply list the names of your activities, especially where prospective employers know full well what the activity entails.
