Work Hard or Play Hard? Degree Class, Student Leadership and Employment Opportunities

This study investigates the impact on first hiring outcomes of two main curriculum vitae (CV) characteristics by which graduates with a tertiary education degree distinguish themselves from their peers: degree class and extra-curricular activities. These characteristics were randomly assigned to 2,800 fictitious job applications that were sent to real vacancies in Belgium. Academic performance and extra-curricular engagement enhance job interview rates by 7.0% (CI 95% [0.3%, 13.7%]) and 6.5% (CI 95% [-0.5%, 13.4%]), respectively. We did not find evidence for these CV characteristics to reinforce or reduce their effect.