There’s always a lot of debate about the Interests & Activities section.  Should you or shouldn’t you include one on your CV?

As with many other aspects of your CV, there are reasons for and reasons against.

First let’s look at the reasons against including such a section:

• Space is normally at a premium in a CV.  It is vital to prioritise and only include information which will help to make your case.  So why include your hobbies and pastimes?  Are they relevant?
• A number of surveys have resulted in comments from recruiters that Interests & Activities sections are “a waste of space” or, worse, “tiresome and tedious”.
• A trained recruiter should theoretically totally disregard this section when short-listing – because it’s technically of no relevance whatsoever to the candidature and is notorious for including exaggerations and mistruths.
• An interesting survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation found that 71% of recruiters had actually decided not to short-list a candidate purely as a result of information they put under Interests & Activities.

Now let’s tackle the reasons why you should include such a section:

• Whilst nobody has yet conducted a survey specifically to research this, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of recruiters deciding to call someone in for an interview purely as a result of what they’ve included on their CV under Interests & Activities.  I, for one, will admit to having done so when hiring.
• We are naturally attracted to people who share our own interests in life so if your interests match those of the recruiter reading your CV there is a high probability it will increase your chances of their interviewing you.
• Without an Interests & Activities section a CV can be rather a cold, lifeless document.  Including brief details of what you do outside of office hours can bring a much-needed personal touch to a CV.
• Sifting through large piles of CVs can be very tedious indeed and reading the Interests & Activities sections can make the task that little bit more interesting for the recruiter.
• Anything (within reason!) that can help your CV stand out from the crowd and grab the reader’s attention could give you an advantage over other potential candidates.
• Whilst saying that you enjoy ‘socialising’ might well come across as a “tiresome and tedious waste of space” in the eyes of a recruiter, with a little thought and effort you should be able to come up with some more imaginative alternatives.
• Giving an interviewer the opportunity to talk about your Interests & Activities can be an excellent ice-breaker.
• Besides knowing whether you’re capable of actually doing the job, most employers are keen to know what sort of a person you would be like to work alongside.  Yes, they can get an idea at interview but your Interests & Activities can also give them some insight.
• Employers are generally keen to have a diversity of characters within their team and are always on the lookout for someone who can add a new dimension to the team.

So what to conclude?

Yes, I have listed more reasons for including an Interests & Activities section than I have listed not to include one.  And, for the time being, I remain firmly convinced that you most certainly should include such a section on your CV.  But – and this is very important – you most certainly should not go overboard on it.  Keep it short.  Keep it simple.  Don’t write a whole essay about what you do in your spare time!

If you can include an Achievements section then it can really make an instant and dramatic difference to the power of your CV, enabling you to distinguish yourself from other candidates.  This is no time for false modesty.  This is a time to show what you have achieved – and to imply that you will be capable of achieving similar results in the future.

The one goal of your CV is to get you an interview and this one change to your CV will undoubtedly help to get you noticed, leading to more interview invitations.  ‘Achievements’ is a powerful and positive word and it will immediately convey a powerful and positive impression of you to the reader.

Numbers often speak more than words.  Wherever possible you should aim to qualify your statements with specific figures if you really want to maximise the impact.  Using qualifying adjectives like ‘major’, ‘substantial’ and ‘significant’ is all very well but do try to quote precise figures, percentages, etc. if at all possible.  Don’t just make a claim – back up that claim.

A large percentage of people seem to think it’s permissible to tell a few small porkies when writing their CV.  Many think it’s acceptable because “everyone else does it”.  But I would always strongly caution anyone against telling anything but the truth on their CV.  Any inaccuracies on a CV can give an employer grounds to dismiss an employee immediately for ‘gross misconduct’ – and employers do have ways of checking up on you.

Whether or not you tell the ‘whole’ truth, though, is another matter entirely.  You are under no obligation to include every detail of your life history within your CV and any information which could be perceived negatively should, generally, be omitted or excluded.  Examples include being fired from a previous job.  Clearly you should always put as positive a spin as possible on the contents of your CV but it’s a fine line – and only you can really be the judge of what is and is not acceptable.

To take an example, if you achieved a poor degree classification then leaving this classification out and focussing within the CV on the content of your degree course can draw the employer’s attention onto more positive material.

I have seen many thousands of CVs, covering pretty much every possible kind of job, and the difference in them is vast. However, the same common mistakes crop up time and time again. Too many jobseekers miss out on their dream job because of a small number of easily avoided blunders.

