Most hobbies by definition involve specialized equipment, special clothing or supplies and tools. And then there’s also the extra stuff you collect as a side effect of doing your hobby: trinkets, paper designs, ceramic figurines, race medals, homemade pottery, vintage records, T-shirts or other cool stuff. Having a strategy to arrange your hobbies into a manageable pile is a very important aspect of sticking to your plan. Here are a few things that might help.
Most hobbies free your mind. They give you a break from the stress of everyday life, whether it’s at work or at home. To make your hobby a “useful” resource in your job search, think of it as an asset that can be used in the future. A lot of people find that taking on part-time jobs or freelance writing can help them put their hobbies on their resume, giving them something relevant to offer employers. If your passion lies in hobbies that help you relax at home or around the water, consider how these can be used to your advantage.
One of the most obvious benefits of having your hobbies listed on your resume (or included in your cover letter) is that your interests are already “in the mix.” The potential employer has to see that you have hobbies outside of work. There are a lot of potential benefits to this strategy. Your potential employer will know your strengths and weaknesses, which could be key elements in deciding if you’re the right fit for the job. If your strengths lie more with working with the “tools” of your craft, you’ll have no problem explaining those to a potential employer. If your skills lie more with creating the finished product, you’ll be able to explain those as well.
Another benefit of listing your best hobbies on your resume is that the prospective employer will have an idea of what you enjoy most. This will eliminate a lot of the guesswork on what your best interest or hobbies are. It’s common sense that if you have a love for reading books, you probably also have a strong interest in the literature field. If you love music and you like to listen to music while you work, chances are you’ll have a working interest in a recording, the recording industry, and the various facets of music creation. Your hobbies are indicators of what you enjoy most. It’s important to be able to tell a potential employer what your strengths and weaknesses are, so that you can develop a job that matches your skills.
You don’t have to choose to list your hobbies on your resume or in your cover letter. You can simply list your personal interests in a separate document, or you can talk about your hobbies in an interview. Listing your hobbies is a great way to get ideas for your new career. What hobbies do you do in order to stay focused and on task? What hobbies do you enjoy most, and which ones do you do because you need to be productive?
There are several options for where to put your hobbies on your resume. One option is to simply list them beneath your contact information. This saves time when writing your contact information because you only have to type in your hobbies and interests. If you’re unsure what to put under your contact information, you can simply list them underneath your career choice. This saves time as well because if you’re interested in the same things as your potential employer, you won’t have to waste time finding out that you’re related to their hobbies.
Another option is to customize your resume to list your interests along with your job description. If you have a hobby such as carpentry, you can tailor your resume to say something like,” specializing in woodworking” or “having a carpentry job description”. This lets employers know that you have a specific area of interest and that you feel passionately about it. You can also tailor your hobbies section to list other skills that you have, allowing your potential employer to see that you can handle various tasks.
If you’re not sure about how to tailor your resume for your particular hobbies, try using a sample resume. Using sample resumes can help you see how to create a custom resume that lists your interests and skills correctly. There are a number of free sample resumes available online, so you can get a lot of ideas from these. Just keep in mind that your sample resume will be different than your actual application. It won’t contain your job history, your phone number, and it won’t include details about your hobbies. Instead, focus on highlighting your unique skills and accomplishments for your potential job.