Alcohol Related Interest on Resume? Forum

[Geetar Man]

Is it even normal to put "interests" on your resume? I feel like it's a bit...informal.

I try to just list the academic and professional stuff (I had a job before law school). I figure I need to appear qualified before I can appear interesting, and I can be interesting in the interview.

Scrolled up a little. TCR

[5ky]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

good job bro

and yeah that's just you

Is it even normal to put "interests" on your resume? I feel like it's a bit...informal.

I try to just list the academic and professional stuff (I had a job before law school). I figure I need to appear qualified before I can appear interesting, and I can be interesting in the interview.

Scrolled up a little. TCR

not-TCR

[071816]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

This is commonly done in the legal field Tim.

[handsonthewheel]

What if I was the lacrosse captain on my frat's drinking team?

[kalvano]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

A legal resume isn't like other resumes. It's not childish, and as has been stated, can actually mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful interview.

I did not have one interview, not a single one, that didn't want to talk about my interests. Almost all legal resumes at these school level look the same. If you've got an interview, your grades are in the realm. Even if you're top 5%, odds are so are the other candidates. They are going to want to see what you're like as a person. Hence, interests.

[suits00]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

Yes you should and it should include other relevant nuggets of information such as favorite color, shoe size, etc.

[BeenDidThat]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

Yes you should and it should include other relevant nuggets of information such as favorite color, shoe size, etc.

They do it to make sure you aren't an insufferable prick.

[Pato_09]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

Wrong. I did not use one, and many of the interviewers at OCI specifically told me to include an interest for future reference.

[sillyboots]

I think your age comes into play for an alcohol related interest, by the way. Considering something alcohol related to be a primary interest of yours (honestly I would except homebrewing, so long as you're a legit brewer) in your early-mid 20s looks a lot differently, I think, than if you're near 30. Obviously, sophisticated tastes in alcohol have become more common now in young people, especially people in grad school, but many of them still come off as immature, alcoholic, or a little douche-ish.

[HBK]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

A legal resume isn't like other resumes. It's not childish, and as has been stated, can actually mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful interview.

I did not have one interview, not a single one, that didn't want to talk about my interests. Almost all legal resumes at these school level look the same. If you've got an interview, your grades are in the realm. Even if you're top 5%, odds are so are the other candidates. They are going to want to see what you're like as a person. Hence, interests.

They're common in business resumes as well. I know of one person in business who was applying for a job and spent her entire interview talking about triathlons because the interviewer also competed. She got the job.

Interviewers are looking for a reason to like or dislike you to make their decision easier. If you have interesting hobbies, that's interview fodder that can lead to banter that can lead to the interviewer liking you.

[EMZE]

That you have any room on your resume to mention something regarding your interest in imbibing alcohol is probably more of an indicator to the reader that you are sorely lacking substantive material for a resume than anything else.

To answer your original question, I don't think anyone will think you have an alcohol problem for listing something like that. They will just judge you for your poor choice in using what should be precious space on a resume for the mention of hobbies that probably dont do much for you in the way of explaining why you are qualified for... anything.

You can list hobbies, I just hope the rest of your resume is awesome and the mention of booze is used to show you have a human side and are not just a work machine.

[5ky]

That you have any room on your resume to mention something regarding your interest in imbibing alcohol is probably more of an indicator to the reader that you are sorely lacking substantive material for a resume than anything else.

To answer your original question, I don't think anyone will think you have an alcohol problem for listing something like that. They will just judge you for your poor choice in using what should be precious space on a resume for the mention of hobbies that probably dont do much for you in the way of explaining why you are qualified for... anything.

You can list hobbies, I just hope the rest of your resume is awesome and the mention of booze is used to show you have a human side and are not just a work machine.

This is why it's a good idea, and so interviewers have something to talk about other than asking the 20th kid of the day about their interest in "traveling" or "politics."

[20160810]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

Wrong. I did not use one, and many of the interviewers at OCI specifically told me to include an interest for future reference.

Interests section is, as Sealocust once said, "mission critical."

[EMZE]

That you have any room on your resume to mention something regarding your interest in imbibing alcohol is probably more of an indicator to the reader that you are sorely lacking substantive material for a resume than anything else.

To answer your original question, I don't think anyone will think you have an alcohol problem for listing something like that. They will just judge you for your poor choice in using what should be precious space on a resume for the mention of hobbies that probably dont do much for you in the way of explaining why you are qualified for... anything.

You can list hobbies, I just hope the rest of your resume is awesome and the mention of booze is used to show you have a human side and are not just a work machine.

This is why it's a good idea, and so interviewers have something to talk about other than asking the 20th kid of the day about their interest in "traveling" or "politics."

