Interests
The debate continues as to whether this section should even be included on a resume. Some employers like it because it gives them a glimpse into your personality and arms them with conversational icebreakers for the interview. Don't be surprised if many of your interviews begin with questions about your interests. Other employers dismiss the Interests section as irrelevant and a waste of space. But most everyone seems to agree that if you do decide to include an interests section, the items you list should be either relevant to your career goal or fairly unique. If you're applying for a position with the Foreign Policy Association, listing international travel (and perhaps naming some of the countries or continents you've visited) makes perfect sense since presumably through your travel you've developed a greater awareness of what's going on in the world around you. It's doubtful, however, that the folks at the Foreign Policy Association could really give two tamales that you enjoy listening to New Age music.
Listing unique interests is another way to get the attention of the employer. Just be careful that whatever you list doesn't reflect negatively on your ability to make sound judgments. If you list skydiving and bungee jumping as your interests you will definitely get noticed, but few employers will consider you seriously. First of all they'll think you're a lunatic, and secondly they'll be afraid that after a couple weeks on the job you'll get injured and go on permanent disability.
If you choose to list interests simply because you want to present a side of yourself that doesn't emerge through your professional or academic life, that's okay too. Just be as specific as possible-the more generic the interest, the less interesting you will appear. For example you might want to list "mystery novels" instead of "reading," "tango" instead of "dance," "Truffaut films" instead of "cinema” and ''long distance running" instead of "fitness." Whatever you do, don't list an interest which doesn't really arouse your passion. With your luck that will be the one interest that the recruiter asks about.
Also, if you've competed successfully in one or more of your areas of interest, you might want to mention this. Just be careful not to give the impression that you live and die for your interests-remember that you're applying for a job. A final word of caution: stay away from topics like religion and politics unless you desire to be labeled according to your beliefs. The fun part about including interests on your resume is that their effect on the reader is completely unpredictable. Some interviewers will want to chat with you for hours because you both like to ski at Stowe. Others will gloss over the section and basically ignore it. Still others will despise you sight-unseen because you've indicated that you run marathons when they're still struggling to make it once around the block.
What Not To Include On Your Resume
Don't list height and weight, references, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, marital status, the names and ages of your children, and the reasons why you left each job. And don't staple a photo of yourself to your resume.
Hey Jealousy Valerie Galbo, currently the National Sales Manager at American Banker, recalled that many years ago while she was working at an advertising agency in Texas, one job applicant included a detailed description on her resume of why she had left each of her jobs. She indicated that one departure was due to the fact that "my ex-boyfriend returned to town and didn't like the fact that I was working for my current boyfriend, so I have no choice but to leave/'
Additional Categories Well folks, that just about does it for your basic Ail-American resume. Now for those of you who want to get really fancy or have special career needs, you may want to consider some of the optional categories listed below.
Community Service
If you're leaning toward a career in non-profit or social service, and even if you're not, you can create a Community Service category to serve as home for all the wonderful volunteer work you've done which wasn't substantial enough to make it into your Experience section. Here you can mention the fact that every Thanksgiving you help prepare a feast at the local soup kitchen, and that each Spring you assist with coordinating the annual AIDS walk. If nothing else, listing these activities will show that you have a kind heart.
Professional Affiliations or Memberships
This category is generally most appropriate for graduates who have already established themselves professionally and are active members of one or more professional associations (such as the American Psychological Association). "Active" is the key word here, meaning that you attend conferences, workshops, and seminars, and possibly serve on one of the organization's committees. Including this category demonstrates that you are committed to your field, and are interested in developing yourself professionally.
Professional Development or Continuing Education
This is a perfect section in which to list all the workshops, seminars, and classes you've attended that were not part of your formal degree program. If you were employed at a large organization, perhaps you took advantage of training that was offered in areas like conflict resolution, creative problem solving, or crisis management. Or maybe you sought out adult education classes on your own to keep abreast of what's going on in your field. The point is that you have taken the initiative to enrich yourself, acquire new skills, and build your knowledge base. Those are achievements worth mentioning. When listing continuing education classes, the main concern is to indicate the subject being studied. When you took the class and where is less important. However, if the course was offered by a world-renowned expert, or at a well-known institution, then feel free to list this information.
