We had a question from a client regarding the Interests and Activities section of the resume.  The client wanted to know if we should include some details in this section, here was our response:

It depends… we do not see any harm in balancing white space on the resume with some interesting facts about the candidate.  I think people underestimate the desire for companies to attract unique and interesting people.  So essentially, if there is some kind of interesting hobby or sport you enjoy, we would like to list it.  We caution things such as political affiliations, religious activities and things that would allow the recruiter (although illegally in those two cases) to reject your resume.  As much as we would like to say that people in their positions are good, honest and caring people, there could be people that will toss your resume in the garbage for attaching oneself to a certain group.

We take care of the wording and express our opinion with respect this category.  For example if you apply to a liberal company, a company that is fun, exciting and dynamic, then perhaps including rock climbing or something daring (but not too dangerous!) would be advantageous.

One of the biggest reasons why people are fired from their job is due to ‘fit’ within the company’s culture.  There is no better way to convey that you are a good fit, then to write something personal that you enjoy that fits with the rest of the group.

Do you have a an example of how an activity or interest helped your interview?