CV Writing - Optional Elements Part 1

CV: Interests Section

Most people seem to think that an 'Interests' section should always be included in a CV. The truth is this conviction has more to do with habit than any compelling, logical reason why an Interests section should appear.

When writing your CV you should start from the premise that absolutely everything you include should contribute something valuable to the overall impression you are projecting to the reader. As far as possible a CV has to act as a kind of narrative that tells a meaningful story about you. There should be no jarring notes and no incongruities. So, your Interests section, like any other bit of your CV should only list pastimes which you can use to demonstrate a quality you know to be of interest to an employer.

You don't always need to explicitly state which quality it is your pastime demonstrates but it can be useful to be slightly more expansive. For example you might list one of your hobbies as playing rugby. Then again you might list it like this:

Rugby - created a new team in a local league. As captain and treasurer of the team I am responsible for organising training schedules, fitness plans, organising team funds and social events.

Rather than just baldly list one of your interests as rugby, by which the reader might infer you are a good team player, you have demonstrated considerably more - namely that you possess initiative, organisational skill, motivational skills, leadership skills and financial management skills. That's the kind of power-packed presentation that justifies an interests section.

If your interests aren't self-evidently valuable in terms of transferable skills, it's probably best to omit them from your CV entirely. After all, what value does it actually bring to your application if you blandly tell the reader you, 'like reading, roller-skating and socialising' ?

Not much, we venture.