Blogging with The Doctor Job

I’m not sure whose idea it was to begin putting a “personal interests & hobbies” section on a resume, but I believe it to be one of the worst ideas in resume writing history. The basic reasoning behind the category is that it will help job applicants to appear well-rounded; that by listing your favorite hobbies, you can help paint yourself as a real person instead of just a bland list of degrees, jobs and medical certifications.

If you are answering a personal ad or trying to find a friend instead of an employer, then describing what you like to do in your spare time is an important thing to do. But the purpose of your CV is to get you a job practicing medicine. As a physician, you are looking for a serious job that involves life and death. Do you really think someone is going to be interested in hiring you because you like to travel, read mystery novels, and cook Mexican food?

The problem with almost all “personal interests and hobbies” is that they fall into one of two categories: 1) boring, or 2) lame. Boring interests are the ones that everyone seems to have: reading, traveling, cooking, biking, jogging, sports, hiking, etc. These are certainly not going to fascinate anyone. And if you think a prospective employer is going to say “Hey, I like hiking, too! I’ve got to meet this guy!” you’re wrong.

Lame interests are those which make you appear, well, lame: darts, checkers, scrabble, haiku poetry, needlepoint, crafting, scrapbooking, Star Trek, etc. If you list stuff like this you run the risk of being labeled a “loser” and having your CV passed around the office for people to laugh at. Believe me. In fact, at one company I worked for we had a Wall of Shame where we posted the most ridiculous “personal interests” sections that came across our desks.

So it’s not just that listing your personal interests won’t help you; it can actually hurt you. My advice? Leave them off completely. The opportunity to show how interesting and well-rounded you are will come when you’re offered an interview.