Alcohol Related Interest on Resume? Forum

[Geetar Man]

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.)

Guchster said it was indispensable. He then edited his post after reading yours.

I honestly was just thinking about what my resume looked like.

I also said that it is in MY OPINION that it was childish or what not; some people take what others say way too seriously.

I know that for my resume, there isnt any space (without making it 2 pages) on it for an "interests" section. Thats how bad ass I am...


Kidding.

[Guchster]

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.)

Guchster said it was indispensable. He then edited his post after reading yours.

I honestly was just thinking about what my resume looked like.

I also said that it is in MY OPINION that it was childish or what not; some people take what others say way too seriously.

I know that for my resume, there isnt any space (without making it 2 pages) on it for an "interests" section. Thats how bad ass I am...


Kidding.

I don't get the bolded part. I never edited that. I edited the part about the 'interests' section not be applicable to PI jerbs at the end of that paragraph, lol.

Also, Lincoln, congrats on doing well at your OCI. My advice is taken from my 9/9 call back return offers for my 1L SAs, and I haven't gone through OCI yet, so take that for what it's worth. My input came from our OCS presentations here on campus (as well as our OCS website http://www.law.columbia.edu/careers/car ... lumresumes), my time as a paralegal at a V10 firm, and discussion from hiring partners and recruiters. I can understand that piece of advice you have to offer Lincoln, and I definitely think that having no interests section would serve one much better than having a plain&boringm shitty,or inappropriate one. But I think a thoughtful (by thoughtful I mean, unique, engaging, and attention-grabbing) interests line is the most appropriate of all (hence why i said that a well-prepped/thoughtful line would serve people well, versus not having any at all and risk a flat conversation with now way to break the ice or engage in who you are outside of your grades and common softs). I would agree that its may be worth to skip the line if you're not going to take the time to dig deep and come up with something stupid/harmful.

But I was concerned ITE about having even one potential weak spot in my resume (that might potentially harm me), which to me is why its indispensable.

[Geetar Man]

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.)

Guchster said it was indispensable. He then edited his post after reading yours.

I honestly was just thinking about what my resume looked like.

I also said that it is in MY OPINION that it was childish or what not; some people take what others say way too seriously.

I know that for my resume, there isnt any space (without making it 2 pages) on it for an "interests" section. Thats how bad ass I am...


Kidding.

I don't get the bolded part. I never edited that. I edited the part about the 'interests' section not be applicable to PI jerbs at the end of that paragraph, lol.



But I was concerned ITE about having even one potential weak spot in my resume (that might potentially harm me), which to me is why its indispensable.

You mad because I called you out? (It doesn't sound like you're mad, I'm just fucking with you.)

And yes, you DID in fact edit it out.. . The fact that you're hiding something shows me that you are a LIAR! (and a thief, cheater, and anything else bad that you can think of.)


All kidding aside, it may or may not work for you depending on how you present it, both on your resume and in person. That's just the way it is and I KNOW because I have seen interviews for attorneys at the USAO. SOO, hate on THAT.

If you're going to put that you have interests in legos, brewing brew, or that you like playing apples to apples, then thats all on you if the person looking at your res doesnt like it. IMO, it might not be worth the risk.

[Guchster]

I don't get the bolded part. I never edited that. I edited the part about the 'interests' section not be applicable to PI jerbs at the end of that paragraph, lol.

But I was concerned ITE about having even one potential weak spot in my resume (that might potentially harm me), which to me is why its indispensable.

You mad because I called you out? (It doesn't sound like you're mad, I'm just fucking with you.)

And yes, you DID in fact edit it out.. . The fact that you're hiding something shows me that you are a LIAR! (and a thief, cheater, and anything else bad that you can think of.)

All kidding aside, it may or may not work for you depending on how you present it, both on your resume and in person. That's just the way it is and I KNOW because I have seen interviews for attorneys at the USAO. SOO, hate on THAT.

If you're going to put that you have interests in legos, brewing brew, or that you like playing apples to apples, then thats all on you if the person looking at your res doesnt like it. IMO, it might not be worth the risk.

sperg out moar

[dixiecupdrinking]

I thought an "interests" section was strange and kind of childish, also, until every single lawyer I talked to told me to put it on my resume. It came up over and over again at EIW. It seems like a particular quirk of legal hiring (at least I had never heard of it being so expected in other fields), but apparently "interests" is an expected section on your resume. Don't fight it.

