by Rebekah Mobley-Kasner

Created on: October 27, 2009

Who are you? What skill sets do you possess? And how will your more idealistic qualities contribute to a company? In two pages or less, your resume answers these questions and leaves the reader, your potential employer left wanting to know more. In short, your resume is a written reflection of who you are in the workplace, the most ideal depiction, of course.

In concise language, utilizing bullet points and plenty of white space, your resume becomes a picture, a sales pitch of who you promise to be as an employee. This depiction requires more than just listing relevant experience and education; listing pertinent hobbies adds a dimension of personality while tapping possible skill sets and character qualities.

However similar to handpicking the best references and previous jobs, the hobbies listed on your resume should be carefully chosen. The listed items have the opportunity to reflect the quality of your character and enhance your image all while being pertinent the position or even career field.

Ideally, the link between this hobby and the position you are applying for is clearly defined, possibly in your cover letter. Often hobbies and volunteer activities are similar, if not parallel and show a natural interest or passion. If you are applying for a position in personnel management, then coaching little league as a hobby shows leadership and an ability to handle situations with numerous varied personalities.Listing a love of knitting and explaining in your cover letter how that hobby illustrates your meticulous patience would be especially relevant when applying for a factory job that requires being routinely detail orientation. Often hobbies can provide a wealth of transferable skill sets.

While some hobbies can positively impact your resume, other hobbies can cast an counterproductive reflection. Instead of enhancing your persona, certain pursuits may cast a suspect light on the resume holder. Will listing your love of skydiving inspire future employers to think of you as a fearless, go getter or someone who will be out of the office with a broken leg? Listing activities unrelated to your profession could lead a potential employer to assume you would lack the time to be dedicated. Although your resume is a well-rounded reflection, extraneous information only serves to muddle the focus.

Don't forget, brevity is highly prized in resume writing, so avoid wasting space on immaterial information. If whether or not you play the acoustic guitar doesn't enhance your ability to perform in the work place, than don't mention it. Since you are being judged strictly on your resume and cover letter, every word used reflects part of who you are. So choose those words carefully.

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