Some People Are Putting Their Fitness Achievements on Their Resumes
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Here's your money briefing for Wednesday, December 18th. I'm J.R. Whalen for The Wall Street Journal. A challenge many job seekers face is how to make their resumes stand out among scores of others sitting on hiring managers' desks. Some are including athletic achievements, specifically their performance in marathons.
There's this idea of how you do one thing is how you do all things.
What trend is driving job-seekers to list marathon results on their resumes?
That was a theme that came through from the recruiters I spoke to and also the people who are putting this type of thing on their resume. They believe a marathon, it's hard work, training for it and the actual race itself. So those values that a marathon requires translate to the workplace.
We'll talk to Wall Street Journal contributor Caitlin Carlson after the break.
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Is including fitness achievements on a resume a new practice or growing in popularity?
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More people are including how they did on marathons on their resume. Is that a good idea? Wall Street Journal contributor Caitlin Carlson joins me. Caitlin, is this new?
A few people I spoke with said that they've had it on their resume for a while now, but others were recently inspired to add it after seeing a post about the topic on social media. So I don't think it's new so much as growing in popularity.
And Caitlin, I have to ask, are you a marathoner? And if so, is it on your resume?
I am a marathoner. I do have it on my resume. That was not what inspired this story, though. However, I've had it on my resume for quite a while, and I never really thought much about it or been a journalist for over a decade. And it's been interesting to me that this topic has been really interesting to people. And I wish I would have thought to talk about it sooner.
How much detail do people typically include?
The best practice, according to the recruiters that I spoke with, is to keep it simple. So just list that you're a six-time marathoner, for example, or maybe list the location of the marathon, especially if it's a unique location and could perhaps be a conversation starter.
Do recruiters recommend listing marathon participation and how much detail is appropriate?
The recruiters agreed that it might be a little much to add your best marathon time or really any much detail beyond that.
What do the recruiters you spoke with say about marathon performances placed on a resume? What kind of message should it convey?
One coach I spoke to suggested that ideally you build your marathon finishes into a career narrative. Maybe it helps explain a gap in your work history if you competed at a high level, or it simply shows that you're a self-starter if you add the context that you put yourself through college as a scratch golfer, for example, because it doesn't just have to be about marathons. People are really putting all kinds of fitness achievements on their resume.
What types of jobs are people applying for where they're including that information?
All kinds. That's what was really interesting to me. While some people I spoke with were applying for squarely fitness related jobs, one person works for a golf related company. Others work in public relations, though. And some of these people work in tech and sales and really all kinds of jobs.
You wrote about a 29 year old man from Tennessee who runs marathons and who posted on Instagram about the benefits of doing it. What value does he see in it?
In his original video, he was filming himself running and talking on this subject.
You look at marathon runner, the employer immediately knows this dude's an idiot, but he's a determined idiot and I want him on my team.
Caitlin, he just called himself an idiot. What's the message there?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:44
2
What trend is driving job-seekers to list marathon results on their resumes?
0:44–1:45
3
Is including fitness achievements on a resume a new practice or growing in popularity?
1:45–3:08
4
Do recruiters recommend listing marathon participation and how much detail is appropriate?
3:08–5:25
5
How can marathon finishes be woven into a career narrative or explain gaps?
5:25–6:57
6
Which types of jobs and industries are candidates adding fitness achievements for?
6:57–7:28
Speakers
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