Including Activities And Hobbies On Your Resume Can Fight Ageism
Recent college graduates are encouraged to include hobbies and extracurricular activities on their resume to fill up space. However, after that, It is commonplace to remove activities and concentrate a resume and cover letters on work alone.
However, times are changing – and many of us fighting against ageism are fighting for the change.
Recently a case is being made for re-adding hobbies and activities to resumes, or for those newly out of the education system, never removing them. The reason being, potential employers will get a better image of who you are if you give them more insight into your likes and your personality.
If you’re into sports and on competitive teams, a potential employer will see a team player when they read your extracurricular resume section. If you compete in a chess league a potential employer will see someone into strategy when they read about your national competition placement. There’s a good chance that your hobbies equate to skills that are highly sought after in the workplace.
It’s also suggested that if you ever participated in an activity in which you were a leader, to include that, no matter how long ago it took place. If you were president of a language club in college, or founded a start-up 20 years ago – put those leadership roles on your resume as extra responsibilities you have taken on in your life.
Many people even argue that including being a parent or pet owner in your resume can show leadership and team player skills, as well as responsibility.
There are also arguments for including any nonprofits you donate to, or support, on your resume in order show future employers that you are conscientious with your paycheck.
In addition to sharing skills, adding activities outside of work to your resume can make you unique in the eyes of potential employers. Not every applicant will have “President of a local birding club” or “Volunteer librarian” on their resume. These additions make you unique.
Try This Resume Activity
Try this – write down the activities you currently participate in outside of work, or past activities where you had big accomplishments. Then, try to match those activities to work skills. Do they equate?
If so, use those hobbies and activities to tell a story about who you are within your resume. Use the extracurricular activities to give a wider picture of what your skills in the office will be other than simply completing your work assignments.
Try to tell a story about who you are in more ways than just your job descriptions alone.
These new inclusions of activities can help fight ageism. They are another avenue for potential employers to really see you, instead of just focusing on your years of experience, or the year of your graduation.
The more you can become a person, with hobbies and added skills, in the eyes of a potential employer, rather than a stereotype they subconsciously create when they see your work experience on paper, the more likely it will be that they will call you.
