CV 4 Jobs

I often get asked if Hobbies & Interests have a place on a CV. Does the reader actually care what you do in your spare time? There are a couple of points to consider.

Traditional Interviews

There are still quite a few interviewers who rely on traditional interviews although this is changing. Traditional interviews are CV based and can consist of discussions around many topics including your hobbies and interests. Managers will gravitate towards Hobbies & Interests as it is easy to talk about and helps break the ice. This can prove an opportunity to build rapport with the interviewer and you may even have common pastimes.

Helping your CV to interview ratio.

Many jobseekers I meet have Hobbies and Interests which can enhance their CV and application. Would your membership of toastmasters enhance a sales CV? Would your participation and coaching of Gaelic Games help enhance an application for the GAA? Would your charity work enhance your CV for an application to join the care sector?

With these points in mind I normally recommend that Hobbies and Interests are included on all CV’s. If they have no direct relevance to the position you are applying then place them in a section at the end of your CV. If however you have Hobbies & Interests relevant to your application don’t leave it to chance that the employer will read your full CV. Ensure you get this information in the 1st page of your CV perhaps in a value statement.

To view CV and Interviews from the employer’s point of view see hrandrecruitment.