Hobbies on Resumes
Should you mention your hobbies and interests in your resume?
In one sentence: Only hobbies and interests that are related to the position and company you are applying to can be included in the resume. Anything else must be left for when you already have the position and even then, you must be careful about what you share, when you share it and how you share it since you are still under a spotlight.
Hobbies and interests that are related to the position and company you are applying to can help set you apart from the crowd of applicants. Such hobbies and interests can include anything in the direction of self-development. Also, hobbies that can actually support you in your career such as golf for field sales representatives where golf is often times crucial for the closing of large sales.
Hobbies and interests such as reading novels (unless you are in the publishing industry), dogs, collecting stamps or coins are usually not helping your application since there is no direct connection to how that hobby or interest can be of benefit to the company. That is the only thing interesting to the company and the person you are applying to.
When you think about what to include and what not to include you must keep these questions in mind:
- Does this information help me set myself apart in an OUTSTANDING way or in an embarrassing way?
- Does this information relate to the position I am applying for? If yes, how?
- Does this information relate to the company I am applying to? If yes, how?
- How will the interviewer/hiring manager know that this hobby or interest makes me excel in the position they want to fill?
Including information in your resume that does not relate to the position or company you are applying to demonstrates that you are NOT able to separate the important from the unimportant and will probably make the same mistake in the position.
If you feel that your hobby or interest has nothing to do with the position or company you are applying to and you still feel it is soooo important and you want to include it in your resume, that might be a hint that the position you are applying for is not what you are actually meant to do for a living.
If you feel that the hobby or interest is related to the position or company but you are afraid that it is not obvious to the people you want to influence, consider adding a short phrase about how it relates to avoid having the interviewer/hiring manager make up a reason that does NOT serve you.
So, remember to only include in your resume what sells you to the company to invite you to the interview because that is the only purpose the resume has: getting you invited so you can sell yourself personally. If that includes the hobbies and interests that set you apart from the rest AND are related to your field, the position or company, so be it outstanding.