Whilst writing The CV Book, I conducted a comprehensive analysis of over 2,500 CVs to derive a ‘Top 15’ most common CV writing mistakes:

1. Inclusion of photographs

People often include photos of themselves on their CV. Don’t! Unless you are applying to be a model or wish to work as an actor/actress then including a photo with/on your CV is definitely not recommended – at least not within the UK.

2. Inappropriate heading

Your CV should be headed with your name – and just your name – boldly and clearly – before any other details – contact details, etc. They should no longer be headed ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’. It’s very old-fashioned.

3. Missing or inappropriate email addresses

Whilst having no email address at all on your CV is clearly a problem, it’s not something I see very often. Far more common is the use of fun or jokey email addresses. Whilst these may be fine for corresponding with friends and family, employers will probably regard more ‘serious’ email addresses as simply more professional.

4. Superfluous personal details at the top of the CV

My clients often feel that it is compulsory to include details such as their marital status, nationality, number (and ages) of children/dependants, etc. Whilst, yes, it certainly used to be the norm to include this sort of information on a CV, it is now increasingly rare, given modern anti-discrimination legislation, to find these sorts of details on a CV. They simply aren’t relevant.

5. Lack of clear section headings/separation of sections

It is vitally important for your CV to be easy for the reader to scan quickly and, to this end, clear section headings and separation of sections is essential. I often recommend the use of lines or other graphic devices in this respect, although there are other ways of achieving a clearer separation.

6. Writing in the first person

The words ‘I’ and ‘me’ are often used repeatedly in homemade CVs. CVs should be written exclusively in the third person. It might seem unnatural to write a document about yourself and yet never use either ‘I’ or ‘me’ but recruitment experts conclusively agree that this is the best way to do it. Don’t give your reader I-strain!

7. Lack of proper Professional Profile

A Professional Profile is a brief statement at the very beginning of a CV which, in the space of a few short lines, conveys to the reader an overall impression of your key personal and professional characteristics. It’s essentially an introduction and should give the reader an overview before they read on in further detail.

8. Inappropriate section order

It’s extremely important to choose an appropriate order for the various sections of your CV. For example, the decision whether to put your Education & Qualifications before or after your Career History is critical. It all depends on what is your greater selling point.

9. No bullet pointing

In today’s fast-paced world, recruiters no longer have the time to read large, solid blocks of prose. They need to extract the information they need – and they need to do it fast. Long paragraphs of prose are tiresome for a recruiter to read right through and, as a result, many simply won’t bother.

And this is where bullet pointing comes in…

10. Reverse chronological order not used

It is a standard convention on CVs to use reverse chronological order, i.e. to present your most recent information first, followed by older – and consequently less relevant – information. And I would strongly suggest you make sure your CV conforms to this.

11. Excessive details of interests

You should aim to keep your interests section brief. As with every other aspect of your CV, do include what you feel will count in your favour – but be selective about it. Choose carefully. You may indeed have a passion for model railways – but do you really want the recruiter to know that?!

12. Date of Birth included

I often get asked whether or not you should include your date of birth (or age) on a CV.

No, you shouldn’t. Not since the introduction of The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

13. Referees included

Details of referees generally shouldn’t be included on your CV. They’re a waste of valuable space! They clutter it up and, more importantly, you will find that your referees get pestered unnecessarily by time wasters. By the time they have handled their umpteenth enquiry of the day, they are a lot less likely to say nice things about you!

14. Spelling, Grammar & Typos

It is impossible to stress enough how important this issue is. Spelling and grammatical errors are amongst the most irritating errors a recruiter sees, amongst the most damaging errors you can make – and are also amongst the most easily avoided. The answer is to check, check and check again – and then have someone else check for good measure!

15. Length

This is one of the most common problems I see when people prepare their own CVs – they’re quite simply too long.

I have seen CVs over 30 pages long (true!) with photocopies of all their certificates on top of that.

This is not an autobiography you’re writing. It’s a curriculum vitae. It’s a lot shorter!

So what are the tricks of the trade?

I’ve obviously written a lot of CVs; what five things should job seekers bear in mind when writing their own CV?

Within The CV Book, I list what I consider to be the five top tips:

1) Maximise readability: It’s essential for your CV to be easy for the reader to scan quickly and effectively.

2) Include a Professional Profile and Objective: These sections should summarise and emphasise your key attributes and your intended future career path.

3) Include Achievements where possible: If you can include an Achievements section then it can make an instant and dramatic difference to the power of your CV, enabling you to distinguish yourself from other candidates.

4) Keep your CV concise and to-the-point: Too many CVs are quite simply too long. Only include information which will actually help to sell you.

And…

5) Target/tailor your CV: A carefully targeted CV can easily mean the difference between success and failure.