Should You Cross This Lineto Get the Job?

ByElizabeth Garone

 

1 In today’spress-a-button-and-it’s-sent environment, résumés and CVs flood many companiesat a staggering pace. Google, for instance, averages 50,000 résumés a week.

 

2 The average time spent on arésumé by recruiters is a mere six seconds. Maybe that’s why some people,particularly in the tech world, have begun looking for other ways to stand out.The question: is it bragging or relevant to add, say, that you’re anultra-marathon runner or that you’ve summited Mount Qomolangma?

 

Show a little personality

3 The answer: it depends. Thisis, again, where tailoring a CV to the position you’re seeking — and even thecompany and hiring managers you’re targeting — is crucial.

 

4 “If you are trying todemonstrate that you embody perseverance and dedication, including on a CV thatyou ran a marathon can demonstrate your personality and values,” said NewJersey-based Merrick Rosenberg, CEO of Take Flight Learning and author of The Chameleon.

 

5 On the other hand, mentioningthat you ran five marathons could come across as bragging, according toRosenberg, so avoid going overboard with personal achievements. “Identifying afew impressive accomplishments can help make the case that you are the type ofperson they would like to hire,” he said.

 

6 But, in general, with so manypeople going for the same job, don’t be afraid to include your personalinterests and hobbies on your CV, said Southern Australia-based Jo Schneider,director and founder of consulting firm DVE Business Solutions, in an email.“[It] gives me an idea of the applicant’s personality and helps medifferentiate appropriate candidates from the pack,” she said. “I am able toget a very quick snapshot at what makes you tick.”

 

7 That helps her keep her team“dynamic, diverse and in line with my company’s culture and values”.

 

8 Small details can say a lot,Schneider said. For example, if someone watches movies, reads, and cooks, thenhe or she is probably introverted but creative. Plays sports? There’s a highchance of being sociable and competitive. Those who enjoy singing, dancing andlive entertainment and music, are likely to be fun, outgoing and energetic, shesaid.

 

Choose carefully

9 Mentioning irrelevant — andpossibly controversial — hobbies, such as hunting or cage fighting, can crossthe line, said Kate Headley, director of The Clear Company, a UK-baseddiversity consultancy, in an email.

 

10 “While CVs can act to helplevel the playing field in terms of inclusion, they can also open the door toprejudice and discrimination,” she said. “These create the potential foremployers to make nonrelevant assumptions about you or your position insociety, and conscious and unconscious bias can come into play.”

 

11 Always ask yourself if theoutside interests you mention have some relevance to the position for which youare applying.

 

12 “If the personal achievement —regardless how noble — is very time-consuming and not related to the targetposition, [you run] the risk of the employer thinking the achievement maydistract from [your] job performance, and it can have an adverse effect,” saidLisa Rangel, managing director of New York-based ChameleonResumes.com.

 

13 It may not seem fair, butthat’s reality, she said. Everything you include needs to support the goal oflanding the target position or at least convincing the employer that your hobbyis an asset. For example: “If you are a professional looking to transition intoa sales role and you don’t have a ton of sales experience, showing that you runhalf-marathons can demonstrate an inner desire to achieve and beat your ownpersonal record,” said Rangel. “The inner drive for self-achievement andconsistent personal goal accomplishment is a desirable trait wanted bycompanies for new sales hires.”

 

14 Whatever the case, your CVshould be used to reinforce the image you are trying to present.

 

15 Seattle-based James Stange,senior director with industry trade association CompTIA, suggests looking atyour resume or CV as an argument. “It’s an argument on why you should hire me,and you have elevator pitch time to make your case,” he said in an email. “Youhave to have things that stand out in a positive way, something that grabs myattention, and has supporting data.” If you understand your audience, then youcan get creative, as long as the content is relevant, Stanger said.

 

Use it as reinforcement

16 As long as youraccomplishments support the image that you are trying to present, they canprovide an added advantage in the interview process. Just make sure you takethe time to relate it to an aspect of your personality or work ethic, accordingto Rosenberg.

 

17 “If you want to display thatyou have highly developed people skills as a computer programmer, you mightwant to include your volunteer work as public speaker to raise awareness of acause you support,” he said.

 

18 And remember that too much ofanything can backfire.

 

19 “I don’t like big personalspiels on who [jobseekers] are, their hopes and aspirations and how they wantto change the world,” said DVE Business Solutions’ Schneider. Use your coverletter to outline a little about yourself that is relevant to the job you areapplying for, and what you are looking for in the role, she said, adding “bestraightforward and to the point.”

