Reflection of University Extracurricular Activities of a Candidate in Employee Selection: A Descriptive Study of HR Related Jobs

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to identify whether there is a significant value given to the graduates who have engaged in university extracurricular activities in the selection process for HR related job. Further, the current study was designed to identify the industry perception about graduates those who have engaged in extracurricular activities, and who did not. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect the primary data. The respondents were the officers who are directly engaging in the selection process selected from 40 private sector organizations in Sri Lanka. Descriptive statistics, paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data and make conclusions. The findings revealed that the private sector organizations significantly believe that graduates who have engaged in university extracurricular activities might have developed more skills, good personal qualities and other relevant employability behaviors than graduates who have not engaged in extracurricular activities. Thought the belief was further that it is identified that engaging in extracurricular activities is not a significant reason to get selected for a HR related job in the industry. It was found that the perception regarding undergraduates who have not engaged in extracurricular activities is not varying from industry to industry. But, the findings revealed that the perception, and the given due recognition for undergraduates who have engaged in extracurricular activities is industry specific.