Hobbie and Interests

Hubby is updating his CV for a UK job.  He's sent his first draft to a friend at the company (it's a recruitment firm) and his friend says it look great but isn't "personal enough".  That they want to see something of Hubby shine through, and want to know what his interests are, etc.

But hubby is, well, kind of a geek, and his interests are kinda geeky.  "Interests:  Comic books, Buffy, etc."

What do you put, to make yourself sound interesting, but not like a total dork? Would he just say "Reading, cinema"?  Doesnt everyone put that down?  What would make him stand out but not make people think he's a Star Trek nerd who'll come to work in a Spock suit?

Any suggestions or ideas?

I've never known anyone to put interests/ hobbies on a CV...

There seems to be a division of thought on this. As otterpop points out, she's never heard of doing that. A couple of the job agencies I used also discouraged it. However, I think some more 'old school' types do like this.

Not sure what the best way to phrase that sort of thing would be. Can the friend not be a bit more specific about what to put? Can they send you a sample CV that they think is outstanding?

My fiance is spiffing up his "resume" now that he's left his job of 10+ years to move to America with me.  For his interests, he put "Walking, travel and juggling".  His reasoning is to get someone to laugh / smile.  His hope: that an interviewer asks to see him juggle!!

I think that having an interests section is great when you are trying to break the ice, but you have to be careful that you don't overstate an interest, and that it is relevant.  If you are applying for a job with Paul Allen, then having an interest in Sci-Fi is great.  If you are applying to a bank, it is quite irrelevant unless you get lucky and your interviewer is a fellow trecker. 

My suggestion is always to find out as much about the company and interviewer as possible, then tailor your resume/CV and the interests to match.

My suggestion is always to find out as much about the company and interviewer as possible, then tailor your resume/CV and the interests to match.

Absolutely, frances. It may turn out that your hubby's "geeky" (your word, not mine! ) interests are entirely appropriate for the type of job he's looking for. On the other hand, it could be a huge turn-off for his potential employer. I worked in publishing for years and we liked to see things like hobbies listed on resumes -- it made the person sound more interesting and well-rounded. It definitely does depend on the industry; but also often on the specific person who's going to be reading the resume -- and there's no way you can guess at his/her preferences.

I read it somewhere that when you put down hobbies, don't just put generic things like listening to music. Be more specific so it will give the interviewer something to talk to you about. This seems to make sense to me.