The hobbies and interests section on a CV is somewhat controversial; some experts claim it should be in the application, while others believe it’s unnecessary. Our opinion is that there’s no harm in it, or at least not if you know what to include and how to format it correctly.
In this article, we will examine what hobbies and interests are appropriate for a CV, how to list them in the most effective way, and when it’s best to leave this section out entirely.
So, let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
Hobbies and interests differ slightly; the former requires active participation, while the latter includes subjects you like learning about.
The best hobbies and interests for a CV are those that demonstrate your soft or transferable skills, like volunteering, writing, sports, art, or making music.
You should keep some interests off your resume; for instance, drinking, gambling, extreme sports, watching TV, napping, or hanging out with friends.
When deciding which hobbies are suitable for a CV, consider their relevance and implications for your character.
Are There Differences Between Hobbies and Interests?
There are minor differences between hobbies and interests, though the two are always combined into one section on a CV.
Namely, a hobby is an activity that calls for participation, practice, and commitment. Many hobbies can lead to developing skills, such as playing an instrument, painting, or DIY arts and crafts.
On the other hand, an interest is a subject that you’re drawn to and want to learn more about. You might discover new concepts and knowledge related to this topic, but active participation isn’t always required. For instance, you can be interested in astronomy, biology, or politics.
Both hobbies and interests are ultimately activities you do in your spare time, free of charge, and out of curiosity or pleasure. As such, they aren’t crucial for your CV, but they can contribute if you know how to use them wisely.
When You Should and Shouldn’t Include Hobbies and Interests on Your CV
Since this section can be omitted without a significant detriment to your application, it’s important to know when you should and shouldn’t include hobbies and interests on your CV. In fact, it’s best to leave the section out in some cases, as it may be seen as fluff rather than valuable information.
That said, here are some situations when personal interests might benefit a CV:
Writing about limited work experience. Hobbies and interests are relevant for the CVs of students or those who have decided to switch careers, as they don’t have many relevant experiences to include. Since empty applications don’t leave a great impression, adding this section can help fill the space.
Humanising your application. The work experience and educational background sections contain dry facts that won’t make you sound particularly interesting. Hobbies and interests can be a perfect way to add some flavour to your application and remind your employer that you are a human being.
Demonstrating soft skills. Finally, fun hobbies can show your soft skills, such as leadership, communication, and creativity. For instance, if you enjoy amateur acting, you’ve likely had to develop teamwork and interpersonal skills, both of which are necessary in most professions.
However, you should omit the hobbies and interests section in the following situations:
Applying for a position in a conservative field. If you aim to become a lawyer or a doctor, it might be better to leave your hobbies out of your CV. Otherwise, your application may appear somewhat unprofessional.
Lack of space. If you’ve already included enough information in your application to take up two pages, adding the hobbies section is unnecessary. This applies to one-page CVs, too—don’t start a new page just to discuss your interests.
17 Best Hobbies and Interests You Should Include in Your CV
The best hobbies and interests to include in your CV are those that focus on your strengths and demonstrate your soft skills. Like all other parts of your application document, they should add value to your CV and make you appear capable, responsible, and well-rounded.
Below, we will explore some of the best examples of hobbies and interests for a CV:
#1. Volunteering
Volunteering is one of the best hobbies for job seekers, as it highlights your strong morals, initiative, and organisational skills. Depending on your specific role during volunteering, you may even use this hobby to prove your leadership abilities and emotional intelligence.
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with volunteering, and you may even include it in the work experience section if it’s particularly relevant. In that case, make sure to mention particular projects you worked on and accomplishments you achieved.
#2. Writing
Writing is clearly a useful hobby when applying for copywriting or academic positions, but it can also boost your CV in other professions. It demonstrates your creativity and written communication skills, both of which are relevant for many careers.
#3. Blogging
Similarly to writing, blogging emphasises your excellent written communication skills, but it also shows that you’re tech-savvy and potentially capable of growing an online audience. This can boost your standing in the selection process for careers in sales and marketing, so it’s worth including in your application.
