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enkie
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Resume - adding spark of personality 04 Jul 2011, 07:13
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Hi Everyone

Wanted to get your opinion on whether a little lightheartedness in the "hobbies & extracurricular" section was a good idea.

The rest of my resume is VERY serious (as I'd imagine all of ours are), but I am REALLY into cooking (specifically have an obsession testing out mac and cheese recipes) and wanted to add that into the resume.

Is it bad to be a little lighthearted and list that in the hobbies section of my resume?

Thoughts appreciated! :)

Enkie
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studente
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Resume - adding spark of personality 04 Jul 2011, 20:00
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One lighthearted bullet point in your "Hobbies/Activities" section might help get across some personality and is unlikely to hurt your cause in any way (as long as you don't say anything that's too off-the-wall). That's exactly what I did in the resume that accompanied my applications.

Anything beyond that and you run the risk of overdoing it.
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Resume - adding spark of personality 04 Jul 2011, 20:05
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studente
One lighthearted bullet point in your "Hobbies/Activities" section might help get across some personality and is unlikely to hurt your cause in any way (as long as you don't say anything that's too off-the-wall). That's exactly what I did in the resume that accompanied my applications.

Anything beyond that and you run the risk of overdoing it.
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Thanks! I agree. I think anything outside of the hobbies section needs to be very serious.

What schools are you applying to? Good luck!
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Resume - adding spark of personality 05 Jul 2011, 02:25
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studente
One lighthearted bullet point in your "Hobbies/Activities" section might help get across some personality and is unlikely to hurt your cause in any way (as long as you don't say anything that's too off-the-wall). That's exactly what I did in the resume that accompanied my applications.

Anything beyond that and you run the risk of overdoing it.
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Yep, pretty much.

On my resume I changed the writing style in my hobbies and interests to continuous prose rather than bullets. I felt that it allowed me to show a little more about who I am and what I'm like than simply the activities themselves.

Cautionary point. Make damn sure you don't stray into amateur comedian territory. Nothing is a bigger turn off than someone who is trying really hard to be funny. Also don't forget that you have a bunch of essays, short answer questions, and application responses in which your personality should shine through. The main function of your resume is to showcase your work experience. If you find yourself sacrificing some of your WE bullets in order to expand your hobbies and interests section than you are probably doing the wrong thing.
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Resume - adding spark of personality 05 Jul 2011, 02:41
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Just my personal opinion, I think it's great to list hobbies and make them a bit unique e.g. Cooking - French cuisine, but, Mac and cheese recipes (while delicious) seems a bit frivolous to put on your resume!

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Resume - adding spark of personality 05 Jul 2011, 03:45
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enkie
Hi Everyone

Wanted to get your opinion on whether a little lightheartedness in the "hobbies & extracurricular" section was a good idea.

The rest of my resume is VERY serious (as I'd imagine all of ours are), but I am REALLY into cooking (specifically have an obsession testing out mac and cheese recipes) and wanted to add that into the resume.

Is it bad to be a little lighthearted and list that in the hobbies section of my resume?

Thoughts appreciated! :)

Enkie
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Hi Enkie.

I really support you in this. Because despite any IT WILL SUPPORT YOUR SOCIAL, PERSONAL and blablabla - this part can make adcom to remember you from a range of just serious candidates.
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Resume - adding spark of personality 07 Jul 2011, 17:00
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Pike, you obviously haven't had my parmesan crusted 4 cheese mac n cheese or my spicy mac n cheese in a skillet with carmelized bacon crumbs. Just sayin. :)

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Resume - adding spark of personality 07 Jul 2011, 19:36
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I always wanted to pull this off:

https://mashable.com/2011/05/20/social-media-resumes/

Especially for those marketing jobs. But I never had to balls to do it.

If I were the AdCom, I would totally enjoy a tastefully creative resume, especially if you are planning a post-MBA career in marketing. However, I think it's risky to deviate from such a conservative business - business school. I do notice a trend in innovative applications format such as video or powerpoint. So why not give it a try for one of your safety or reach schools?

As far as, cooking in the hobby section, that's totally fine. I've seen wilder stuff in the hobby sections of resume books at Fuqua and beyond.
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Resume - adding spark of personality 08 Jul 2011, 22:31
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enkie
Pike, you obviously haven't had my parmesan crusted 4 cheese mac n cheese or my spicy mac n cheese in a skillet with carmelized bacon crumbs. Just sayin. :)

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Ha! That does sound pretty good...
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Resume - adding spark of personality 13 Jul 2011, 09:13
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In my years as an adcom, I never had the mac and cheese show up on the resume. BRAVO!
I agree that its much more interesting than yoga ( which just about everyone puts but does not really practice)
One thing I would add is.. be ready to discuss it in your interview! You want to have a good ,thoughtful answer. Not just "because I like it." Meaning, have some data about how many places you have found it, where its the best, your favorite recipe. etc.. Just because its off beat doesn't mean you should not "use it seriously" in your school interactions...
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Resume - adding spark of personality 13 Jul 2011, 22:38
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enkie
Hi Everyone

Wanted to get your opinion on whether a little lightheartedness in the "hobbies & extracurricular" section was a good idea.

The rest of my resume is VERY serious (as I'd imagine all of ours are), but I am REALLY into cooking (specifically have an obsession testing out mac and cheese recipes) and wanted to add that into the resume.

Is it bad to be a little lighthearted and list that in the hobbies section of my resume?

Thoughts appreciated! :)

Enkie
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I love to cook too. I put it on my resume and my essays... It worked out well because it was discussed on multiple interviews.
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Resume - adding spark of personality 02 Aug 2015, 01:40
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