RE: Hobbies on a resume (WAS: RE: New TECHWR-L Poll Question)

[Marguerite Krupp <mkrupp -at- cisco -dot- com>]

OK, Tracy asked what hiring managers/companies think when they see hobbies
on a resume. As a former hiring manager, I'll add my $0.02.

My first thought is, "Padding. This applicant didn't have enough to fill up
a decent resume." If it's not related to what you can do to help me solve my
business problems, or if it doesn't affect your availability for work, I
don't really want to know about it. I do need to know if your
extracurricular activities (such as being in the National Guard) will cut
into work availability, but that's hardly a "hobby," and it should be
covered elsewhere in your resume.

My second thought is that, as a hiring manager, your hobbies DO tell me
something about you. For example (simplified version), there was the
applicant whose avocation was singing grand opera. He mentioned that he
could work only four days a week because he had to have one day to travel to
NY to try out for parts. I think it didn't occur to him that we might be
concerned about what would happen if he actually LANDED one of those roles.
So maybe, in some cases, it IS useful to an interviewer to see your hobbies!

Marguerite

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