Should Community Service Unrelated to My Graduate Program be Included on My CV?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether to include community service experience that is unrelated to a graduate program on a CV. Participants explore the relevance of such experiences in the context of job applications and academic admissions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest including community service on a CV, albeit in a lower-ranked section, such as an "activities" list.
  • Others argue that the decision should depend on the relevance of the community service to the specific job or program being applied for.
  • A participant questions whether listing unrelated community service is beneficial when applying for positions in fields like engineering or accounting.
  • One participant expresses a decision to move the community service experiences to the last section of their CV based on the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus; multiple competing views remain regarding the inclusion of unrelated community service on a CV.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the impact of including unrelated community service on their CVs, indicating that the relevance may vary based on the specific job or program.

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I have some community service experience but not very long in duration and is not related to my graduate direction (eg. I was tutoring Chinese for a semester). Should I still include it?
 
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Penemonie said:
I have some community service experience but not very long in duration and is not related to my graduate direction (eg. I was tutoring Chinese for a semester). Should I still include it?

In my opinion, yes, though I wouldn't give it a higher rank than including it in an "activities" list near the bottom or something. There are some posters here who have been on admissions committees, so maybe they can help you more.
 
This depends on how you believe your resume or CV relates to any job for which you apply. Would you list that activity on the CV if you are sending your CV to be an engineer or accountant for a company who manufactures products using materials imported from China?
 
symbolipoint said:
This depends on how you believe your resume or CV relates to any job for which you apply. Would you list that activity on the CV if you are sending your CV to be an engineer or accountant for a company who manufactures products using materials imported from China?
That makes sense. These service experiences don't really relate to the graduate programs I am studying. I will just move them to the last section as Dishsoap suggested.
Thank you.
 

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