According to some career experts, electives can say a lot about you when it comes to impressing employers on the job search. While it’s obvious that core major courses are important for job seekers to land a position after college–these courses teach you the fundamentals of your chosen field or industry–future job seekers can benefit from carefully chosen electives just as they can from required courses. 
“Courses and experiences outside of a student’s major are often the topics that are most discussed in an interview,” says Andrea St. James, a career counselor at Western New England University in Springfield, MA. “Students don’t believe it until they experience it.”
Electives are often a great way for future job seekers to scope out fields of study they wouldn’t normally have a chance to explore, and many of these courses can add value to your existing credentials. Additionally, certain courses translate to all fields, which can aid you in your job search, says Dena Hale, an assistant professor of marketing at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Courses in business, marketing, and sociology translate well into all fields, but sales courses are particularly transferable to many industries, Hale says.
“Every new college graduate must be a sales person in the professional realm in at least three instances: 1) the interview, 2) when negotiating for future benefits and raises, and 3) when attempting to gain approval for an idea,” she says. “Medical professionals will be faced with ‘selling’ the patient on changing damaging lifestyle behaviors. Engineers will often times have to ‘sell’ changes to specifications demanded by clients due to budget constraints, regulations, or aesthetic harmony. Accountants and financial advisors must ‘sell’ clients on the most appropriate investments options. Small business owners and entrepreneurs will need to ‘sell’ themselves to investors.”
Another elective that can add attractive skills to your resume are public speaking classes, says Karen Evans, assistant dean of experiential learning and director of career development at Albright College in Reading, PA.
“[Bad speech] is, as we all know, the one thing that people say they hate,” she says. “The more experience young people get at giving well-prepared speeches, they better they will be in the world of work.”
Job seekers should consider taking business classes as well, suggests Toni McLawhorn, director of career services at Roanoke College in Salem, Va. Personal finance, business communication, graphic design, web design, or any basic business courses like entry-level accounting can help students both personally and when they’re on the job search, she says.
But don’t think electives have to stray too far from your interests. Taking courses you actually enjoy may be the most important consideration when choosing electives. Throughout my college career at Penn State, I found that I retained the most information from choosing classes I was actually interested in, like linguistics and women’s studies.
Amy Losordo, assistant director of academic and career planning at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., suggests courses in theatre for any future job seekers.
“I can’t say employers are looking for students who took theatre, but the skills–controlling emotions, communicating on multiple levels, capturing the attention of potential clients–all transfer into making you a super employee,” she says. “I would love it if every student took a theatre class.”
Overall, electives show employers you have a wide breadth of transferrable skills. Having these types of college courses under your belt can demonstrate that you’re socially conscious and emotionally intelligent, so don’t overlook this option to make yourself an attractive candidate!
Do you think electives are important for your job search? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in a comment below!
