CV - how much personal stuff do you include?

[janeybooks]

years since I've done a cv. I'm now applying for a management position - do they really need to know about my hobbies and homelife? ' I love reading, the theatre etc etc' you know what I mean!

I would only put something in if it was extraordinary and demonstrated relevant skills, ie running an am dram society might be a way to demonstrate good organisational skills or something like that.

You don't need to put any of that in - unless you want to show that your hobbies have direct relevance to a management job - e.g. I set up and ran ...
You don't have to put in any details of marital status or children either (or even your age).

Thank you - it did seem a bit unecessary.

None - unless it was relevant. Make sure your summary statement is really directed towards the management job rather than general skills.

And do a covering letter that addresses each area of the person spec.

many companies now don't want cv's, they want a completed application form that relates to the person spec provided with the job details.

I dont put the personal/hobbies stuff on my CV. Maybe if it was directly relevant, but in my case it isnt.

Yes - would include. It can help make a candidate seem more "3D". Presentation and contect is key though.

I would put "Interests" rather than "Hobbies", then put a few (carefully chosen) ones in a line seperated by a ;. Definitely gear them towards the image you want to create for yourself in the job/at the company. Good ones are
Current affairs; photography; garden design - things that you can happily admit to being an amateur at but that you enjoy (and it looks good on paper as opposed to say, cross-stitch).

Good point re the marathon post however I personally would put "Fund raising via completion of NY 2008 marathon" (ie avoiding use of "I.. ". (looks a little cluttered).

I wouldn't put any personal stuff in (excluding obvious things like name etc of course). Unless it is a more creative or very informal position, there is a risk that you might make yourself look unprofessional. I would stick to the experience directly related to the post - potential future employers have only so much time to read someone's cv - putting in too much risks them missing out important information (skim reads etc).

Btw, this is also the opinion of most professional cv writers. (Tip once given to me by very kind ex-boss when I was made redundant, and since confirmed by recruitment consultants.)

Good luck with your application.

If you were to include a covering letter, you might include something there, as this tends to be slightly less formal anyway.

no no no don't include any personal stuff - it implies they will make a judgments about you on it ( and of course they will) Stick to your skills and achievments.
Don't get ito the game of wondering whether running sounds better thatn knitting...that way madness lies. It a JOB not a hobby you are applying for.