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> As someone who used to be able to hire (and hopes to again,
> before too long <whimper>), I regard hobbies and other personal
> information on a resume as irrelevant to the point of being slightly
> unprofessional. When I am to the point where I'm looking to hire
> someone, I want to see the focus that our work requires.
I guess I am a bit more pragmatic. When I was hiring people I also focused
on how targeted their resume was to the position I had open. If they had a
lean resume and having relevant hobbies could bolster their experience, then
I appreciated hearing about it. If they listed "ice fishing" for a position
that documented a CRM, then I viewed it as superfluous.
My opinion on resumes is that they provide a lot more than just the content
on someone's experience. I need people who can design a document, therefore
they had better have a well-designed resume. I figure that I see people at
their best in the interview process - they'll show me their best samples,
they'll be dressed better than when they're working, they'll have answers at
the ready, and they'll put their best face forward when presenting their
resume and credentials. This means that I want to see candidates who look at
the job description and then come to their own decision on whether or not
hobbies (and other items) are relevant.
In the end, it's a case by case issue for me, and I want the candidate to
show me that they can think their way through the hiring process. I let them
decide if they should include their hobbies, and it is as much part of the
"test" as the questions and answers.
Just my $0.02
Rob Domaschuk
Technical Writer, Datalogics inc.
312.853.8337 - t
810.958.2937 - f
"I hear it in the deep heart's core."
- W.B. Yeats, The Lake Isle of Innisfree
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