Should I put hobbies on my resume? Some people say yes, others say no. What do you think? And if you think I should, what kinds of hobbies look good?
TIL, Qeorguv
DEAR TR,
LawCrossing is frightfully curious as to exactly what your hobbies are, TR, that you would be concerned about whether they 'look good'- but perhaps she is still reacting to the "Hooters girl" letter she received a couple of months ago.
Beyond that, TR, be on the lookout for hobbies or interests that exhibit other traits LawCrossing has heard about: hobbies or interests that show discipline, or rainmaking ability, or a connection with the employer.
Let's see how these hobbies work, in practice. There is a universe of interesting hobbies. LawCrossing knows of one law student who wowed an on-campus interviewer by mentioning on his resume that he could do perfect imitations of both Elvises, Costello and Presley. The interviewer noticed this immediately and said, "Is it true?" When the student said that it was, the interviewer said, "Well, let's see them!" The student proceeded to do flawless imitations of the Elvises, and was rewarded with a callback interview.
Of course, hobbies don't have to be that interesting to generate enthusiasm! For instance, jogging might not flip anybody's switch, whereas taking part in mini- triathlons would-it's both interesting and it takes an awful lot of discipline, at least more than the bon-bon eating LawCrossing has. Golf or tennis, on the other hand, isn't terribly interesting or exotic, but many new associates have told LawCrossing that if there was one thing they could have changed about law school, they would have taken the time to learn how to play golf. (It can be that integral to-ahem-client development.) And any hobby or interest is elevated to the level of "must-appear-on-resume" if you know, ahead of time, that the interviewer, or everyone at the office, takes part in a certain hobby-fly fishing, or softball, or basketball, for instance. Especially at smaller law firms, there is often an extracurricular activity that bonds the lawyers together-and if you find out what that activity is and it appears on your resume, you've got a clear advantage over those who did not unearth that tidbit of law firm culture.
LawCrossing leaves it to your imagination, TR, to envision the upshot of this interview.
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Another student, feeling stating an interest in classical music was a bit too mundane, put on his resume that he was interested in seventeenth-century Viennese opera. At one interview, the employer noticed this and said eagerly, "You, too? Which is your favorite?" (The student responded, perfectly honestly when you think about it, "Gee, it's so hard to choose.") Another student stated on his resume that his hobby was "Japanese animation," leading one to believe that he liked to create cartoons. No; what he meant was that he liked to watch "Speed Racer." Yet another student stated that he liked to read novels in Flemish. It just so happened that at one firm where he interviewed-a firm with an international practice-one of the lawyers had just received a piece of correspondence, in Flemish, and figured that since this student knew how to speak Flemish there was no point in having the letter professionally translated. Except that when the lawyer handed the student the letter . . . well, the jig was up.
Clearly you get LawCrossing's point-don't lie! The other point to remember about hobbies and interests is more subtle, but equally important, and it's this: be aware of the implications of certain hobbies. Most obvious in this regard are partisan politics. Although party politics shows great civic involvement and rain- making ability, here's the potential problem: if you are heavily involved in one party, lawyers who are equally enamored of the other party might fear that you'll bring your politics to the office with you, and an otherwise calm office environment will dissolve into philosophical arguments. For interests like these, LawCrossing has heard from many people that it is far wiser to research employers before you send them a resume in the first place, to ensure that an important element of your life is shared by those you work with. In fact, the very people you meet in political activities can be excellent door- openers for you.
But beyond obvious political issues, there is a whole flock of hobbies that are, well, not mainstream. For instance, LawCrossing herself has long been a Star Trek fan, but she realizes that were this fact to appear on a resume, it would raise the spectre of a fanatic who wears a Star Trek uniform, spends every free moment engaging in role-playing games, and lives for conventions where she might cadge Mr. Sulu's autograph. As a result, putting 'Trekkie' on her resume might not engage employers as she would otherwise hope.
Please, please, please remember, TR, that none of this is engraved in stone. While most lawyers like to see hobbies and interests on a resume, some feel they are out of place. And for every hobby that would leave most lawyers cold, somebody will latch onto it immediately. Take synchronized swimming. One student who ignored the advice of her career services director to leave it off her resume, got an interview-and subsequently, a plum job-because one partner who read her resume happened to have a wife who was a synchronized swimmer herself. And another student who actually did put 'Trekkie' on her resume as a hobby landed an interview with a Kentucky firm because they represented a Star Trek cast member in horse disputes. While both of these connections might have been unearthed with an extraordinary amount of research, they were serendipitous. And no amount of good advice, even from LawCrossing's wonderful experts, can ever make up for that!
So you've got your marching orders, TR. Include those hobbies, as long as they're either interesting, show discipline, rainmaking ability, leadership ability, or make a connection with the employer. And whatever you do, don't lie-it's not just good for your soul, it's good for your job search, too.
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