lj101, it was just a "chat" that I had with him, nothing more. He did however say that he is on the hiring committee and I will see him again if I get an interview. So presumably, the answer to your question is yes.
Pontius Navigator, well, he did urge me to join something now and it will make a difference, so I presume he hadn't just seen it as a box ticking exercise. The biggest issue for me is of course that I simply can not do it due to the lack of any available time.
So I was curious as to whether I could do something after university to increase my chances.