Re: Resume length

[Barb Philbrick <barb -dot- philbrick -at- PCOHIO -dot- COM>]

s>I won't give references unless there's an offer on the table, and I
s>refuse to say anything about my personal life (hobbies and activities
s>and all that stuff that has *nothing* to do with doing a job).

Actually, it can have something to do with doing a job. Some employers
look at hobbies to try to determine what kind of person you are and how
well you work with others. At one large employer in the area, they
prefer people who play team sports, such as baseball and volleyball, to
those who do solo sports, such as running. Their philosophy is that
people who participate in team sports will be better in team
environments at work. (I also know of someone who got hired because they
were a good softball player and the company had a team that played state-
wide - now *that's* got nothing to do with job abilities!)

Hobbies can also serve as an ice-breaker if you happen to have the same
one as a potential employer.

I also recommend to my students that they don't include information such
as belonging to a rock band that plays out regularly - an employer would
(rightly, I think) assume that the person would come in tired the day
after a gig.

That said, I rarely said anything about hobbies and other personal
information in my resumes, especially once I had enough experience under
my belt that I didn't need resume filler material. Ultimately, it's a
personal choice.

Barb

barb -dot- philbrick -at- pcohio -dot- com
---
 ~ CMPQwk 1.4 #9107 ~ Plato was a bore. - Friedrich Nietzsche