I agree with Bai above: "homebrewing" is fine (it's an actual hobby, takes skill and knowledge, will give you interesting tidbits to convey), "wine tasting" or anything about consuming alcohol is risky (people may think you are an alcoholic and/or a snob).

[Geetar Man]

I don't get the bolded part. I never edited that. I edited the part about the 'interests' section not be applicable to PI jerbs at the end of that paragraph, lol.

But I was concerned ITE about having even one potential weak spot in my resume (that might potentially harm me), which to me is why its indispensable.

You mad because I called you out? (It doesn't sound like you're mad, I'm just fucking with you.)

And yes, you DID in fact edit it out.. . The fact that you're hiding something shows me that you are a LIAR! (and a thief, cheater, and anything else bad that you can think of.)

All kidding aside, it may or may not work for you depending on how you present it, both on your resume and in person. That's just the way it is and I KNOW because I have seen interviews for attorneys at the USAO. SOO, hate on THAT.

If you're going to put that you have interests in legos, brewing brew, or that you like playing apples to apples, then thats all on you if the person looking at your res doesnt like it. IMO, it might not be worth the risk.

sperg out moar

Kidding bro! No hard feelings

[20160810]

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.

This is TCR. If I were doing the interview, pretentious wine-snob assholes would get auto-dinged. I hope to never work with anyone who has spent more than 2 minutes of their life discussing "subtle jammy notes" and "playful smoke aftertastes."

[094320]

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[DubPoker]

I stuck homebrewing in my "interests" section.

3 of my last 4 OCI interviewers brought it up and were genuinely interested in talking about it. It made every interview kind of fun. One woman wanted to talk about how it sounds awesome and that her practice group has chilli contests and stuff. These were all in the past couple days so i'm not sure on the callback situation, plus i'm a 1L so I don't expect much.

But in all seriousness homebrewing may have some notoriety to people who don't know much about it. It is a lot of work and I've done a lot of research on the subject (saving yeast cultures and actually doing all grain) so I don't think it's bad at all.

Just let them bring it up, I would never bring it up on my own.

[crossem]

Fellow beer brewer, 2/3 interviewers home brewed themselves so we killed time talking about it. The other wanted to try. It is much easier to talk about beer than... anything.

[laxbrah420]

clearly, you think you're pretty awesome for home brewing. that's the only reason you're considering putting it on--if your favorite thing to do was watch NFL, youd know not to include it.

[Arbiter213]

clearly, you think you're pretty awesome for home brewing. that's the only reason you're considering putting it on--if your favorite thing to do was watch NFL, youd know not to include it.

While I know you're an egregious troll (congrats on being unbanned!), I wanted to dispute this: While I'm interested in home brewing and may start soon, I was more towards the "fancy beers" side, which, after this thread, is currently sidelined off my resume.

And actually, to your example, I would think that while NFL is a NO because it's generic and lame, being a diehard college football fan will be harmless for most people and a huge plus and talking point for any other CFB fan. But that's just my analysis.

Fellow beer brewer, 2/3 interviewers home brewed themselves so we killed time talking about it. The other wanted to try. It is much easier to talk about beer than... anything.

That was why I was thinking "craft beers" might not be terrible like "wine tasting" is.

[Julio_El_Chavo]

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.

This is TCR. If I were doing the interview, pretentious wine-snob assholes would get auto-dinged. I hope to never work with anyone who has spent more than 2 minutes of their life discussing "subtle jammy notes" and "playful smoke aftertastes."

this is so credited that i don't even know why people, including myself, are still posting in this thread

[Guchster]

I thought an "interests" section was strange and kind of childish, also, until every single lawyer I talked to told me to put it on my resume. It came up over and over again at EIW. It seems like a particular quirk of legal hiring (at least I had never heard of it being so expected in other fields), but apparently "interests" is an expected section on your resume. Don't fight it.

I agree with Bai above: "homebrewing" is fine (it's an actual hobby, takes skill and knowledge, will give you interesting tidbits to convey), "wine tasting" or anything about consuming alcohol is risky (people may think you are an alcoholic and/or a snob).

Once again, dixie has put into words what I was trying to express.

I agree with both paragraphs, but the first is why I was being so bitchy to the 0L poaster for giving advice when they don't understand this crucial fact in the first place, which is not exactly intuitive.

I think homebrewing/craft beers is legit and I would slightly hesitate (for fear of pissing off those super conservative non-beer types that find it unprofessional), but probably end up putting that in my interests if I had those skillz (because I wouldn't want to work with people that asshole-ish for auto-rejecting me cuz i like to make beerz/frequent breweries in the first place).

