Is this standard requirement for CV?

[NoMoreABD]

"Please submit a detailed biographical outline, including your employment history and explanation of work responsibilities, any publications, honors, awards, professional registration and societies, foreign language and computer skills, extra-curricular collegiate activities as well as avocations, hobbies, places traveled."

I mean, I know what a CV is, and how it's different from a resume, but it didn't occur to me to put in computer skills, hobbies and places traveled.

How important do you think these things are, in comparison to all the other stuff in the CV? ok, maybe computer skills make sense, but how are "places traveled" relevant?

I'd appreciate any advice before I start major revisions in my well-thought-of CV...

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

Non of these are particularly important. Personally I do specify computer skills on my CV but specifying hobbies and places traveled sounds completely out of place. I never saw any professor or graduate student in my field mention them so I wouldn't add them to my CV unless there was an explicit request to do so.

[agarcia59]

I just put my computer skills in my CV before I saw this post. I agree with leaving out hobbies/places as mentioned above.

Edited November 20, 2011 by agarcia59

[Eigen]

Places traveled could be quite relevant depending on the area of research.Being widely traveled can imply interactions with other cultures, governments, climates, etc.

The quote you mentioned- is this from a school you're applying to? If so, then it doesn't really matter what the rest of us think- they wouldn't have mentioned it if they didn't think it held some importance.

[gradschoolguru]

One thing to consider is where this CV prompt is coming from. Is it from application materials that applicants from ALL degree programs at a University are given? Or is it directly from the department or program that you are applying to?

If it is applicable to applicants in all fields, it makes sense that the instructions require you to include a wide variety of information. Some of it make be very relevant to certain fields, but to others it is not. For example, hobbies might be very important if you are applying to a leisure studies program, but not if you are applying to a math program. In this case, excluding "minor" categories that are not highly relevant to your area will probably not make or break your application.

If the prompt comes directly from the department or program you are applying to, however, be very specific and follow the instructions carefully. Include all the information that is requested.