Friday, November 18, 2011

CV - Resume Hobbies & Interests

By Angela Gymmy


Retirement is the time when most people wonder how they are going to fill up their time which was otherwise occupied by work. This is the time to pursue your hobbies and interests actively. Hobby not only gives a certain direction to the life of a retired individual but also allows him to relax and experience joy through his interests. Some of the hobbies for retired people include singing, reading, photography, bird watching, sky gazing, learning a foreign language, gardening, painting, listening and collecting music, writing, blogging etc.

However, the employers focus will always be on the core skills in the CV/resume. If an employer has already been unimpressed by the time they get to the Hobbies and Interests section, the information that you include at the end of your CV/resume will not persuade them to change their mind about offering you an interview. But this doesn't mean the information included here is not important. A few brief words could catch the employer's eye and persuade them to take a second look through your skills and experience.

Bird Watching Apart from reading, bird watching is another interesting hobby loved by many especially retired people. There are many clubs that one can join through which you can enjoy knowing about different kinds of birds and spotting them as well. Many people pursue bird watching as a hobby and then pen down their experience along with pictures of various birds that they may have seen in their scrap book.

Employers will look for a balance of interests. Try to include both quieter / individual pursuits and active / group activities. However, do think about how your interests might be perceived by other people. Train-spotting, for instance, does not have a positive image in the public consciousness - being an active member of a railway preservation group would be seen as positive. Likewise, a list of solitary activities will not make you look like a good team player. Avoid bland, general statements - as a recruiter, I read too many "Reading, watching television and going out with my friends" statements: everyone does that, surprise! It is hence doesn't make you stand out, and worse of all uses up space and probably detracts from your application.

You should not be modest when it comes to any awards you have gained through your hobbies and interests. Outstanding excellence in any field will show commitment and talent - national or international awards should always be considered to be pulled up into your Personal Statement or Cover Letter. If you have won prizes for writing short stories or have won local sporting titles makes sure to mention them. But always make sure the achievements are recent: unless it is an Olympic medal, if you won a swimming title 20 years ago but haven't swum competitively since, then it may seem as though you haven't achieved anything worth mentioning since then.

Writing & Reading Poetry Reading and writing poetry can also be a good hobby to choose. You can pursue your hobby by reading a few famous classic poets. Penning your thoughts down also helps you towards writing good poems. Studying poetry, understanding it and reading more and more poets is the way people can develop this hobby and what better joy that getting your work published!

Hobbies and interests can be an important part of the CV/resume, although not as important to most employers as your actual hard/soft job skills. Employers see numerous CV/resumes for one job and anything that stands out and catches their attention means that the job candidate may have an advantage over the other potential candidates.




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