I continue to disagree, though the exception would be if you were actually well informed on the topic. If you're an amateur sommelier and can elucidate the differences between the Alexander and Napa Silver Oak vice enjoy popping a cork every now and again instead of draining the boxed Franzia in the fridge, then it could be worth including. I don't think the straw man argument works so well here, unless you really do expect to competing for jobs with people who are that I'll informed. Admittedly, my resume had an interests section in it, and explained the level of triathlon I competed in. I left it there because if I had an interviewer who either biked, swam, or ran, we had common ground. But if I wasn't prepared to talk multi-sport w/ someone who knew the game well, I wouldn't have left it on there.

[Arbiter213]

Ok, so takeaways from the intelligent posters:

1. No matter what, keep interests section (since honestly, unless you're 40 you should have room/make room).
2. Anything that floats your boat that isn't fucking stupid to put.

[beachbum]

So, not to hijack the thread, but here goes: I'm sure I can make room for an interests section, but I don't really have any exceptional interests or hobbies. Don't speak a second language, am not a gourmet chef, or a world traveler, or an accomplished musician. Still worth it?

[Arbiter213]

So, not to hijack the thread, but here goes: I'm sure I can make room for an interests section, but I don't really have any exceptional interests or hobbies. Don't speak a second language, am not a gourmet chef, or a world traveler, or an accomplished musician. Still worth it?

Language would be more a "skill", anyway. I'm sure you have interests others might find in common. I'm a HUGE college football fan, you had better believe that that goes on there. But in my case, it's important to balance out the giant wave of bookishness that hits from the extensive philosophy background.

[kalvano]

Just put stuff that's fairly specific, and that you actually do like, so you can talk about it. If you're a hockey fan, put your team. If you're a beer snob, put that. Just don't put something vague like "travel" or "sunbathing" (not kidding).

[TaipeiMort]

Interests are a great section to include. Just be prepared for some auto dings for this, along with some liking you a little more. A big issue is that at the screener level, whoever is reading you resume usually barely cares about your interests, and there are some people looking for any reason to ding you, such as putting a non-PC interests on the resume. When a screener asks about your interests, it is likely to make sure you are not aspie because they want you, or because they've made a decision and are just passing the time.

Where this may help is the callback, where your job is to bro it up with all young and middle aged males, be a nice guy/ good date with young women, and look like a responsible son with 35+ females and older males. It is luck of the draw who you get. Sometimes you will get all broskis and this will help you get the offer.

[Geetar Man]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

Wrong. I did not use one, and many of the interviewers at OCI specifically told me to include an interest for future reference.

Good to know! My FUCKING bad. lol

[BaiAilian2013]

Home brewing yes, because it's unusual, interesting, and fairly impressive. Wine tasting and liking fancy beers no, because listing those as an activity/interest is somewhere between pretentious and sad.

[romothesavior]

Homebrewing is cool.

[Guchster]

tl;dr, seems like you shouldn't have an "interests" portion on your resume. Seems kinda, childish. But that may just be me.

This is commonly done in the legal field Tim.

Yeah, people should resist from poasting advice in a thread that requests specific advice unless you've actually been prepped for interviews/resumes (i.e., not a 0L or clueless 1L).

Any OCS counselor, firm recuriter, or big law attorney will tell you that an interests section is indispensable for big law jobs. As many poasters said, every single call back I went to brought up my interests as a way to break the ice and start the conversation. In one callback, the partner only wanted to talk about my interests as a way to get to know me better. Attorneys/Recruiters expect to see an 'interests' line--a well-prepped and thoughful one will serve you well. This answer obviously changes for non-big law jobs.

My personal opinion is that brewing beerz sounds pretty cool. Just cuz you make it doesn't necessarily mean you drink it. Anything that involves alcohol tasting sounds interesting in theory, but it could come off as snobby or sloppy depending on the interviewer.

[Lincoln]

Regarding including a sections for interests, in my opinion there isn't really a right or wrong answer. It is certainly not "indispensable," as some people seem to say.

I did not put an interests section on my resume for OCI because I wanted to focus on other aspects of my resume that made me stand out compared to my peers. Career services did not think I was wrong, nor did any interviewers comment on the omission. One partner said at a recruiting event at my school that he didn't want to see interests unless they related to law in some way (e.g. volunteering your time for a non-profit representing death row prisoners, or what have you).

In terms of results, I'm confident it did not seem to hurt me in the slightest. All my screening interviews and CBs were focused on what I wanted to talk about: my 1L summer job, pre-law school work experience, classes/grades, language skills, etc.

On the contrary, if your resume looks like everyone else's (law school, college, lame summer jobs), and you have some interests that make you stand out (travel and movies don't count) and that you would like to talk about in an interview, it can be an asset. It's unlikely to hurt you significantly either way.

(Basis for my opinion: worked in financial services for several years where hiring was one of my main responsibilities; did better than you at OCI.)

[No13baby]

0L, but I included homebrewing on my application resumes and wrote my PS about it. I've done very well this cycle and gotten multiple comments from adcomms about how much they enjoyed my PS. I don't think it comes off as immature or irresponsible as long as you can talk about it substantively beyond "hurr durr drinking is great."