Senior business major Leslie Martin

expects the time commitments she has made to extracurricular activities

at the University of Dayton to benefit her after graduation.

She said they already landed her an internship with the Dayton United Way and the runner-up spot out of 800 applicants for an internship with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. Martin has also been selected for a position with People to People International, a youth leadership conference in Chicago

and Washington, D.C.

Martin says interviewers for the internships were looking more for experiences through extracurricular activities, such as applying problem solving and communication skills, rather than just memberships.

Signing people up for the Theta Phi Alpha Sorority fundraising charity

event "Hoopfest" outside Kennedy Union with her sorority sisters, Martin

is fulfilling just one of her extracurricular

duties.

Martin is a member of Panhellenic

Council, historian for Theta Phi Alpha, a tour guide and overnight/shadow coordinator for Campus Connection and vice-president of the charity event UD Dance Marathon. Martin said she recently finished working on 800 letters to send to sponsors for the Dance Marathon.

"It's just a large time commitment,

so you kind of have to find a way to work your homework around that," Martin said.

With the repeated choice between putting all her effort into extracurricular

activities or schoolwork, students like Martin may question whether GPA or activities carry greater weight when applying for jobs.

Mark Sisson, associate director for career advising at the University of Dayton Career Services, said that depends on how relevant activities are to the job a student is seeking.

Sisson said he knows an employer who would toss a resume if it listed a 4.0 GPA without any activities because

it suggests "perhaps a one-dimensional

person."

If a graduating student were applying

for a research job of some sort, the 4.0 GPA might be beneficial to that type of work and activities may not be as necessary. Sisson said some employers, such as Procter & Gamble Co., require a minimum GPA because of a high number of applicants, while others do not even consider GPA.

Some employers have the propensity

to look for certain characteristics in interviews, analyzing everything they can about applicants. For example,

an engineering employer told Sisson if a male applicant showed up to an interview without shining his shoes, he would not get the job.

Sisson said activities that teach students "career-related skills" look good on an application.

"Leadership is looked on favorably

by employers," Sisson said, recommending the Student Government

Association or being a resident assistant.

"I love it when an RA comes into my office," he said, because resident assistants display people skills and conflict resolution experience.

Sisson said studying abroad strengthens a resume because it shows, "willingness to put yourself into unfamiliar situations," and is even more beneficial if a student's major relates to the international experience.

Sisson advises students to start working on their resume as soon as possible because opportunities for things like internships may pop up at any time.

Gretchen Green, human resources

director for the Ohio Secretary of State, said she always analyzes what types of activities applicants list. Green said participating in volunteer work like Red Cross blood drives, campaigns or event coordination looks strong on a resume for the positions

she fills.

Green says GPA does not always carry a lot of weight, unless it is a close call between two applicants. Both education and experience are determining factors in job selection and networking can also be beneficial.

"Check with your school to see which organizations your professors are involved in, those are great ways to make contacts," Green said.

Green said internships and organizations,

such the Society for Human

Resource Management, are useful

to networking, gaining experience and even landing a job.