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

Abstract

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.