Use Your Hobby and Interests to Spin Up Your Professional Experience

If you’re like many people today, your hobbies are a precious part of your life. They’re an enjoyable escape from the worries of everyday life. Unfortunately, hobbies can also be very stressful. If a hobby becomes too much of a responsibility that you have to constantly take care of, it can lead to significant problems. If you find yourself constantly worried about your hobbies, it may be time to consider whether they’re important enough to make a lifetime commitment.

The first step to dealing with your hobbies and keeping them stress-free is to always think of them in terms of fun and entertainment. A hobby is often thought of as a simple, leisure activity which is performed for fun, usually during your spare time. However, hobbies can be an important source of relaxation and help you to cope with daily stresses. Hobbies can range from collecting various types of memorabilia, to playing musical instruments, to building model cars and flying airplanes. Regardless of what type of hobby you enjoy most, if it helps you relax and escape into a fantasy world, it can be beneficial.

If you are planning to use your hobbies as a topic for your resume, hobbies should certainly be included. Your hobbies may span over several categories, from collecting sports cards to collecting jet skis, but they should all be listed, along with your educational background, work experience, and any awards or honors you may have received for your hobby-related activities. A great hobby could even be listed under your interests and lead to a revealing section of your resume!

Another great tool for keeping your hobbies stress-free is to regularly do things that you enjoy, instead of forcing yourself to do boring activities. For instance, if you really enjoy playing musical instruments, you might consider hiring a tutor to teach you how to play. This not only relieves the stress of being required to learn something new, it also gives you time to do what you enjoy. This type of “homework” can actually be a great activity to incorporate into your daily routine!

When it comes to using hobbies to integrate into your professional experience, they can definitely be used to that end. The key is to keep your hobbies as separate from your professional experiences as possible. This can be done by listing your interests on your resume, but don’t include professional experience (or at least a brief explanation of your professional experience if you have it). For example, if you were a member of the Peace Corps, you would list your volunteer work on your resume as “services rendered overseas,” but you would not list your professional experience as “ties to national organizations in the arts.”

If you are a member of a professional association, hobbies and interests on your resume should also be mentioned. However, it is important to know that certain professions, such as those in the legal field, require that you have no professional experience whatsoever. In these cases, hobbies and interests are often left off of resumes altogether. However, if you are in a profession where you must list your professional experience, hobbies and interests on your resume, it is important to list them in an effective way that emphasizes your personality instead of your skills. Using your hobbies and interests in your professional experience is a great way to “spice up” your resume and make it look more professional.