Should you think that a resume has to contain information regarding one’s professional background and achievements solely, under no circumstances try to leave this page! This article might become a pleasant and helpful discovery for those seeking ways to upgrade their CV and turn it into a powerful tool to increase the likelihood of obtaining a dream job.
There is a little uncomplicated tip – include your hobbies and interests. If it sounds ridiculous and useless, say what hobbies have to do with a job. Just keep on reading.
Table of Contents
This question might also seem weird, but let’s figure it out. Firstly, many people cannot even answer this question, unfortunately. There is often a typical answer – reading, watching shows, playing the guitar, etc. When answering, people don’t even mean it; they just tell what they usually do when they don’t have to work. But, does a hobby equal “free time activities”? Not always, and here is why.
We do what we have to do but not what we want to do, and it affects our mental health and inner resources significantly. We give away a lot of energy and often don’t get it back. As a result, we might get irritable, go ballistic very fast, and even feel intensely dissatisfied with our lives. So that we can recharge ourselves, we vitally need to open up a source, which is called “a hobby”. Interests, in their turn, demonstrate what skills you are currently trying to boost, which is also very beneficial for the applicant. It shows their urge for self-improvement.
Work and routine take so much of our precious time, so we sacrifice our leisure for so-called primary things. As we have already clarified, a hobby is not just about doing something in your free time. It’s about renewing your inner resource. However, this is another crucial reason it’s always a good idea to take in your interests on your CV.
Being able to allow time to do what you are keen on is a true sign of maturity and consciousness. You may say it’s nonsense, and all adults are conscious about their life – they work, pay the bills, take care of their families, etc. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. It’s time to accept that real maturity means caring about yourself in the first place. If you do, you have all chances to feel good during the day, feel content with your life, and as a result, have enough energy to handle your work! This is what a severe employer will pay attention to. As a bonus, they understand what additional skills you possess and how those can be implied in the position you are applying for.
Since we have figured out that adding your hobbies to your CV makes absolute sense, let’s look at how to do it correctly. You are definitely lucky if you have an impressive work experience section – it may well be enough for the interviewer to choose in your favour. However, what to do if your work experience is not sufficient? Her hobbies and interests come into play!
It’s a worthy thing to research the company first. Some employers just value people’s desire to show their uniqueness and individuality. Moreover, your hobbies or interests might coincide – people tend to cooperate with those they have something in common with. It will also be easier to start a conversation and establish an informal and trustful atmosphere during the interview. On the flip side, some companies don’t focus on hobbies that much. In this case, you’ll be aware and will not draw so much attention to them.
The next step is to consider which hobbies and interests should be mentioned on your resume. Step one – review the vacancy and the requirements again – it will help you define the most relevant hobbies and put them first. Some examples of hobbies that are bound to be accepted positively:
Step two – remember that different people might take the same things differently. What is amusing for you isn’t necessarily fun for another person, so be careful with contradictory hobbies. If you’re passionate about watching documentaries about outstanding criminals or something, nobody is here to judge you. But let’s be honest, it will hardly contribute to your job searching process.
The same situation is with having a pro-active political position or taking part in human rights movements – it’s great, still, be reasonable with including those.
As we’ve mentioned in the previous section, hobbies that could directly benefit us should go first. However, it doesn’t mean those who have nothing to do with the position should be left out. Independently from the sphere of interests, a candidate with hobbies speaks a lot for himself. Definitely, it creates the image of a many-sided personality. Everybody values such employees.
An entirely fair question. We all know how recruiters often tend to be up to their eyes at work, so they count every minute and try to make it as efficient as possible. However, the answer depends on how much this same company esteems their employees have hobbies and interests. If they do, of course, a recruiter will pay heed. Otherwise, this block on your CV might be useless. So, one more time – you do need to research the company’s values.
We believe all people have hobbies and interests worth mentioning on their resumes. If a person doesn’t do it often enough, it doesn’t mean they have no passion. We recommend that you avoid underestimating yourself and just think of the things you get pleasure from or find extremely engaging to learn or talk about.
There are a few examples that you can imply to your own CV and improve its effectiveness:
Tom, plays rugby – since it is a team sport, Tom obviously has strong teamwork skills, an essential ability for many corporations, including household names. Moreover, like any sport, rugby requires endurance, determination, and strong will.
Jessica, a Minion fan – while researching the company, Jessica came across some corporate photos where she saw lots of stuffed minions in the company offices. It’s a perfect match!
Maddy, drawing – everybody knows that any artsy activity requires being creative and thinking out of the box. So Maddy can freely put this hobby on her resume as critical thinking is among the key responsibilities in the vacancy description.
So, less talk, more action. Firstly, remember that the section with hobbies and interests goes at the end of your resume. Besides mentioning the activity itself, it would be great if you added some descriptive information.
