Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Amber on February 25, 2011 at 12:29pm

I think most agency recruiters would review a resume with any candidate before submitting, so from that perspective I would remove, add, and revise the resume with them before ever submitting it.

I think the resumes that contain "personal information" sections are far more concerning and almost always advise candidates to remove them.

As a hiring manager in the past, there were definitely few times any of the activities, hobby, or personal information sections prompted a positive feeling, but they very often elicited a negative (or perplexed!) one.

Permalink Reply by Shannon Grady on February 25, 2011 at 12:48pm

Thanks Amber! Do you have any advice for entry-level candidates who think they should include "personal information" or suggestions for what information they should include instead?

Permalink Reply by Valentino Martinez on February 26, 2011 at 4:23am

As a recruiting professional for the past 39 years, with awards for performance for recruiting high potential candidates from a variety of industries, disciplines, levels and geographies--for Fortune 100 companies; partnering with academia and not-for-profit minority community based organizations; and the military—I actually look for extracurricular activity on a resume. I tend to be highly impressed and regularly highly recommend candidates who show viable “EXTRACURRICULAR” activities on their resumes along with other qualifications.

I find, particularly with entry-level candidates, that a mention of “extracurricular” activities suggests a person with a variety of interests which include work and/or school who is willing to commit time, energy and passion to things they care about which fall under the category of “extracurricular” or “hobbies”. Naturally, within this category I do look for leadership, communication, creative/innovative, community/team/group interplay skills and a focus on value added results. Many skills can be gained from volunteer work; interests in photography, playing musical instruments, solo or in a band; competitive athletics, bowling, chess—all team interplay is transferable to the workplace where “team effort” is mandatory.

That said, I also look for balance and a tenacity to want to do well in anything they are engaged in. This also displays work ethic. Why? Well, when you think of how employers have been delayering the employee population through layoffs and not replacing employees who retire or resign over the past 15 years—today one person does what three people did 5-7 years ago. “Lean and Mean” is not an attractive term but it does describe some workplaces where cutbacks have made those left behind “lean” and “mean”--meaning they’re doing (or not doing) all the extra work and are not necessarily happy about the situation.

So this is where the “extracurricular” has value for employers and recruiters like myself. We look for candidates who do extra without being asked—meaning they can handle/manage more responsibility and seem to thrive on it. They know how to juggle their schedule and prioritize by multi-tasking and the more proficient at it the better for them and their new employer.

These extra-ordinary, above average—extracurricular oriented candidates can adjust to challenging workplace demands much better than candidates who prefer a less demanding work environment. When you see “fast paced” or “quick learner” as part of a job description that employer is saying upfront if you can’t handle pressure, or getting and handling multiple assignments...do not apply here. Recruiters who don’t care about Entry-Level candidates who proudly define their extracurricular activities and hobbies on their resumes will probably be missing gaining access to potential future leaders in their industry. But know this…someone else will go after them…me included.

 

Oh, and Shannon--I define "personal information" as personal and not to be shared on resumes or job applications, e.g., age, religion, marital status, children...things of a personal nature are not job qualification related and should not be shared or discussed during the selection process.

Permalink Reply by Shannon Grady on February 28, 2011 at 3:54pm

Thanks for your note Valentino! And I couldn't agree more - personal information such as marital status and gender have no place on a resume or in an interview. But hobbies and interests are often considered "personal information" by these entry-level candidates, so it's great to make the distinction for them!