Usually, the words “fun” and “CV” would never be combined unless you were a down-and-out clown looking to do some birthday parties, and people often wonder whether or not to include hobbies on your CV. You don’t have to be in the entertainment industry to enjoy bulking up your resume while between jobs or with an eye towards a job switch. In fact, you can round-out your CV having fun!
You’ve probably heard the advice that you should be doing something while you’re out of work or between jobs. But what exactly? Is this something that would be profitable?
Is It OK To Put Your Hobbies On Your CV?
Yes! Putting your hobbies and personal interests on your CV shows you are a well-rounded person who knows how to enjoy your life. This is a green flag for employers as they won’t have to worry about you becoming burnt out.
What hobbies should I put on my resume?
These are our best ideas to put on your CV. They are cheap or free and put you in the path of potential networking opportunities:
- Learning a language
- Public speaking or acting classes
- Unique hobbies like crafts or bird-watching
- Passion projects
- Volunteering
Try and think outside the box when it comes to your hobbies and personal interests. Employers don’t want to see yet another CV with interests listed such as ‘travel’ or ‘spending time with family and friends’. What can you put on your CV that makes you stand out?
1. Learn a Language
Our world is becoming smaller and smaller, and many businesses are expanding to encompass global markets. Learning a language can be fun, but it can also be very valuable in business relations. Understanding a foreign culture or being able to communicate without an interpreter would be invaluable to a boss.
This also shows a commitment to a challenging task. It shows initiative on your part, but only if you stick with it.
Just be sure to communicate your level of fluency, you don’t want to find yourself over your head because your boss mistakenly believed you could speak Swahili without a hitch.
2. Participate in a Public Speaking or Acting Class
Both help to provide a certain level of comfortability when in front of groups. Being able to stand in front of a group and express your vision or your company’s goals in a clear, commanding way, is incredibly valuable. Take the opportunity to continue to build on your public speaking skills.
3. Try Something New
Consider the different fields or abilities that are in high-demand right now. If one of those interests you, think about taking a class on it. You never know when it may be beneficial to your employer. Or, try something seemingly fun or frivolous that doesn’t necessarily apply to your profession. Who knows, later on down the road you may find that exact skill coming in handy, and you’ll get to be the one to save the day.
4. Pursue What You Love
Do you have a hobby you enjoy? See if you can turn that into a business opportunity and make some money in the process. The initiative to take what you love and develop it into a profitable opportunity will stand out on your resume, even if it doesn’t pan out like you thought it might. Plus, in the process, you’ll probably find that you really enjoy spending more time pursuing that thing.
5. Volunteer
What do you know? Are you a marketing guru? Take that knowledge and help your favourite charity get their name out there in a better, more visible way. Whatever it is that you’re good at or have spent time doing, see if you can’t use it to help others out. Volunteering is good at any point in your career and benefits all involved. It’s especially good when you’re between jobs. It gives you something to do and it shows your future employer that you’re interested in the long-term.
You don’t have to use all of these ideas to see your CV grow. Pick a few and see where it goes. You’ll definitely have some fun and your future employer will appreciate the well-rounded employee you are and the unique skills you bring to their business.
About Allen Recruitment
Allen Recruitment is an international recruitment consultancy business with offices in Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Sweden, Belgium and Poland. A full-service recruitment consultancy offering temporary, permanent, contract and contingency roles in a variety of industries such as IT, Tech, Finance, Telecom, E-commerce, Engineering and more.
Posted in: Job Seeking Resources
