During the past year we may have found ourselves picking up a new hobby or two. Of course, there’s the obvious surge in sourdough baking but there were other areas Brits found themselves dabbling with. Retail reported a boom in gardening equipment as we spent more time at home and people turned their fingers green with home horticulture. Who knows, perhaps you found yourself developing a flair for hair as we resorted to having a home trim?
One of the overriding themes of this pandemic has been adaptation; the ability to adapt to new lifestyles and environments. This extends to work too, many people found themselves on furlough, out of work or at risk of losing their job. In usual times, people needing to find a new job would typically look within their current sector to new opportunities but we have seen whole sectors shut down and so people have been forced to look outside of their comfort zone.
Hobbies have often been spoken of as a great way to maintain a healthy work life balance but you can go further. Why not think about what you truly enjoy doing and use this as a compass for your career search? Starting from a blank slate, a career coach will often ask ‘what you enjoy doing’ to narrow down the search.
You could focus on the hobby itself and translate this to a new job (home gardener to landscape gardener) or you could look at the elements of the hobby you enjoy (forward planning, design) and the skills it has given you (research, attention to detail). Use these in your job search or refreshing your CV. If you are unsure how your hobbies and interests skills could translate to a new job, you can find some useful information and examples here.
The skills behind the hobbies are a great way to demonstrate your suitability for that new job. The attention to detail that comes from fine needlecraft, digital skills you developed through blogging, planning and research skills necessary for laying out a garden. If you look for them, the underlying skills will be there. The great thing about looking for skills in your hobbies is that these are what give you enjoyment. Focussing on these in your job search will lead to a more rewarding career.
These times call for creativity in looking for your next job and you shouldn’t be afraid to use your hobbies to widen the net or strengthen your profile.
Think about your hobbies and the skills they have taught you then use this in your job search, using these as keywords to narrow down the roles that would be suitable. You can find some helpful tips here.
Use your hobbies when you come to write or refresh your CV; your ability to demonstrate your suitability for a role can get you that interview. Responding to questions in an interview doesn’t need to be restricted to your work experience. Your ability to use hobbies as an example will not only demonstrate your suitability for the role but your ability to think creatively in how you respond to questions.
Above all, hobbies are about passion and passion can win you a job.
