Application questions: What extra-curricular activities have you been involved in that you think we would be interested in hearing about?

What extra-curricular activities have you been involved in that you think we would be interested in hearing about?

Why are they asking this? This question is a perennial favourite almost guaranteed to crop up on every application form and again at interview. Essentially, investment banks want to hire well-rounded graduates who have well developed communication, team player and leadership skills - as these are vital competencies for the workplace. Typically, a graduate who has been exposed to a number of different experiences through clubs, societies, hobbies and interests will be most likely to have these attributes.

This doesn't mean you have to be the captain of the rugby team or debating society. While such achievements would definitely help your cause (and are among the more traditional interests to garner extra CV points) so too can being a member of the film society, orienteering club or enjoying ten-pin bowling.

So how should you answer? The trick is how you explain your role and what you learnt from your hobby or membership. You need to demonstrate that you are a person who is able to come up with new ideas and implement them.

So, for example, just saying you like bowling as a hobby won't get you very far - but if you organised a charity tournament among the colleges or halls in your university and secured sponsorship for T-shirts worn on the day - then you are demonstrating core competencies and really standing out from the crowd.

And what mistakes should you avoid? You should be very careful of stretching the link between what you enjoy doing and the skills you have learnt. It can get a little too far fetched and smack of desperation. For example, if you enjoy building websites on your own it's too much of a leap to say you are a good team player.