Your resume does not only tell the story of your professional career, but also of the facets that make you who you are as a person. Here we clarify how to list phases of job search, your hobbies and interests in your resume, and to what extent you must indicate your marital status.

Phases of Job Search

First school, then training or studies, then working continuously in a company for a lifetime … What an amazingly seamless resume! But wait – does that even still exist?

Periods of unemployment are no longer uncommon. If these also appear in your resume, then that's just how it is – you should neither omit them, nor should you give them too much importance through elaborate explanations. There is sufficient room for further explanations in the job interview.

If the periods of unemployment are relatively short, it is generally sufficient to mention them as “job seeking” or “seeking employment”. They can be pushed into the background by not highlighting them in color or bold, unlike the more important stages of your life, for example.

For longer periods of unemployment, presenting them becomes a bit more challenging. However you try to put a positive spin on them: the hiring managers are of course aware that you were simply unemployed during those times.

Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that you were not idle during those times. For example, mention trade fairs you attended, activities in which you updated your expertise, as well as further training or courses you completed. If you worked in a different industry after a period of unemployment, state – if true – that you redirected your career and proactively improved your skills.

You can also mention the reason for the unemployment, which may have resulted from the insolvency of your previous employer or due to your return to Germany after a long stay abroad. However, make sure not to get lost in excessive justifications, but simply state the fact.

Examples of how to present periods of unemployment in a resume

• job seeking
• job seeking, attending national trade fairs for networking
• job seeking, further education through e-learning platforms
• job seeking after the insolvency of company X
• job seeking, volunteering at XY association
• professional reorientation to profession X
• professional reorientation to industry X
• internship at company X
• professional re-entry into sample industry after a one-year stay abroad

Marital Status – to mention or not?

What would you think if a resume states that the applicant is single? That they are independent and thus wonderfully flexible for any task? Or that they still have the phase of starting a family ahead of them and their life will accordingly change?

How about your thoughts when a person indicates they are married and have three children? Do you think that their family planning is now completed, that their personal life is well organized, and the person can fully concentrate on their career? Or do you rather expect a person who is heavily involved in their private life, potentially affecting their work?

And what about age? 60 years old, highly experienced, but soon to retire? 20 years old, no work experience, but full of curiosity and ambition? Maybe someone with too much joy in parties and going out?

You see: Indications of marital status, age or date of birth, as well as nationality, religion or political affiliation, lead to conclusions that ultimately are a matter of interpretation. Whether you provide such details is entirely up to you. When in doubt, you can simply leave them out.

A few examples of situations where mentioning in the resume might be useful:

• In a job advertisement, there is mention of weekend work, flexibility in evening hours. In this case, it might be worthwhile to state your marital status as “single.”
• Your resume is very brief because you are still in school. Additionally, you have chosen not to include a photo in your application. In this case, stating your date of birth or age could explain the brevity of your resume.
• If you want to apply to a party-affiliated organization, mentioning your party affiliation (if suitable) would be relevant.
• If you are applying to an institution with religious affiliations, naming your religion, if applicable, could be quite helpful.
• If your name isn't exactly a typical “Anna Müller,” then mentioning your German nationality may be advantageous, especially if you want to emphasize that there are no obstacles to your employment by law, or if you want to explicitly confirm your command of the German language.

Hobbies, Interests, and Involvement in the Resume

Information about hobbies, interests, or social involvement probably do not have a real influence on the selection of an applicant. However, specifying hobbies, interests, as well as social and voluntary involvement can be a meaningful addition. This expands the image that HR professionals get of you and sharpens your personal profile. Especially for those starting their careers, mentioning hobbies and interests offers a good opportunity to round off the resume.

Ideally, your hobbies and interests should have points of contact with the advertised position or at least with the professional sector. For example, if someone applies as a graphic designer and is intensely involved in photography in their spare time or writes blog posts about graphic software applications, they are hitting the nail on the head.

Voluntary or social involvement also has a positive effect. It is also ideal if the institution where you carry out your activities is related to the industry. This shows that you are generally interested in the field you are applying for. However, do not hesitate to mention involvement that is unrelated to the industry – this demonstrates your commitment to society and the community.

Apart from interests that more or less match the advertised position and your activities in volunteering or associations, you can also mention additional hobbies. Always keep in mind that each hobby is associated with certain characteristics. For example, playing football or basketball indicates teamwork. Jogging or strength training shows that you stay fit, which allows conclusions to be drawn about your resilience. Cooking represents sociability, traveling can reflect your openness, playing a musical instrument can underpin your creativity ... Be cautious with hobbies that involve high risk in extreme sports. Activities that are considered passive, such as listening to music or watching TV, could also be perceived as disadvantageous.

When providing this information, keep it concise. In the simplest case, you list only the activities, usually no more than three or four. However, you can also add concise additional information that reveals more about your interests and involvement, especially when it is relevant to the position. Examples of individual entries could look like this:

• Treasurer at XYZ Club
• Member of XYZ Club (minutes taking, organization)
• Reading (especially biographies)
• Portrait photography with a DSLR camera
• Cooking (international cuisine)
• Music (playing the guitar)
• Football (goalkeeper)
• Basketball referee
• Running (goal: marathon)
• Member of XYZ Club (support for the elderly), Cooking, Reading
• Music (playing the guitar), Strength training, Member of XYZ Club
• Digital music production, Football, Running

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