UK Resume advice

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I are making a big change and moving from Australia to the UK (probably London) for a few years. Not being independently wealthy I’ll need a job. I’ll be looking for something in Banking & Finance by the by.

I’m comfortable with most of my resume (CV), but curious about one thing. In Australia I find it is looked on favourably* to include some detail of charity work you are or have been involved in. Would that be the case in the UK? would it be viewed as a positive to my qualities, or just a neutral ‘meh’, or even a negative, “you should be spending your time at work not doing that stuff”

  • A lot of larger companies in Australia are concerned about being seen as good corporate citizens and supporting charitable work. Some even provide 1-2 paid days a year to each staff member for them to spend working in a charitable organisation. My current employer has a charitable foundation which among other activities matches staff donations to charitable societies.
2

Depends on the specific type and seniority of role you are looking for, I’d say. There’s no hard and fast rule. In my experience it’s less common than it used to be to mention extracurricular activities and interests, particularly for experienced hires, but that doesn’t mean it’s frowned upon. I always found it helpful to get a feel for the individual behind the employment history, and a good spark for small talk.