JST/HNAR - Part Five: "Only your mother cares..."

...that you won a certificate from Poetry.com.

...that you were a 4-H Champion - in 1978.

...that you were an extra on "Waterworld" in 1992 (and, actually, even your mother might be over that one).

So leave these kinds of things - all of which I have seen within the past week on actual resumes of actual adults looking for actual jobs - off your resume when you are applying for a totally unrelated job.

And, my professional opinion as a recruiter: we don't care about your hobbies, your interests or how many kids you have. Leave everything off your resume that doesn't pertain to your desired position.

The ONLY thing I would ever say would be okay to add (beside the usual legit stuff like employment, education, certifications, recent 4-H championships, etc.) is any volunteer work you did that pertains to your desired position. (Say, you are trying to break into a new career so you have done some unpaid work related to the field. Or you build the case for me that your 1978 4-H award is actually going to help you in this new job in 2006. THAT I might be interested to know about.)

The generic listing of totally unrealted hobbies/interest stuff with no link drawn to the position you are applying for, though? Sure lightening strikes every once in a while and you might happen to charm a hiring manager who is also into writing Bible verses on rice grains, but you might just be wasting the time of everyone else who isn't.

(And P.S. Can you just imagine how tedious the "Waterworld" extra must be at family gatherings?

"Did I tell you about the time Kevin Costner and I shared a fat-free muffin at the craft services table? It was cranberry."

And the rest of the family sighs and changes the subject. Again.)