NES is advising candidates to refrain from giving details of their hobbies and interests in CVs.
The technical recruitment company, which has a head office in Altrincham, insists personal interests aren’t appropriate in CVs when applying for professional roles. Though it is assumed they spark an interesting conversation, they are often entirely unrelated to the position and can prompt employers to have preconceived opinions about individuals.
Drawing on his expertise, Lee Knowles, UK regional director for NES Group, feels this is a definite no-no and is up there with incorrect spellings and ‘fabrications of the truth’.
Commenting on the issue, Lee said: “While sharing details of your personal hobbies may seem like it gives ‘colour’ to a CV, it can backfire by prompting employers to make a judgement about you.
“It is best to avoid steering into this territory by keeping your CV factual and professional. This way you know employers stay focused on the important content and are swayed by your professional expertise and not your extra curricular activity.”
Lee has a series of horror stories to back this up, with candidates citing taxidermy, mud wrestling and even pole dancing among their hobbies on CVs.
He added: “While these interests certainly raise an eyebrow, it’s not necessarily for the right reasons.”