#4. Languages
Languages are often included as a separate section on a CV, where you can list the ones you speak and add proficiency levels. However, you can also emphasise that you enjoy learning them as a hobby; this highlights your versatility, open-mindedness, and thirst for knowledge.
Moreover, learning languages for fun can indicate that you have a highly developed cultural awareness, which is crucial for communicating with global clients or working in international companies.
#5. Photography
Photography is an excellent hobby to include in a CV, as it demonstrates creativity, an eye for detail, and even technical skills. Plus, if you frequently photograph people, you’ll naturally develop excellent communication skills that will enhance your performance in most careers.
#6. Sports
Sports-related hobbies are an excellent way to show recruiters that you are disciplined, confident, and teamwork-oriented. Furthermore, if you play competitively, you certainly have experience with both wins and losses, which builds your resilience and ability to bounce back after a setback.
Some of the best examples of sports-related hobbies include:
Rugby
Hockey
Football
Baseball
Handball
Volleyball
Basketball
Aside from these, you can include individual sports, like tennis, weightlifting, skiing, cycling, or gymnastics. However, they may not demonstrate your teamwork abilities quite as clearly.
#7. Travelling
Travelling and related activities highlight your resourcefulness, open-mindedness, and organisational skills. They can also paint you as a flexible, curious individual who isn’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone and handles stress well.
When listing travelling in the hobbies and interests section, you can simply write “travelling”, or you can be more specific. For instance, camping, backpacking, or sightseeing are excellent alternatives that give your hobby another dimension and may sound more impressive.
#8. Reading
Reading is one of the best hobbies to put on a CV, as it shows that you’re interested in broadening your horizons and boosting your knowledge. Don’t worry about whether you’re reading the right kind of books; whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, reading feeds your brain and improves your ability to focus.
Additionally, avid readers tend to be better communicators and writers, which is particularly important in client work and correspondence. As a result, employers are likely to take note if you include reading among your hobbies and interests.
#9. Yoga
Though technically a sport, yoga comes with many benefits that other sports don’t necessarily bring. For instance, practising it regularly improves concentration, relaxes the mind, and relieves stress, helping you become more confident and focused. Thus, recruiters are often eager to hire someone who enjoys yoga, especially for intense and dynamic positions.
#10. Art
There is no art without creativity, which is among the most popular transferable skills on the job market. It’s useful not just for creative jobs, such as graphic design, copywriting, or architecture, but for any career where problem-solving is crucial.
So, even engineers, financial analysts, and software developers can benefit from including art as an example of a hobby on a CV. Recruiters will be glad to see their creative side and assume that it gives them an edge in coming up with innovative solutions.
#11. Hiking
Hiking for a hobby suggests that you are a determined, organised person who isn’t afraid of challenge and overcoming mental hurdles. After all, most hikers must plan their route carefully, get up early, and commit to a whole day of walking on difficult terrain. Such commitment and resolve make them excellent employees, particularly in careers with lots of physical activity.
#12. Making Music
Making your own music isn’t only impressive, but it’s also highly beneficial for your brain. Namely, actively engaging with music creates new neural pathways, which help improve your memory and thinking processes.
Additionally, only a highly creative person can make music, so this hobby demonstrates your inventiveness and originality. It also shows that you’re open to learning; much of the music creation process consists of trial and error, with little direction or guidance.
#13. Playing Instruments
Even if you don’t make your own music, you can actively engage with it by playing instruments. This can be just as effective at boosting your mental capabilities as creating original melodies, as you must still memorise the notes and figure out the best way to execute the performance.
Any instrument you include should impress your employer, but according to the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the best ones for your cognition are the piano, keyboard, or woodwind instrument.
#14. Collecting
You may think that collecting stamps, coins, or postcards wouldn’t interest your potential employer, but you might be wrong. Building a collection takes time, commitment, and attention to detail, so it can be a valuable hobby to demonstrate your professional strengths.
