Resume Tips – Hobbies, References & Font
Awhile back there was an entertaining AskReddit thread that came across my news feed. “Employers of Reddit, what is the most unique/outrageous thing someone has put on a resume?” I love these threads because they are real life examples of what people have done, and how it’s been received by the employer. This one, in particular, had some entertaining resume tips.
Early on in my career, I was helping one of my close friends update his resume. He had an MBA from a well-known school in Washington. He’s a smart guy and just wasn’t getting any interest from his resume. As I was going over his resume, things were looking good, until we got to the hobbies section. In his hobbies section, it said: “Cigar and wine connoisseur.” No joke. I asked him about it. He told me that he included it so that prospective employers would think he was cultured and sophisticated. I explained that while I understood what he was going for, he wasn’t applying for a job in the food, wine or cigar industry. Instead of conveying that he was sophisticated, that statement would indicate that he was a drinker and a smoker to employers. Not the message you want to send as a job applicant.
A few of the best replies:
Hobbies & Interests
I don’t recommend including a hobbies section on resumes. If there’s something that is relevant to the job and there is not another place it fits you could make it work, but it’s not the preferred option. As I mentioned in the example with my friend, I’ve seen all kinds of hobbies and interests listed on resumes. Recently, a client had ballroom dancing, weight lifting, and soccer listed, and was looking for a position as a project manager. In a resume, you need to make every word count.
Hobbies or interests that are not job related take up extra space and don’t add value. If you don’t have a long work history and you are looking to fill space, it’s more efficient to have a volunteer or skills section than hobbies.
References
When I was in school, resumes were supposed to have the tagline “references available upon request” at the bottom. Thanks to online applications, companies can ask for references in the system. Job applicants should have three solid professional references to use, but they don’t belong on the resume. Your references should know that they are your references, and hopefully, have good things to say about you. It’s SO important to ask your reference before putting their information down. Professional references could be:
- Supervisors
- Co-workers
- Teachers/Principals
- Volunteer leaders
- Clients
Professional references are not:
- Family members (even with a different name)
- Friends
- Neighbors
Font
Applicants have a lot of options when it comes to font choices for their resume. Your font should convey professionalism and not distract from the content of the resume. The biggest thing you want to ensure is that the font is readable. That means a font size no smaller than 10 points and absolutely no script fonts. Personally, my preference is for serif fonts, like Times New Roman, Georgia or Garamond. Sans Serif fonts can work on a resume too if they have clean lines. Examples of san serif fonts that work well are Ariel, Helvetica, and Century Gothic. Please don’t consider fonts like Comic Sans, Brush Script, and Papyrus. They are distracting and confusing to read.
Best of luck in your resume updates. If you’re not sure where to start on your edits, we can help. Visit our Resume Services page to learn more about options for updating your resume.