Interests/Hobbies Section on Resume? Forum

[shoeshine]

I have seen it suggested many times on TLS that students should add a hobbies or interests section to their resume. Is this a really necessary part of a resume or does it it simply act as filler?

What if you already have a ton of W/E prior to law school? What if it pushes your resume to the two page range?

What if your hobbies are really boring (fishing and day-trading)?

HELP

[Cavalier]

If you can fill your resume with work experience that's worth including, I wouldn't bother with a hobbies/interests section. You don't want to do two pages, and you don't want to list "boring" hobbies. Basically I think it's only worthwhile for people who don't have anything else to put.

[ggocat]

I like to see a non-boring hobbies/interests section on a one-page resume. It gives me something to bring up during the interview that isn't all business.

[kalvano]

Even if you have pretty decent work experience, it's worth including a line about hobbies. Most people have roughly the same legal experience, and it gives the interviewers something to talk to you about. Maybe they share the same interests?

I have more than a little work experience, and a couple of my interests have been brought up at every single interview and (I think) even led to one internship. It's worth the one line.

[shoeshine]

So an overwhelming yes on the hobbies/interests section. Thank you TLS. My resume would suck without you all.

[Anonymous User]

I heard attorneys from most of the T10 firms during the course of my 1L talk about this. Every single one said yes to the hobbies/interests section. Doesn't matter who you are, or how much work experience you have.

[Crim]

I cannot overstate how important my hobbies section was during callbacks. With maybe one or two exceptions, every interviewer I had brought up something from that section, and they turned out to be great conversation pieces - especially since I prepared a story to go along each point.

Whatever you include need not be terribly impressive or exceptional as long as you can speak about it if asked. That said, don't put something ultra-generic that a lot of people include (e.g. traveling).

[dixiecupdrinking]

I did a practice interview with a partner who is an alum of my school. His single biggest piece of advice was to insist I needed an interests section. I also thought it was kind of silly filler that would be better used on experience, but he said interests is the first thing he looks at to break the ice in an interview and can make all the difference in a 20 minute interview.

[Oban]

During every single interview I've had in my entire adult life, non and law and in law, my interests section was brought up and was a big conversation starter.

Unless your interests include being a pedophile or watching paint dry, List them.