Examples of Passions to Make Your Resume Shine

What an individual does to their free time tells a lot about their personality to the hiring manager. Remember that your resume is the first thing that a hiring manager's first impression of you; thus, putting the right passion in your resume can help make you sound more unique compared to other applicants and is a powerful way to stand out.

But what passions outside of work will fit well with your resume, and most importantly, which ones will make your resume stand out? Continue reading to learn more about examples of passions to put on your resume, their importance, and some basic math on how much it affects your overall application process.

Good passions to make your resume stand out

Below are different passions on your resume to stand out, which passions can help you get hired for specific roles, and the common themes that can help you identify which one to put on your resume.

1. Outdoor activities
   Most job titles, like Delivery Drivers and Custodians, often require a passionate person to be outside for the vast majority of their role. Thus, being passionate about outdoor activities in your personal life can help hiring managers know that you're concerned about your physical well-being and stay motivated even when getting outside assignments.
2. Volunteering
   Although it is on the more general side, putting "volunteering" as a passion on your resume informs hiring managers that you're perfectly capable of assisting your co-workers when things get tough, which provides a positive impact. Studies have shown that at least 60% of U.S. corporations even offer paid-time offs for employees that do volunteer work as well, making it a more lucrative passion on your resume.
3. Video games
   For those eyeing for a position in tech or any other related to information technology, being passionate about video games can let hiring managers gauge your technical skills as well as letting them know that you have a more unique method when it comes to problem solving.
4. Sports
   Another general example of passion to put on your resume, being passionate about sports lets HR representatives know that you have good communication and interpersonal skills on top of being physically active as well.
5. Art
   Although creative activities might seem targeted to roles that need more creativity like graphic design and content writing, passionate people interested in art and working on passion projects via creative outlets on their free time sends an image that they have a more innovative solution to solving problems.
6. Learning languages
   Some roles require employees to know two or more languages. Thus, being passionate about learning new languages can help you secure that role faster, as well as letting hiring managers know that you're dedicated to personal growth.
7. Community involvement
   Having a strong sense about being involved within the community and helping raise money for them lets companies know that you have the initiative to help others, loved ones, and friends, and put extra effort when it comes to topics like social justice, even if it does not benefit you personally. Putting community involvement down as an example of passion in a resume can even help you land a job 27% more compared to those without.

Why is it important to put your passions outside of work to your resume?

It's important to put your passions outside of work into your resume since it lets hiring managers know you on a closer level. As mentioned above, your resume is the first thing that your prospective company will see; thus, impressing them with what brings you immense satisfaction about and what you do in your free time can let them connect to you on a more personal level.

Additionally, there are also times where your genuine interest that you've been doing from a young age can transfer to soft skills that you need for your actual work. Take the examples mentioned above, passion with video games means that you're more likely to be as tech savvy as the next person, and most people passionate about art are more likely to have a unique way to solve problems.

The right passions can also help pad your resume further, especially if you're applying for a role that's slightly above your pay grade. Your passion highlights the important skills that you need to succeed in the role, which makes putting ones that suit the right role much more enticing.

How much can your passion affect the application process?

In simple terms - not as much. True passion CAN help you with your application, especially if you're applying for specific roles. There are some specific soft skills that can be acquired with specific passions which can make you stand out more compared to other candidates applying for the same role.

The numbers don't lie either; as mentioned above, 27% of individuals credit putting community service on their interests as the main factor that they decide when they landed their current job.

However, it's important to note that it's not an end-all-be-all solution to your lack of experience, especially if you're looking to apply for higher positions. When it comes to either negotiating a higher salary or applying for a better role, identify passion which can be used as a conversation starter with the hiring manager.

Examples of passions on your resume dos and don'ts

Here are some dos and don'ts that you should follow when putting your life's passion and what you feel strongly on your CV.

Do:

• Make it short and brief. This can help avoid you from losing track of what you put/make redundant passions.
• Make sure that your own passion perfectly fits the specific job title you're applying for.
• Ensure that it's grammatically correct.
• Keep it general. Hiring managers have a keen eye on those who tell false narratives on both their resume and the interview.
• Keep it within your comfort zone and passions you have a particularly strong liking to.

Don't:

• Explain it in your resume. It's better to explain it during the interview if the interviewer asks you about it.
• Put new passions that you haven't had the time to spend time on.
• Mention your personal goals.
• Make up your own story about some of your passion. Example: put a passion that you're not particularly keen on.
• List new passions, new interests or a new hobby that you're not familiar with. Take time for a bit of self-reflection to properly list out your passions.

Final thoughts: Putting what you feel passionate about on your resume should be things that you find both incredibly fulfilling and deeply invested in that you strong desire to do on almost a day-to-day basis.

The most important thing is the different activities that you have strong emotions that you have deep love for make you feel happy are the same ones that make you unique from your competitors.