By Joycellyn Akuffo
Name?check. Address?check. Employment history?check. Hobbies?long pause.
According to research, having an interesting hobby listed on your CV ? or not, as the case is for 59% of the UK population ? could be the final deciding factor when employers are recruiting. It seems that not only do we have to look the part, and sell our skills, we also need to show how well we’ll fit in with the existing team. And a sure way of helping potential employers decide if you fit the bill is to bulk up the hobbies and interests section on our CV.
But a third of us don?t even realise this, as we omit personal interest from our CVs all together.
Ok, so we?ve got the message now. But being a busy mum can mean that hobbies are now a thing of the past, or just an occasional treat. What with running around dropping off and picking up the kids, running into work in the nick of time, creating a culinary marvel for the family after work?we just about get enough sleep, but that?s another story in itself. Maybe now we have a good excuse to have some “me” time ? our career depends on it!
But don?t think that putting trusty old favourites like reading and travelling will do ? according to Yell.com, 70% of us put reading on our CVs, 44% say we like travelling and 40% put an interest in cinema. Just citing those hobbies could make your CV blend in with the other dull reads. So, you need something original ? but not inaccurate, of course ? employers aren?t that blind.
As a nation, the survey results show that we are actually looking for more enjoyable hobbies to anyway, but this interest seems to come to a dead end when we write our CVs.
According to Richard Duggleby of Yell.com, “despite many people shying away from the hobbies section on their CVs, we have noticed many are searching for more unusual interests on the site. As a result, we needed to add new search headings such as belly dancing, bikram yoga and DJ-ing.”
Duggleby says that more people are expressing an interest in trying something new, with women saying they want to take up pole-dancing? hmmm well we can?t blame that on Strictly Come Dancing. Men are showing an interest in water skiing and other water sports.
Claude Littner, Sir Alan Sugar?s (remember hit show The Apprentice?) troubleshooter and international company turnaround specialist, says: “People are clearly missing a trick about qualifications and experience, but also personality. Whether you dabble in photography, sweat it out at the gym or throw yourself out of aeroplanes at the weekend, it all helps a potential employer see the real you, and most importantly, helps make your CV stand out.”
Point taken!
RELATED ARTICLES