canyonwalker | A Resume Lists "Olive Oil" as an Interest... (Reply)

There's a tweet that's gone viral from a recruiter in an investment bank complaining about poor resumes. This particular complaint largely backfired on the recruiter, though. Currently it has over 8 million views:

Cannot stress how much of an advantage it is to be a normal, well adjusted, applicant for banking roles.

I reviewed a resume that listed "olive oil" as an interest. That is not an interest. It's been hours and I cannot stop thinking about it. There will not be an interview.

Some of the top retorts include "A guy out there puts olive oil on their resume and you don't wanna interview and find out WTF that's about? Fam u sure u in the right job?" "'Olive oil' is at least as valid an interest as 'wine'," and "The guy that lists olive oil as his interest will generate more lifetime alpha than the 'hiking', 'biking', and 'running' crowd combined."

I'm with the critics on this one. Real people, real people who succeed in knowledge economy jobs requiring creativity, skill, and competitive instincts, often have uncommon interests. Rejecting a candidate over one odd quip you don't understand is terrible talent scouting.

Sure, If the whole resume is full of typos and non sequiturs, into the trash it goes. But I would read the rest of the resume irrespective of the "olive oil" quip and evaluate the candidate on how well their experience and accomplishments match my hiring needs. Then, if the resume is worth conducting at least a preliminary interview, I'd plan to ask, "So, what's with the olive oil?" as an ice-breaker question.

I'd go beyond just asking about olive oil, though. I'd listen to the answer— because how a person talks about their hobbies reveals a lot of things pertinent to professional work.

First, I'd listen for passion. Does this person care about something? Why? What motivates them?

Coupled with this is curiosity. Do they go deep into an area they find interesting? What have they learned? What is their process for learning?

Throughout the topic I'd listen for contextualization. How well does this person explain why they're interested and how it fits into a bigger picture. How well can they relate it to things other people care about? For example with olive oil, can they discuss how many billions of dollars per year the industry is, how many tens of thousands of people it employs, how many thousands of years back the history of producing olive oil goes (offhand I believe it's 3000 years), or how using good oil improves their cooking.

Finally, and this is a bit more pertinent to the field I've worked in for many years (sales), I'd listen for entrepreneurship and drive. Are they thinking about how to build a business or make money? Do they have a competitive spirit? What do they measure their success or expertise against, and how do they get better?

Yes, I'm aware that the person who wrote "olive oil" under "interests" could be a total clown and thus a waste of time. Reading the rest of the resume, like I recommended as a first step, is the first filter on that. If they pass that stage then asking them to elaborate in an interview is the second filter. If they drone on and on about olive oil trivia, showing no awareness that they're boring the interviewer, the call can be cut short— and then there will not be a second interview.