Re: Hobbies on resumes

[Matt Ion <soundy -at- NEXTLEVEL -dot- COM>]

In <199512292034 -dot- MAA03540 -at- fun -dot- direct -dot- ca>, on 12/29/95 at 09:12 AM,
   Robert Plamondon <robert -at- PLAMONDON -dot- COM> said:

>Nor is resume supposed to be "balanced" in the sense that a diary or a
>biography should be.  The resume lists only the things that would make
>people want to hire you (plus perhaps some not-good things whose omission
>would glare more ominously than the facts themselves).

A resume is your "brag sheet".  It's the one time you're not supposed to be
modest.

>Thus, any list of hobbies on the resume should contain only carefully
>selected hobbies -- those that will increase your chances of getting hired.

..assuming you need list them at all.

>* As always in polite company, discussions of religion and politics
>  should be scrupulously avoided (except among people you know,
>  and then only if they're willing).  Never indicate anything with
>  religious or political overtones in a resume.  Use a very broad
>  definition of religion and politics when applying this rule.  People
>  are touchy.

This one can get VERY sticky indeed.  I'm a trained and experienced audio
engineer; I've installed a number of in-house PA systems, including a couple
in churches.  Naturally, this information goes on my resume: "Installation,
setup and tuning, and training of personnel on sound system for XYZ
Church".

Unfortunately, this may have cost me at least one job - a friend who knew
the owner of one company I applied to informed me afterward that I should
have left this particular job off the resume, as the owner was vehemently
anti-religeous (might even say, religeously anti-religeous :)

I'm sorry, but I just don't see the logic in that... it's a job I did and
was paid for according to my skills and abilities.  That the building
happened to be a church rather than a nightclub or concert hall is
irrelevant... or should be.

>* Think long and hard about complementary hobbies.  Many managers are
>  both narrow and shallow, and can be made uneasy by applicants who
>  break the stereotypes too strongly.  Engineers who do public speaking,
>  for instance.  Mentioning fiction-writing or (gasp!) poetry in a
>  resume is the kiss of death when dealing with one of these
>  cognitively impaired managers.  While you might not want to work
>  for such a person anyway, often the nix is put on an application by
>  someone other than the manager, so be careful out there.

It gets tricky... you start making yourself out to be something or someone
you're not (or to NOT be something you ARE) and you end up living a lie at
work, always having to hide something.  If you specify in your resume or
interview that you never drink, knowing that the company has had numerous
problems with alcoholic employees before, then you'd better really watch
your back should you ever decide to take a sip or even step into a bar,
especially one near the workplace.

The important thing, of course, is to be yourself (as much as possible).
Don't sell yourself to a potential employer as something you aren't or can't
be.


 Your friend and mine,
 Matt
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