Say you’re a recruiter, and you’ve just received a resume that includes a paragraph like this:
In my spare time, I am physically active. I run, mountain bike, play tennis, and I teach yoga on weekends. Physical activity keeps my body and mind in shape, and promotes balance and clarity in my life. I belong to a community theater and am active in productions, and I play bass in a band. I am an avid reader. I am a mother of two and gave birth to my second daughter between degrees; taking only 3 months off and continuing to work while taking classes, which shows my drive and tenacity to succeed!
What would you do?
This applicant is trying really hard to impress, and does seem to have a pretty impressive energy level and variety of interests. In spite of that, she’s not going to go on a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s short list. (Not to mention that description of hers makes me think: when are you going to have time to do your job?)
There are many mistakes people make when resume writing, and Too Much Information is a definite mistake. Personal information is usually unnecessary and can even raise discrimination issues.
What you do in your spare time is a lot less important than what you can do for the company. What are your skills? What are your work accomplishments? What have you done that will demonstrate you’ll be a great hire?
Remember your resume’s audience: Who’s reading your resume? What will show them that you’ll be an asset to the company? Don’t annoy employers with irrelevant resume information they have to sift through to find what’s important to them. Because chances are, they won’t.
What will grab an employer’s attention in a positive way? Quantification.
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