Re: Interview Questions (interests/accomplishments)

[Penny Staples <pstaples -at- AIRWIRE -dot- COM>]

Seem to me that as long as you stay away from sex, religion and politics, a
line or two mentioning your outside interests or accomplishments isn't going
to do any harm. We all have lives outside of work (I hope), and I think it's
good to acknowledge this. By mentioning my interests on a resume, I am
giving a potential employer clues about my personality. If one of my
interests offends that potential employer to the point where I don't get an
interview, then at least I haven't wasted my time or theirs.

Penny Staples
pstaples -at- airwire -dot- com


-----Original Message-----
From: Laurel Nelson <Laurel_Y_Nelson -at- NOTES -dot- SEAGATE -dot- COM>
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Date: May 15, 1998 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: Interview Questions (interests/accomplishments)


>Andrea Ridgley wrote:
>For example, my husband included in his resume (for a government position)
>that he was Capt. of the high school wrestling team, and that he was an
>Eagle Scout. He got an interview only because he mentioned these two
>activities.  He got the job!   They were looking for someone with
>leadership skills, accomplishments, and determination (because it takes
>years to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout).
>_________________________
>
>*Accomplishments* is the key word here. Your husband took an interest and
>developed it until he excelled in that discipline far above the average
>person, which proved that he had some outstanding personal qualities.
>So....maybe it's okay to mention a major accomplishment even  if it's
>connected to a personal interest.
>
>>From a human resource point of view, focusing too much on personal
>interests during an interview can be dangerous because it may lead the
>interviewer to hire someone because of similar interests rather than
>skills.
>
>Laurel
>
>
>
>