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Narrator: In this video employers discuss the value in including an interests section on your CV.
Natasa Patterson, client Services Manager, Call Britannia: It’s a balance of personal and professional on a CV: I will go through the professional history, but what’s also important is, that bit that some people think is not that important, is that bit about themselves: what they’re interested in, what their hobbies are, which tells an employer a lot about their personality and in many cases the personal interests can be linked back to your professional achievements as well and that gives, on the paper, a picture of what kind of person I’m going to be seeing in front of me and sometimes I even think, looking some CVs, I can’t wait to meet this person because they show so much on the paper and I’m only hoping not to be disappointed once it gets to the actual interview.
Chris O’Connell, Co-founder, Timothy James Consulting: I think the softer skills with a CV are very important (or the hobbies and interests) because most people within the public sector, the skills and experiences are very important, but actually things that you do in your spare time, what your interests are, can make a big difference in terms of breaking the ice. So rather than putting things like “I play football, I play rugby” perhaps if you’ve done it to a particular level or a particular standard, emphasise that. That you play football at a county level could actually enhance your opportunity of building rapport with the person that could be taking you on. So I think it breaks down the process a little bit because most good interviews are very formal on structure, but there is an element of a chat and a personal side to it as well. So any achievements or interests or hobbies you have, be descriptive and use it as a point of reference to break the ice.
Louise Robertson, Chief Marketing Officer, Palm Tree: My honest take on what hobbies and interests you have is, as long as they’re not too off the wall, put them in there or if they are off the wall make them pertinent to the job application. You see so many that say ‘cooking’, ‘reading’ – be specific about who you are: I read ‘chick lit’ when I’m not here because I need to turn my brain off, so what do you do? The hobbies and interests is about who your personality is so don’t just cut and paste somebody else’s hobbies in there because when I come to that part I will ask you: “so you’ve said you do Tai-Chi, what kind of Tai-Chi is it? When do you do it? Where do you do it?” So please be truthful and make it pertinent, make it interesting. To stand out, if your interest is interesting, then put it in there.
Dan Harris, MD, 1st Place: When I’m recruiting for a graduate role it’s very difficult to differentiate two graduate calibre candidates; they don’t have work experience, which would normally make them stand out for a suitable position at a more experienced level. What I’m looking for, perhaps where I’m [being] counterintuitive here, is I actually read the CV in reverse: I start with the interests and the activities – I’m looking for someone that’s gone above and beyond in their personal and their social life that’s going to set them apart. Once I’ve established that they’ve got something special about them then I’ll go back and review their academic credentials and their work experience to see those differentiators.
Natasa Patterson, client Services Manager, Call Britannia: You are actually selling yourself, pitching your own personality to someone. I think the best way to do that is to briefly describe what your hobbies and interests are, rather than just bullet-pointing them because we can all do that. We can all say we like gardening or reading books, but why not divulge more and say I enjoy horrors, I enjoy sci-fi, but at the same time I love spending time with my kids. People have different interests while they are maintaining their normal, everyday lives. So that, to me, would tell me more about someone and how well though [out] that section of their CV was rather than just listing the hobbies, which we can all do.
Narrator: Your CV is as much about your personality as it is about your skills and experience. This section is certainly an opportunity to get your personality across and give the employer a glimpse into who you really are. Don’t just write a bland list of things you’re vaguely interested in: include a short sentence on a few of your most loved or most interesting interests, giving some detail, describing why you are passionate about them or what level you’ve got to. It might be the section that differentiates you from another candidate or that helps your interview to flow smoothly and successfully.
Audio Transcript: Including Interests On Your CV
Your CV is as much about your personality as it is about your skills and experience. The interests section of your CV is a great opportunity to get your personality across and give the employer a glimpse into who you really are.
Employers are looking for the following things in your interests section:
- They want o see how you contribute outside of the workplace or academic environment. So talk about where you’ve been an organiser, a leader, a networker or a team player
- They want to see enthusiasm for the role or sector so if your interests correlate with a specific industry you want to work in, write about them.
- They want to see the human behind the application so include an engaging story or funny anecdote that could also be a great ice-breaker in an interview.
Show some passion and personality and be ready to have a conversation about it.
When written well and matching the culture of an organisation or team, an interests section can have a big impact. Where possible, explain how your hobbies and interests have helped you develop skills useful for work.
Including interests on your CV
Including interests on your CV
This is an under-used opportunity to sell your case. Here's what employers are looking for:
1. Employers want to see the human behind the application
A well written anecdote about your interests is likely to engage an employer and is likely to be discussed in interview, giving you an advantageous opportunity to build rapport discussing a subject close to your heart.
2. Employers want to see enthusiasm for the role/sector where appropriate
If you want to work in a specific industry (e.g. leisure, media, finance) and your interests match, then construct an interesting statement to help convey your enthusiasm. This is especially true if you have no experience or are changing career.
3. Employers are keen to see how you contribute outside of the workplace or academic environment
The interests section gives you the chance to convey you are an organiser, leader, networker, team player, competitor, if you can relate to an activity, event or group.
4. Employers want to ask you about an interest, so long as it catches their attention
They want to learn about you as an individual, to assess your fit for the likely team environment you will need to work in. An emotion-less interview focussed solely on work-talk can make this hard to achieve.
5. Make sure you have substance behind what you say
Stating (e.g.) ‘reading, walking and cinema’ will not add to your case. Provide detail for each and don’t be caught out, ensure you have an interesting conversation behind each point you make.
The resounding feedback from employers is an interest section can’t harm your case, but if utilised to your advantage, can be the additional extra that rightly or wrongly gets you the interview or even the job.