Ironman on Resume??? (Page 2)

Alright, alright - I'll give you one bullet.  THAT'S IT!!

I guess you can say it depends on the job, but my personal opinion is that I've never thought it was a good idea to list hobbies on a resume.  

Hobbies are a very personal thing, kind of like religion, politics, etc. and the chances are that it really doesn't have any direct relevance to the job you're applying for.  Why risk having it viewed as a potential negative if you don't have to? 

All that rationalization about how it shows hard work, dedication, accomplishment, etc, really doesn't hold water.  The potential employer wants to know that you're going to be commited to, and perform well in the job you're interviewing for, not how dedicated you are to your hobbies or outside interests.

In my experience I've seen mentioning Ironman/triathlons on a resume generally viewed as a negative, particularly by potential employers who understand the amount of training it takes for an IM.   

In one situation, fair or not fair, it was due to the employer's previous experience with IMer's taking time away from work to train to the point where it directly impacted their job performance.  The worst situation was where one former employee lied about it, claiming they were out of the office every Thursday afternoon "meeting with clients", when they were actually getting in their long ride for the week. 

All t?hat being said, i?t? ??m?i?g?h?t? ?n?o?t??????? hurt to mention outside interests and hobbies during the interview process if the conversation goes in a direction where you think mentioning it might make you a more attractive candidate.  Just use your best judgement.

Mark

My thought on resumes is that they should be custom built for the job you are applying for.  If you simply update your resume and send it out to 10 different companies for 10 slightly different jobs, then you're making a huge mistake already.  It's sort of like if a football team has the exact same game plan against every team they played. 

If you feel that listing triathlong, marathons, or Ironmans will be to your advantage for a specific job/company...then go for it. 

I believe in the 1 page, very clean resume (unless of course you know the company prefers 2-3 page resumes...but when in doubt, I assume they don't).  The job of the resume is to get you an interview...not to get you the job. 

I want to "wet the appetite" of the employer with a short, brief snapshot of myself and make him think..."hey, this guy sounds interesting.  I don't know enough about him now, but I want to meet him and learn more".  If I can get the interview...then it's my job from there to sell myself with the details. 

So I usually end up with a 2 page resume, and have to cut out one page.  Space is extremely valuable...so I have to choose carefully what I cut out and what I leave in.  For me personally, I would have to have inside information that the employer is an active athlete for me to include triathlons as a "interest and hobby" on my resume.  Or maybe if I'm applying for a position with the WTC...LOL.

If you do get the interview...chances are that the interviewer will either ask you about outside interests, or give you the opportunity to drive the conversation off topic.  Again...it's you're job to feel this out and determine if it's to your benefit.  The same game plan does not work all the time.

Yeah, maybe this is a different thread.. but how does one manage a single page resume?  Really tiny font? I am serious!  My name and address, school (just BA and MA), plus last few pertinent jobs with about 3 "highlights" per job covers the first page.  I finally cut down my preceeding pertinent positions to title and company only, after the most recent 3 positions, and it still covers too much real estate.

For the HR and hiring professionals around here:   How small of a font is okay (talking non-CV, non-academic jobs)?  How much detail did you need? 

I had to look at my resume again and completely forgot that I have been trying a different tactic - that takes much more room.  I have been addressing the main points of the job requirements with details (number of years, examples) for each a the top.  I figured if the job description spells out "must have 5+ years managing professional level staff members" then I wouldn't require that the recruiter go hunting for where/how I did that. 

Then I post the job history, with some less details actually if the details are above.

Then education.

That might seem odd, but I apply for jobs in a really specific field where everyone has the same degree.  Random folks don't apply for these jobs, the qualifications are really specific.