Ditch the hobbies from CVs

Readers' comments (10)

• Leigh Kelleher | Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:23 pm

  Good luck to NES; I will always put hobbies and interests on my CVs - it has assisted a number of candidates in getting job offers in the past and will continue to in the future.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Jonathan Fagan | Fri, 12 Mar 2010 1:06 pm

  Congratulations to NES Group for managing to get such a blatant marketing piece into Recruiter! What a load of rubbish. Activities and interests are absolutely vital, and makes a considerable difference to the recruitment chances of a person being interviewed. It doesn't necessarily assist at the CV stage, but it definitely does at interview.
  
  Has no-one from that company actually interviewed anyone before? Obviously we recommend not including activities and interests such as playing with my Playstation, socialising, enjoying fine wines, dining out and watching TV, but:
  
  Golf: member of X Club with handicap of 8, Captain 2005-2006.
  Football: played for X United for 10 years, before moving into coaching at U-12 level.
  
  Think these through: for a lot of businesses these will indicate a) the candidate is likely to be fairly fit and active b) they have good standing in society and c) they may bring some work into the business.
  
  There are outsourcing companies of a certain size who give this ridiculous advice as well - a little like the "you must keep the CV to 2 pages" brigade....
  
  Jonathan Fagan
  Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment
  http://www.ten-percent.co.uk

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Keith Jafrato | Fri, 12 Mar 2010 6:04 pm

  Well said "Ten-Percent Legal". Interests/hobbies show that the candidate has some life outside work and if used correctly can indeed say something about a person.
  
  For example when recruiting engineers (NES Global's prime market sector) a candidate that tinkers with steam engines in his spare time indicates to me a "Real Engineer" through and through!!!
  
  Keith Jafrato, BSc Mechanical Engineering
  Ames Consultancy

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Johnny Kay | Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:33 am

  How can someone that works at a "ten percent recruitment agency" have their comments taken seriously?

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Dan Clements | Sun, 14 Mar 2010 2:33 pm

  I'm absolutely in agreement with Jonathan and Leigh on this one. Personal interests, activities and hobbies can be an excellent indicator of an individuals skills and competencies - coaching, captaincy and so forth are both traits one would look for in a leadership or managerial role. Team sports also indicate, well, the ability or at least willingness to be part of a team. Some employers, such as recruitment companies, often look for 'competitive types' for sales roles and the like.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Cathy Welch | Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:19 pm

  I'm with the majority here! I include interests and activities on all my CVs and actively encourage candidates to add them - if their CV is lacking in detail. It says a lot about someone. If you have been captain of a golf club/leader of the Brownies or scouts, participated in team sports etc, it shows you are able to motivate others, lead by example, be a team player, and so on.
  
  I used to work for a high street branch where the branch manager would delete hobbies from CVs - my colleague and I would leave them on.
  
  I occasionally see one word for hobbies eg: reading OR socialising; in which case I despair at the lack of imagination. To the other extreme some go to half a page (and require summarising skills). I once had one that listed blood donor! I am a blood donor too, but would never have listed it under hobbies...

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Saul Philpot | Wed, 17 Mar 2010 3:20 pm

  Absolutely agree with the comments above. Clearly demonstrates with the 'Larger' players in the industry that they are too far removed from day-to-day client care and understanding of their requirements.The diminishing number of suitably qualified engineers within the market ensures that the best recruiters are looking for transferable skills that may also include hobbies and interests.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Jon Exley | Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:14 am

  Of course it depends on the role and what you're looking for. If you want some dreary bore, then fine. When interviewing a potential recruit I always ask about their personal interests. I want to know what makes them tick.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Lee Knowles | Thu, 18 Mar 2010 4:32 pm

  Goodness me! I'm delighted that my article has created such a stir, maybe I should sharpen my quill more often!
  I suppose what I'm driving at is that jobs should be offered to those candidates that demonstrate the skills and experience to perform them the best. If we accept that this is so, then surely everything else is of secondary concern at best. Indeed it could be argued that if the hobbies/interests of a candidate happen to coincide with those of the interviewer, then this could in fact create a form of halo effect, ie.bias and indeed discrimination in the process. This argument should not be misconstrued as one of 'personality fit', which of course is essential, we are simply talking about what people do in their spare time.
  We could also explore which hobbies are acceptable and which are not. If we accept that extremities such as pole dancing on the one hand are not acceptable, and (as has been suggested) mundane or uninspired hobbies such as 'going out' are equally unacceptable, then does that not leave us with a middle ground that is, by requirement, so prescribed as to be of no value anyway?
  It may be that I come from a sector of the market where the inclusion of hobbies/interests is less common or relevant (comments that large agencies such as mine are somehow divorced from client/candidate care are a little self-promotional for my liking), I am certainly prepared to accept that in other industries this may not necessarily be the case. Come on though guys, my own interview training teaches me to ask the question on interests at an interview as a means of breaking the ice at the beginning or signing off at the end, so I'm not arguing that hobbies or interests should play no part at all, simply that it can be unwise to advertise them and even more unwise to make decisions based upon them.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment

• Steve | Thu, 18 Mar 2010 9:00 pm

  I agree with NES. The number of CVs that list DIY and gardening as hobbies is just a bore. All that says is they can't afford a plumber and they have to cut the lawn! If that forms a major part of the recruitment criteria I'll be surprised.
  
  The other "old chestnut" is "socialising" – take this to be going out boozing with your mates.
  
  If I list 'a lifelong supporter of Manchester United and season ticket-holder' (I'm not BTW), how would my application be viewed in Liverpool? Hobbies and interests are personal, and how we spend our off-work time plays no useful part on a CV.

  Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment