Resume advice- My dad asked me to update my resume and include my travels. What's the best way to do that?

Question

He's passing my resume on to the director of an international business so he said I should include my travels and experiences (examples- Toured SE Asian on my own, Climbed Mt. Fuji, Climbed the Great Wall, Traveled around numerous countries in Europe and lived in Italy)
I never thought of including this sort of information in a resume. What's the best way to do it? Include a section called "travel" with bullets on my expereinces? (my resume already has education, work experience, and skills sections with bullets).
Does it makes sense to list places I've been to? Does that sound boastful? Any light you could shed would be appreciated, I don't want to do this in an inappropriate way.

Answer 1

I too have a lot of personal travel experience; but I do not think that I would put my "personal" travel experience (versus travel related to work responsibilities) in my resume. Instead, I might incorporate this information in the cover letter that accompanies my resume.

The cover letter allows you to use a narrative format that the resume format does not. However, in raising the issue of personal travel, you must relate in the cover letter how your extensive personal travel experience is relevant to the job that you is seeking. For example, did your travel result in learning another language -- a proficiency in that language being necessary for the job?

Answer 2

Your travels are a cover letter discussion and not a resume discussion. It's in the cover letter where you are to identify how you relate to their position specifically, and what experiences both personal and professional, lend you the appropriate mindset for working for an international company.

Entering that discussion on the resume isn't appropriate unless it was business-related travel. If you feel compelled to include this information in some form within your resume, your opening paragraph of the resume can include a sentence similar to this...

"Possesses strong understanding of international and cultural diversity, living abroad and having traveled extensively within Europe and Asia."

This fits into an opening summary nicely (this, as opposed to using an Objective), which is more effective than an Objective anyhow.

An example of resumes that use this type of opening can be seen at http://www.samplewords.com/personal-resume-templates.html

You'll see what I mean. There are also tons of examples at www.resume-resource.com but the ones on www.samplewords.com are actually downloadable and edit-capable.

Good luck!

Answer 3

under interests/hobbies you could put 'travel' or 'international travel' as a bullet point, and then if the situation arises or if they ask you about it specifically bring it up then and talk about when you have been. I don't really think listing all the places you have been is necessary unless it would be really relevant to the job?

you want to keep a CV as short and to the point as possible ie no longer than two, uncluttered pages.

Answer 4

If you accomplished the travels on your own, it might indicate your resourcefulness. I would tell good old dad, you will save it for the first or second interview.

Answer 5

Your dad concern is that within that peroid of travel, you are not under any forms of employment, right. it means the laps of time would keep the interviewer suspicious of you. thus it is not so good.