 

为了得到这份工作，你该越过这道线吗？

伊丽莎白·加洛尼

 

1 在如今这个“一键发送”的环境中，简历以令人震惊的速度像洪水一般涌入很多公司的邮箱。例如，谷歌平均每周都收到5万份简历。

2 招聘官看每份简历平均只花费6秒钟。也许正因为如此，有些人，特别是在科技界，开始寻求其他方式使自己脱颖而出。问题是，当你在简历中说自己是超级马拉松运动员，或是曾经登顶过珠穆朗玛峰，这会让招聘官认为你是在吹嘘炫耀，还是说真的能对你的求职有所帮助呢？

展现一点个性

3 答案是，视具体情况而定。至关重要的是，必须针对你所申请的职位——甚至目标公司和招聘经理——定制自己的简历。

4 “如果你想展示自己凡事坚持不懈，尽心尽力，那么在简历中加入你跑马拉松的信息可以体现你的个性和价值观，”新泽西的梅里克·罗森博格说。他是Take Flight Learning公司的首席执行官和《变色龙》一书的作者。

5 然而，如果你说自己曾经跑过5次马拉松，那就有吹嘘之嫌，所以罗森博格说不要过分强调个人成就。“认准几个令人印象深刻的成就足可以展示你正是他们想要招募的人，”他说。

6 不过，南澳大利亚咨询公司DVEBusiness Solutions的创始人兼总监乔·施耐德在一份邮件中表示，通常而言，由于申请同一个职位的人很多，所以不要害怕在自己的简历中加入个人兴趣和业余爱好。“这可以使我大致了解求职者的个性，帮助我在众多求职者中挑选出合适的人，”她说。“我可以很快了解你的行为动因。”

7 这可以帮助她保持团队的“活力和多样性，并与我们公司的文化和价值观保持一致。”

8 施耐德说，细节里面蕴含很多信息。例如，如果有人经常看电影、读书或烹饪，那么此人很可能内向，但富有创造力。喜欢运动呢？这个人很有可能善于交际，喜欢竞争。她说，喜欢唱歌跳舞、现场娱乐节目和听音乐的人可能非常有趣、性格外向、活力十足。

精挑细选

9 英国多样化咨询公司TheClear Company总监凯特·海德里在电子邮件中表示，在简历中提及打猎或角斗等不相关、可能有争议的业余爱好就不恰当了。

10 “虽然从包容性来说简历有助于实现公平竞争，但也会对偏见和歧视打开方便之门，”她说。“这有可能导致雇主对你或你在社会中的地位做出毫不相干的臆断，有意无意的偏见有可能影响招聘决定。”

11 时刻记住问自己，你所提及的兴趣爱好与你申请的职位是否有关系。

12 “无论你的个人成就多么了不起，如果它十分耗时且与目标职位无关，你就有可能面临风险，雇主可能认为你的个人成就会分散你的精力，影响工作业绩，因而会给求职带来不利影响，”纽约ChameleonResumes.com公司总监丽莎·兰格尔说。

13 这似乎有失公允，她说，但事实就是如此。你在简历中包含的所有信息都必须有助于你获得所求的职位，至少也要使雇主相信，你的业余爱好是一个优点。例如，“如果你是一名想要转行做销售的专业人士，而你没有太多的营销经验，那么在简历中提及你曾经多次跑过半程马拉松便可证明你内心的求胜意愿，以及打破个人纪录的愿望，”兰格尔说。“自我实现的内在意愿和始终如一的个人目标是一项优良品质，企业在招聘新的销售人员时都很看重这一点。”

14 无论如何，简历都应该用来强化你力图呈现的个人形象。

15 西雅图行业贸易协会CompTIA高级总监詹姆斯·斯泰杰建议将简历看做一篇议论文。“这是一篇关于你为什么要聘用我的议论文，你只有很短暂的时间来阐述你的观点，”他在电子邮件中写道。“你的简历里必须有一些突出的积极正面的东西，能吸引我的关注，而且要辅以佐证。”斯泰杰说，如果你了解你的受众，你就可以在内容相关的前提下发挥创意。

用以强化形象

16 只要你展示的成就能够支撑你试图呈现的形象，就可以在面试中带来额外的优势。罗森博格认为，必须花点时间将其与你的个性或职业道德的某个方面联系起来。

17 “如果你想展示自己是一位有很高的人际沟通能力的编程员，你或许应该在简历中包含你从事志愿服务，作公共演讲吸引他人关注你所支持的事业的经历，”他说。

18 切记，不管什么事，做过了头，就适得其反。

19 “我不喜欢听求职者夸夸其谈，讲述他们自己的人生、希望和抱负以及改变世界的雄心壮志，”DVE Business Solutions的施耐德说。她说，应该用简历的附信大致说明你的情况与你所申请的职位之间的关系，以及你希望从这个职位中得到什么，“应该直截了当，切中主题。”