Drinking,
sex, stalking celebrities and collecting firearms are just some of the weird
and wonderful hobbies that jobseekers list as outside interests on their CV,
scuppering any chance of a job.
Others
jeopardise their employment prospects with overtly ‘interesting’ hobbies such
as ferret racing, samurai sword collecting or medieval battle re-enactments.
One
female candidate failed to impress recruiters by listing her main interest as
"pleasing my boyfriend between the sheets."
The
findings from a survey of 900 jobseekers found that candidates often fail to
realise how much influence ‘other interests’ can have on securing a job, with
80 per cent of employers claiming it can guide the final decision.
However
it’s not the strange hobbies that are the most damaging as 30 per cent of
employers claim jobseekers write too much or go into excessive detail.
Leaving
the section blank can also harm employment chances according to 12 per cent of
firms, listing interests that are weird would offend 7 per cent and putting
down hobbies that are bland are seen as damaging by 6 per cent.
The
research, by jobsite Reed, found that a balanced mix of interests with a few
bullet points was the approach favoured by most companies.
