The Weirdest Things People Actually Put On Their Resumes

disproportionate-resume-interests-by-state

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Nothing fills a job hunter with more dread than that pesky “Additional Interests” section on their resume.

Even worse, the company may have specifically requested your hobbies and mentioned wanting to find a “culture fit.” You’ll hem and haw, and scramble before putting down some interests you’re hoping will intrigue the hiring manager.

Make them see, You have interests! You’re creative! You help others! You’ll make great water cooler banter! Or at least not make them go, “Wow, don’t call this guy.”

It made us wonder– what weird, uncommon terms are people choosing (sometimes poorly) to put on their resume? We analyzed 3,543,017 resumes from people just like you to see the most unexpected adjectives, nouns, and hobbies people are using on their resumes. What we learned? Job seekers need to start using resume templates more and trusting their instincts less.

What we found was weird, to put it simply. And in today’s map, we’re showing you just how weird each state really is.

Our Oddest Findings

Resumes in Hawaii are pretty “awesome”, just ask the “dude”s in Wyoming. Or maybe try some more HR friendly adjectives.
If you put rapping on your resume, get ready to spit some mad rhymes about Microsoft Word in the interview.
New Yorkers are most likely to mention “arguing” in their resumes- not exactly most managers favorite quality in an employee…
Being bilingual can give you an edge in the job market, but probably not if it’s Klingon.
Montana job seekers are most prone to mentioning their wife.
New Mexico resume workers use the term “alien” most often. Either professing their believe in extra-terrestrials or listing their work experience at cheesy tourist places.
That might be beat by Texas resumes that refer to Bigfoot.
0.000000784% of Alabama resumes mention Wookies. Which, I think we can all agree, is too many.
Ohio’s love of Lebron earns him mentions on their resume, while New Jersey workers who’ve worked at Trump properties are hoping not to alienate employers with their work history.
Some of these hobbies like Beekeeping (Vermont), Genealogy (Utah), and Acrobatics (Rhode Island) ARE kind of cool.

You can keep reading to see how we found this gems, and some context for the more bizarre resume mentions.

How We Did It

We gathered up the most disproportionately common interests found on people’s resumes in each state across the country, by analyzing a veritable boatload of resumes. 3,543,017 to be exact. We then looked at which keywords appeared in people’s additional interests the most across the country. Then we made a nifty map, because, maps are fun.

In the next section, we take a look at some examples from real resumes. Because stuff like “Kardashians” needs some explanation.

Kardashians

The fact that Kardashians was even mentioned once in about 100K resumes is astonishing. Guys–don’t put Kardashian in your resume. No matter what.

In this case, here was the context: “-One of less than 15 companies included in several backstage Swag/Celebrity events such as MTV, BET, The GRAMMY’s, Emmy Awards, and Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards for 8 years in a row. -Designed and worked for many TV networks and celebrities such as The Kardashians, Beyonce Knowles Carter, Paris Hilton, and other industry favorites”

So, sure, it makes sense. But really–do you want to be bragging about your affiliation with the Kardashians?

UFOs

“UFO” was a term most likely to be found in Alaskan resumes. Sadly, it appears users aren’t explaining their believe but something it out there, but describing former job duties. Alas. Here’s an example: “Familiar with many different satellite types including DSCS, MILSTAR, UFO, Intel Sat, and Pan Am Sat.”

So that’s cool.

Porn

Yes, that’s right: porn. This word wasn’t the most commonly used in any state, but the fact that we came across it at all is insane. It starts out pretty normal, but then just keep reading.

“Full lifecycle EMR implementation consulting in the ambulatory environment * Project coordination, change management, and training * Technology proficient – Office products, eLearning/CBT?, illegally downloading porn, hating on UK on Facebook * Interpersonal skills spanning all ages and levels of learning, from all walks of life”

You can’t just stick that in there and then keep going like you didn’t! WHAT IS HAPPENING!

Redneck

“Redneck” is another resume keyword that came up a surprising amount (not enough to be the most mentioned in any state, but still). Here’s an example of why this actually does make sense:

“Interacted with festival attendees, helping them find their way around the festival as well as helping them sign up for the National Taco Association Arizona Barbecue Festival Oversaw and maintained order of the horseshoe toss in the Redneck Arena”

The Moral of This Story…

Is to be mindful of the words you put into your resume. Most of the time when companies look at them, they scan for keywords–just like we did here. If you’re dropping in subtle mentions of “porn” or “Kardashians,” believe us, it will be noticed. (And not necessarily in a good way.)

If a company requests additional interests, you might want to settle on ones that you wouldn’t be ashamed to tell your mom- or highlight additional skills you may not have a chance to convey in your professional experience, such as volunteer work.

Of course, while you are free to mention religion, race, disabilities, and political affiliation, you are protected by law from disclosing these qualities.

Most Common Weird Resume Interest

State	Interest
Alabama	Wookie
Arizona	Orgami
Alaska	Klingon
Arkansas	Clothesmaking
California	Kardashian
Colorado	Cardistry
Connecticut	Ford
Delaware	Christian
Florida	Magic
Georgia	Peaches
Hawaii	Awesome
Idaho	Bodybuilding
Illinois	Couponing
Indiana	Drones
Iowa	Pizza
Kansas	Embroidery
Kentucky	Bowling
Louisiana	Tigers
Maine	Leather
Maryland	Electronic
Massachusetts	Witchcraft
Michigan	Ford
Minnesota	Dinosaurs
Mississippi	Tennis
Missouri	Hotdog
Montana	Wife
Nebraska	Hooping
Nevada	Arson
New Hampshire	Gymnastics
New Jersey	Trump
New Mexico	Alien
New York	Arguing
North Carolina	Weaving
North Dakota	Thrifting
Ohio	Lebron
Oklahoma	Computers
Oregon	Volunteer
Pennsylvania	Chocolate
Rhode Island	Acrobatics
South Carolina	Zeus
South Dakota	Ghosts
Tennessee	Gay
Texas	Bigfoot
Utah	Genealogy
Vermont	Beekeeping
Virginia	Cryptography
Washington	Space
West Virginia	Hunting
Wisconsin	Rapping
Wyoming	Dude

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Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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