Interests Section When You're a Very Uninteresting Person? Forum

[Anonymous User]

So I've been working on my resume for 1L jobs, and my career counselor has advised me to include an "interests" section. But when I look at the example sections provided by my career center, they're all so interesting (e.g. speaks multiple foreign languages, runs marathons, accomplished semi-professional musician). By comparison, I am very boring. I speak only one language (English) and, aside from a few law school extracurriculars (which already appear elsewhere on my resume), outside of school, I'm mostly interested in drinking and playing video games. Is an interests section really important? What should I do?

[SomewhatLearnedHand]

Others might disagree but i'd say you're overthinking it given that these rarely come up in interviews. Just put like golf or reading or something like that. The one caveat is to make it something you actually can talk about so if it does come up you don't look like an idiot.

[Traynor Brah]

personally, if you put drinking and playing video games in your interests section, I would talk to you about them and probably be more likely to bond with you, which is the whole point of the interests section. when I did OCI I put like "craft beer" or "mixology" in my interests and it went over quite well. just own what you actually do in your free time and be confident about it; people will appreciate that either way.

[rpupkin]

personally, if you put drinking and playing video games in your interests section, I would talk to you about them and probably be more likely to bond with you, which is the whole point of the interests section. when I did OCI I put like "craft beer" or "mixology" in my interests and it went over quite well. just own what you actually do in your free time and be confident about it; people will appreciate that either way.

Completely agree

[Person1111]

Agree with what everyone says. If you are a big fan of a professional/D1 college sports team, I think that's an easy one too.

[Damage Over Time]

also consider calling this section "likes" rather than "interests"

[encore1101]

Depends on which games. Candy Crush/Kim Kardashian: Hollywood app? GTFO. WoW/LoL/Witcher? Welcome aboard!

Also, if you tell me your main is Hanzo, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Anonymous User]

If you tell me you play teemo, I'm kicking you out of the door ASAP.

[rpupkin]

also consider calling this section "likes" rather than "interests"

Nah

[Anonymous User]

If you tell me you play teemo, I'm kicking you out of the door ASAP.

OP here, I actually do play LoL and often teemo... should I leave those details off my resume?

[pancakes3]

i don't have an "interests" section

[OneShot2009]

Since my interests were also clear in other places in my resume, I just omitted an interests section.

[Anonymous User]

I'll chime in and say something like golf can be really helpful. I was asked about it in about 1/2 my interviews throughout law school, and it was a really good talking point to say I play to 9 or 10 handicap - it would've been even better if I could say I was scratch. Also left on a previous job at a country club in the pro shop for this reason. I think something like craft beer or similar, which a lot of people can have at least a rudimentary level of knowledge about, can be a good talking point.

[lolwat]

Depends on which games. Candy Crush/Kim Kardashian: Hollywood app? GTFO. WoW/LoL/Witcher? Welcome aboard!

Also, if you tell me your main is Hanzo, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I agree with this, including that you really do not want to let anyone know if you're a Hanzo main. (Or Widow, unless you happen to be Flow3r.) Even relatively generic interests can be interesting to people--and in fact, it's more likely to spawn conversation because it's more likely that people have the same interests. Not everyone needs to have traveled the world, be a marathon runner, or be a big fan of some college or pro sports team.

I'll also note that I don't particularly like drinking (and putting that in *could* be a slight negative to some people unless you make it more interesting than just "I drink a lot of beer"), but IMO, there are too few of us who actually fucking own up to the fact that we like video games. Fuck sports, I'll have more respect for you if you can tell me which country won the OW world cup finals at Blizzcon. I used to think it was either too uninteresting or too much of a weird thing to put on a resume, but not anymore.

I don't want to out myself to anyone who has seen my resume, but I have, in the past and present and probably future, put things into it that relate to WoW and Overwatch and Hearthstone and stuff, and many times even the older interviewers will ask something about it because their kids or grandkids play that stuff, lol.

[pancakes3]

boomers have way dorkier interests. if you took a stroll around your office i'll bet that you'll find multiple old dude cycling nerds, HAM radio nerds, etc.

[Anonymous User]

I'll chime in and say something like golf can be really helpful. I was asked about it in about 1/2 my interviews throughout law school, and it was a really good talking point to say I play to 9 or 10 handicap - it would've been even better if I could say I was scratch. Also left on a previous job at a country club in the pro shop for this reason. I think something like craft beer or similar, which a lot of people can have at least a rudimentary level of knowledge about, can be a good talking point.

How long would it take me to learn to play golf well enough to list it on my resume?

[Lacepiece23]

So I've been working on my resume for 1L jobs, and my career counselor has advised me to include an "interests" section. But when I look at the example sections provided by my career center, they're all so interesting (e.g. speaks multiple foreign languages, runs marathons, accomplished semi-professional musician). By comparison, I am very boring. I speak only one language (English) and, aside from a few law school extracurriculars (which already appear elsewhere on my resume), outside of school, I'm mostly interested in drinking and playing video games. Is an interests section really important? What should I do?

I put video games, sports, and weightlifting on my interests section. I could talk knowledgeably about all that so why not.

[Anonymous User]

Felt like I was in the same boat as you, OP. I like to drink, play video games, and watch sports. Didn't think any of them were remotely interesting enough to include in an "interests" section but it was all I had so I did. Ended up connecting with the interviewer on at least one of them in almost every interview I went on.

Obviously you need to spruce them up a bit, though. Mention a specific video game (those who know it will be happy to talk about it, those who don't won't ever remember it was on your resume), mention a specific sports team, mention "craft beer" or "making whiskey" or something like that for the drinking.

[Anonymous User]

I'll chime in and say something like golf can be really helpful. I was asked about it in about 1/2 my interviews throughout law school, and it was a really good talking point to say I play to 9 or 10 handicap - it would've been even better if I could say I was scratch. Also left on a previous job at a country club in the pro shop for this reason. I think something like craft beer or similar, which a lot of people can have at least a rudimentary level of knowledge about, can be a good talking point.

How long would it take me to learn to play golf well enough to list it on my resume?

you are doing the interests section wrong if you need to learn something just so you can talk about it

[drive4showLSAT4dough]

I'll chime in and say something like golf can be really helpful. I was asked about it in about 1/2 my interviews throughout law school, and it was a really good talking point to say I play to 9 or 10 handicap - it would've been even better if I could say I was scratch. Also left on a previous job at a country club in the pro shop for this reason. I think something like craft beer or similar, which a lot of people can have at least a rudimentary level of knowledge about, can be a good talking point.

How long would it take me to learn to play golf well enough to list it on my resume?

3 months to a lifetime depending on coordination and effort

[strawberrieee]

Game of Thrones is another easy one.

[rpupkin]

you are doing the interests section wrong if you need to learn something just so you can talk about it

[Person1111]

I'm reasonably good at Hearthstone (and sometimes play it in the office when I'm slow/bored, including with our IT guy and a young partner) but would never in a million years put it in my interests section on a resume.

[TLSModBot]

Interests: doing my goddamn job I am a robot built to bill. Also, cocaine.

[dsn32]

The best advice I received as a 1L was to include something innocuous but very relatable in my interest section. A 2L had told me that he put "The Wire" in his interest section, and it made screening interviews much easier/more tolerable. I followed suit and put "Seinfeld" in my interests section. Seinfeld came up in every interview that I received an offer from. . . and definitely helped me see the more personal side of the people who work in big law (spoiler alert: they actually do have interests outside the office!)