[laxbrah420]

wait, you want to write that you're interested in getting started in home brewing on your resume?

also i love that you decided that being a beer connoisseur or "into craft beers" is somehow less pretentious than being into wine. i'm sure it has nothing to do with your preference for beer over wine.

[jess]

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[Ozymandias]

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[TaipeiMort]

Just don't fib about your interests. I have heard too many anecdotes about this from old partners.

[kalvano]

Just don't fib about your interests. I have heard too many anecdotes about this from old partners.

For sure. It's almost guaranteed that at least one will come up, and it's pretty damn obvious when you just made something up to sound interesting.

[AreJay711]

I have a "Personal Section" that has stuff about my sailing and that I grew up on a tobacco farm. Both are a little risky, I think, but some interviews have talked a lot about that -- especially the challenges of growing tobacco when the growing season in much of America is too short.

[romothesavior]

Just don't fib about your interests. I have heard too many anecdotes about this from old partners.

For sure. It's almost guaranteed that at least one will come up, and it's pretty damn obvious when you just made something up to sound interesting.

+1. You want to include stuff that is 1) interesting (this is why you don't put "NFL fan") and 2) something you can talk about because it is a genuine interest. They're just looking to see what you are like as a person outside of law school, what you're into, etc. I put that I play in an adult baseball league and it came up frequently. I'd talk a little about being a lifelong ballplayer, how I didn't want to give it up, and usually throw in a joke about being a potential ringer on the firm softball team.

[20160810]

clearly, you think you're pretty awesome for home brewing. that's the only reason you're considering putting it on--if your favorite thing to do was watch NFL, youd know not to include it.

While I know you're an egregious troll (congrats on being unbanned!), I wanted to dispute this: While I'm interested in home brewing and may start soon, I was more towards the "fancy beers" side, which, after this thread, is currently sidelined off my resume.

And actually, to your example, I would think that while NFL is a NO because it's generic and lame, being a diehard college football fan will be harmless for most people and a huge plus and talking point for any other CFB fan. But that's just my analysis.

Fellow beer brewer, 2/3 interviewers home brewed themselves so we killed time talking about it. The other wanted to try. It is much easier to talk about beer than... anything.

That was why I was thinking "craft beers" might not be terrible like "wine tasting" is.

I have "49ers football and Giants baseball" as one of my interests. Worst case scenario, it's boring and no one cares. Best care scenario, I get someone who is a fellow football fanatic and we can spend the entire interview talking 9ers or Giants. This has happened multiple times, with generally positive results. Don't be so quick to write off pro sports as something to list, as long as you really are a fan and can talk the talk. People love to BS about their team, even in interview settings.

Plus, an affinity for a sports team can help indicate the much-ballyhooed "ties to the area" that interviewers in secondary markets (other than, somewhat ironically given the content of this post, SF, where firms don't much care where you're from) prize.

[094320]

..

[Bildungsroman]

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.

This is TCR. If I were doing the interview, pretentious wine-snob assholes would get auto-dinged. I hope to never work with anyone who has spent more than 2 minutes of their life discussing "subtle jammy notes" and "playful smoke aftertastes."

I had something about craft beers on my interests section, and it seemed to be well received, but that might just be because craft brewing is an enormous industry in my home market.

Also, I credit Tim Tebow for getting me a summer job. I had "Denver Broncos" in my interests section and even the non-Coloradans I interviewed with wanted to talk and talk and talk about Tim Tebow.

[69Coronet]

I had three things on my resume under interests: The restoration of classic American automobiles, Co-Chairman of my car club (I named it) and the New England Patriots.

My most important interview (which led to my employment for the summer of 2012) was conducted by the judge I will be working for and her 4 clerks. Every single individual at that conference table had some question about my interests: what type of car I was restoring, what type of car I drove, whether I thought the Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl/Rob Gronkowski's health [yes, this was before that agonizing loss].
For the record, I don't think the NFL is too cliche or boring. Maybe if you simply put "The NFL," then that might be too generic, but putting a specific team down is a surefire way to start up a conversation between you and another fan of that team, which is helpful if you're applying in the area where they play/they're doing well at the moment(as with the Denver Broncos in Bildungsroman's case).

In short, I was extremely glad I had my interests on there. In fact, I have another interest or two I might try to squeeze on there for 2L OCI depending on space constraints, including, you guessed it, homebrewing (which incidentally I have failed miserably at thus far...).