Member Article

Hobbies help when it comes to CVs

People are taking up more unusual hobbies, but are forgetting to put them on their CVs to impress potential employers. One in three job seekers fails to mention what they do in their own time, according to a report by Yell.com. At the same time, employers increasingly see outside interests as an important factor when they are hiring new staff.

Going to the cinema was the most popular activity followed by photography, golf, gardening, and DIY, the survey found. Other people are taking up unusual hobbies such as belly dancing, kite surfing and parachuting.

Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, said: “Despite many people shying away from the hobbies section on their CVs, we have noticed many are searching for more unusual interests. “Our research also revealed the UK’s underlying desire to try something new, with one in five people expressing an interest in learning a foreign language, almost one in ten women saying they’d be interested in taking pole dancing lessons, and one in ten men claiming they’d be interested in taking up water skiing or other watersports.”

Employers wanted to know about a candidates’ outside interests as well as their job qualifications and experience, the report said.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .