Big History and Philosophy nerd. Always loved ancient roman history and philosophy, would it stand out to have it on resume? Thanks! Edit: i would put it under interests, not my major (finance)
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Avoid history like the plague, philosophy is much better. More analytical and less woke bs.
Overall I would suggest combining philosophy with maths or economics or something traditionally good to break in. Philosophy on its own probably isn’t that great.
How is history woke BS lol? If anything, all the history buffs I know tend to be conservatives.
yeah it seems the opposite would be true
I'm not saying history as a whole is woke BS, I mean how it's taught in universities.
It’s not a bad idea to have it in the interests section, though it might not make you stand out by itself. Best case, your interviewer’s into it too, and you end up having a decent conversation about it. Just make sure you actually know what you’re putting down. Like, if you list Stoicism or ancient Roman history, be ready to talk about a philosopher or a good book on it. If they ask for a recommendation and you blank, it’s not a great look. But if you’re into it and can talk about why it interests you, it could make the interview more engaging
There is no chance someone reads “Interests: Philosophy” on your resume and thinks you are a normal person. Do not do this.
Yeah, someone said above that history is "Woke BS", but IMO philosophy is worse. A history buff may just enjoy learning about WW2 and cool war heros and stuff like that, while a philosophy buff will ask me if the model that I'm having them build will teach them the meaning of life.
You guys are crazy. Philosophy is pretty fucking difficult to understand for the average joe so if you can prove to understand it, that tells me you’re better equipped to tackle complex systems and processes. Not to mention the benefits it provides in terms of mindset.
I hate this anti-intellectual age. Having interests like history and philosophy are great things for rounding you out as a professional and overall human being. It’s not all about who can do the most spotless financial model.
Don't group history and philosophy together.
And you guys are dorks.
I was a philosophy major for two years before ultimately changing. I think philosophy is fascinating. Listing it as an interest on your resume however makes you sound like you may be an insufferable douchebag, a risk not worth taking when the #1 factor for getting hired is cultural fit.
Listing it as an interest or not has nothing to do with the validity of philosophy, the difficulty of philosophy, the value of philosophy vs. financial modeling, or anti-intellectualism for Christ’s sake. It’s about not sounding like a complete tool to people who have never met you.
Nothing on your resume should be off putting to a random stranger reading it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have obscure interests or activities. It just means let them get to know you first.
The problem is someone can put philosophy down and mean one of two things. IF they are super into the "real" stuff, yeah. It can be like listing Talmudic Studies on your resume. A nerdy thing that demonstrates a pretty clear ability to be comfortable in highly complex systems. BUT, there is also the other side. The "I am into philosophy" because I am a racist and want to justify my racism or the "Marxist" who doesn't even know what Karl said in Kapital. There is a range and simply putting "philosophy" on a resume doesn't tell you where in that range the applicant is.
With that being said, I couldn't agree more with your underlying point.
Unfortunately, working in finance IS anti-intellectual. The great contradiction is that anyone even remotely junior is expected to have no interests and no life outside finance, while anyone senior is almost wholly reliant on having those interests if they want to connect with clients.
Yeah Philosophy is a great thing to put on the resume. But, I wouldn't put it under interests if you already have it under education.
Buddy no matter how much you love something, make sure that interest is somewhat aligned with IB/PE culture. This is why most kids will put stuff like poker, football, etc and if they want to diversify they'll put something down like "Eastern barbecue" like Mark Moran did.
Philosphy or history or literally any "weird" interest hurts you.
"eastern bbq" that's not a thing
Chinese BBQ is kinda amazing. I'll meet you at XFF if you disagree a little, or take you out to Flushing if you disagree a lot.
I'll tell you where else to eat, but the Chinese can really do BBQ.
I don't think it's a red flag but can't imagine it helping unless you're applying to some HFs that have that type of culture or know that one of the people you're interviewing/networking with shares the interest. IB/PE definitely won't care or look at it any differently.
