10 Hobbies to Boost Your Employability
In the modern era, companies seeking employees focus on a lot more than qualifications. Sure, a master’s degree will take you places, but diversity is the way forward; it is the future. Because employees are now interested in individuals whose performance capabilities border on perfect, there is a lot more that goes into earning a spot in a company than what you accomplished in that posh university you attended.
Your interests-more so your hobbies are tell prospective employers of what they can and cannot expect from you. In some cases, your hobbies beat your qualifications and/or your experience. In most cases, they are just as important.
As a result, it is imperative that you take up a couple of hobbies that will endear you to prospective employers. And now you are wondering what hobbies these are that will improve your employability. It depends on the job you are looking for. If your hobbies mesh well with the job you are seeking to get into, then you are instantly more attractive. If you like doing something, you will do it well. So if your hobbies go well with the industry you are trying to get into, the powers that be will take notice.
Let us take a look at some of the hobbies you should take up as you seek to boost your employability.
1. Involving yourself with the community
When you volunteer to do work that benefits the community (and there are many such jobs you could volunteer for), you are sending out a message to prospective employers that you can very easily work with other people, regardless of the place or situation. If you are looking to become a branch manager or get into any other authoritative role, this hobby will go a long way in ensuring you get that job.
2. Taking part in endurance sporting events
If you are into riding bicycles, marathon running, swimming, taking part in various sporting events, etc, you showcase your obstinacy and fortitude to potential employers. This means that if you want to get into, say, a sales job, you stand a better chance of getting it than one who doesn’t like endurance sports.
3. Being a reader, visiting museums, etc.
This hobby instantly makes you suitable to the research job you are so intent on getting. That is because it shows how much curiosity you have and that you can’t get enough knowledge. Your willingness to always learn new things will definitely make you a good researcher.
4. High risk, high reward hobbies
If you like to keep fit by going rock and/or mountain climbing or going mountain bike riding or skiing or sky diving or canoeing, etc, then you show you are a person who likes taking risks (calculated risks). Just like taking up endurance sports, this hobby adds to your suitability to sales and business. It also adds to your employability in authoritative roles such as a general manager job.
5. Writing creative content
An interest in writing short stories, screenplays, poems, blogs, etc boosts your employability in writing and/or editing jobs. It is no secret that if you are into writing, regardless of what you like writing, you will thrive in such an industry (as well as in public relations and in social media jobs).
6. Creativity in general
This is somewhat related to the aforementioned hobby, except it is more diverse. Creativity can range from anything between cooking and drawing. If you like photography, painting, writing fiction, et al, your suitability to fields such as design, marketing, public relations and other dynamic fields will be improved.
7. Playing games of strategy and cunning
Chess, Sudoku, Texas Hold’em, even Call of Duty Black Ops III show how much strategic thinking and planning appeals to you. When looking for a job that involves strategy, such a hobby can go a long way in ensuring you get it.
8. Interest in playing team sports
If you like working with others to achieve a common goal—that is if you like playing basketball, football, etc—then you are, without a doubt good for a team. Employers seeking individuals to work to work together will be interested in you.
9. Learning new things
This is just like the point explained in (3) above. If you take up a new language just because, or you enjoy expanding your horizons and general knowledge, then you stand a good chance in working in that research facility you want to work in. it also helps in getting a job in the education and medical fields.
10. Playing a musical instrument or singing
It takes patience and determination and focus to play the drums while your pal plays the guitar and the other guy does the viola while the girl sings. Your patience, determination and will to work hard will endear you to lots of employers who are offering jobs that don’t even have anything to do with music.
Conclusion
As you may well have concluded, having a hobby or two makes you a much more interesting candidate for a job. Employers ask about hobbies to judge for themselves how a candidate would fit into the job they are offering. Hence, in order to boost your employability, it is a good idea to get into a couple of hobbies in your field of interest.
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