My CV – or résumé if you’re from west of the Atlantic – includes the following line, under the “Skills and Attributes” section:
“Physical & mental endurance: solo cycle across Africa and ultra-marathons in three countries.”
There are two reasons that I continue to include this line in my CV:
- I believe that enjoyment of endurance sports indicates attributes that are helpful in the workplace. Perhaps the most basic is that the applicant takes fitness seriously, so they are likely to be able to work full days, fulfil travel commitments, and not take many days off sick. Beyond that, people who participate in endurance sports seek out and persevere with discomfort, whether in training or racing. This could translate to having the mental infrastructure in place to cope with a demanding role. Of course, interviewers should seek to confirm both of these assumptions rather than accepting them at face value… which leads to my second point.
- Referring to sporting interests serves to humanise me and to potentially create a point of connection with the interviewers. Several applicants might tick the boxes on qualifications and experiences, leading to a pile of CVs that seem to represent ultra-comparable would-be task-completers. The recruiter may as well create their shortlist through random selection. If my CV gives a glimpse into my interests and mentality as a person, maybe I’ll stand out from the others and be able to take part in an interview that resembles a human-to-human conversation rather than a courtroom cross examination.
To conclude: don’t write off your interests or idiosyncrasies as aspects that should be hidden from view when making job applications. Finding a way to include them may help to indicate that you have the mindset that the employer is looking for, or at least serve to humanise you and facilitate connection.