I have Roman philosophy in the interest section on my resume and have had some good conversations about it
Def more interesting than another football/golf/weightlifting resume.
Put history, especially if its something specific. I'm a massive history buff and will always ask if I see something like it. Last dude I hired had WWII history and I think about half the interviewers spent the most time talking about that.
Philosophy is hit or miss, I know nothing about it so would gloss over lol.
Put Philosophy, dont let the anti intellectuals get to you. Best case scenario you find sometbing that you can talk about Philosophy with, worst case nothing happens or people think your a little nerdy (99% of people dont even know what Philosophy is and the branches of it).
Keep learning more about Philosophy and History, much more important than anything "Finance" related.
yeah definitely don’t want to discourage you from being yourself but think there’s a sensible balance between being true to yourself and putting interests that are somewhat palatable/relatable. my interests are mostly sports related but i have a few more “interesting” ones like music and reading which i leave so people can ask me about it if they want. fwiw as someone who has worked in several jobs the interest line on my resume far and away generates the most conversation in my interviews - maybe you could say reading and jot down a book that is very historical/philosophical? just my two cents - it’s not about being anti-intellectual or harshing your interests it’s just you have to put your best foot forward on resumes you know? be true to yourself but i’m not putting anime as one of my interests for better or worse even though it is something i enjoy - and i agree that dropping history/philo as an interest could run the risk of making you look insufferable even if you’re not
In my case it's my second major so I put it right next to finance and I've ended up having some interesting conversations. Feel free to list whatever you want in the interest section, that's why it's there, but only if actually interests you. Don't be some generic bot intellectual wannabe, you'll make the rest of us look bad.
"Don't be shy" - Socrates probably
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My brother in Christ do you have a “favorite books” section on your resume? “Favorite foods” too if you want to fill some more space?
I have favorite books, favorite foods, favorite drinks, and favorite THC strains on my resume (sour diesel is the best).
Showing that you are an actual human is a good thing. Just make sure you are comfortable speaking to it.
For example, I am way too into the science of complexity (which is basically the study of systems that are capable of demonstrating emergent phenomena). I am actually trying to leverage the master's degree I am getting now to do some research in the field as if I am not enough of a psychopath. If I see a resume with anything indicating they are interested in this (whether it is just in their interests, they did research at the Santa Fe Institute, they are getting a minor in Complex Systems at Michigan, etc), I will ask about it. It won't necessarily help you in terms of making you more likely to get the job or not. Like that won't be the thing that determines the offer. But it will guarantee that I remember you. So whether you interviewed well or poorly, we are too small of a group for me to not notice.
But, and I want to emphasize this, that's largely to do with how small of a field the science of complexity is. So it sticks out more when someone is interested in it. History and philosophy doesn't have that same relative smallness so it may not be as beneficial.
But by no means it will hurt (unless you can't speak to your interest in it), and it likely can only help
Everyone here is way overthinking this and shows how fucked up finance people are. Who gives a fuck? You like what you like and anyone who cares can kindly fuck off
Great mentality for life. Not the greatest when trying to get a job. The point of a resume is to get a job.
There are a lot of cool things in life that also don't belong on a resume:
Your resume is not your personality and vice versa.
....
I put Stoicism on mine and have been asked about it in several interviews. I know a senior banker who put "History Buff" or something like that. "History and Philosophy" are pretty broad terms, try to narrow it down a bit. It's fine to have one of these as long as you have other stuff you like that is more normal like skiing or golfing.
I think the "interests" section of a resume is best suited for somewhat niche (ie. not just putting "travel") things that will spark conversation with some but not be off putting to others. Philosophy may spark a great conversation with a few individuals who are also interested, may be pretentious/off putting to others, up to you to weigh the risk/reward, I don't see it personally.
I would definitely add both. It shows you're interested in two educational subjects in your free time. IMO it frames you as a constant learner.
like, philosophy falls into the same category as my interest in pre-bronze-age collapse Greek history. Cool story for the work xmas party, but please don't put it on the resume.
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