Here are some frequently collected items that find their way onto CVs:
Dolls
Rocks
Seashells
Vintage items
Fridge magnets
Clothes and accessories
#15. Acting
Putting acting on your CV will pique any employer’s curiosity and demonstrate your developed interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. After all, actors rarely work alone, so they must learn to function in a team, often in emotionally charged situations where tempers can easily flare.
On top of that, acting is a creative endeavour that shows you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone. Not many can stand on stage and perform in front of an audience, so that alone gives you an edge over other candidates.
#16. Playing Chess
Playing chess is a popular example of a hobby to include on a CV because it is frequently linked to high intelligence and excellent problem-solving skills. This isn’t far from the truth, either; studies show that chess improves cognition and prevents cognitive decline that comes with age.
Being an avid chess player can be particularly impressive in positions that require planning and strategic thinking. For example, corporate strategists, advisors, and CEOs who play chess may be better at their jobs than those who don’t.
#17. Dancing
In terms of benefits, dancing is on par with yoga; it relaxes the mind and helps you remain stress-free. However, dancing in a crew or with a partner can also improve your ability to collaborate with others, which yoga doesn’t typically do.
Furthermore, memorising steps and choreographies is a brain exercise that can boost your overall cognitive function. As a result, you become much better at thinking on your feet and making quick but sound decisions when necessary.
6 Hobbies and Interests You Should Avoid Adding to Your CV
Hobbies and interests you should avoid adding to your CV include those that may make you seem unprofessional or unserious. Essentially, anything that might reveal your flaws and weaknesses should be kept out of your application.
So, here is a list of hobbies that shouldn’t be on your professional CV:
CV Interests to Avoid
Passive hobbies, like napping, watching TV, or scrolling on social media, as they suggest laziness and a lack of social skills
Extreme sports, like rock climbing, bungee jumping, or paragliding, because they may be associated with recklessness, injury, and frequent absences from work
Hobbies related to partying, like clubbing, drinking, or bar hopping, which may highlight your irresponsible side
Vague activities, like hanging out with friends, which only take up space on the CV but say very little about you
Morally questionable or potentially illegal activities, like gambling, which suggest a lack of impulse control, irresponsibility, and unreliability
Polarising hobbies, like political or religious activism, as these can be quite controversial and introduce bias during the selection stage
How to Choose Which Hobbies and Interests to Add to Your CV
To choose hobbies and interests to add to your CV, you should carefully look at the job description of your desired position. Consider what kind of person the recruiters want to hire and tailor your interests accordingly.
That doesn’t mean including hobbies you don’t have—lying on a CV isn’t advisable, as the truth comes out sooner or later. However, what you can and should do is highlight those interests that present you in the best light and add to the image of the perfect candidate.
For example, if the job description mentions the importance of teamwork, sports are good hobbies to put on a CV. Similarly, your application for a designer role may be more successful if you mention that you enjoy art or painting in your free time.
Ultimately, use your judgement, or explore some of our CV examples to determine what type of hobbies suit different applications.
Where to Add Hobbies and Interests on Your CV
You should add hobbies and interests to the bottom of your CV; they are a perfect way to complete your application. Most standard CV formats follow this structure, as this section is considered less important than education, work experience, and skills.
Even so, it can elevate a good CV into a great one if the hobbies and interests are carefully selected and included effectively. Thus, you should pay attention to this section’s content and formatting just as much as any other’s.
It’s a good idea to include two or three of the most relevant hobbies as bullet points with a brief clarification. Don’t go into too much detail, especially when it’s clear what the hobby entails.
Here is how to list hobbies on a CV:
Good Example
Amateur acting at a local theatre
Volunteering at a soup kitchen
Writing poetry and short stories
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Final Thoughts
And that’s a wrap!
Now you know how to add a hobbies and interests section on a CV, which should help humanise your application and potentially make you more interesting to the employer. However, always keep your industry’s practices in mind; if it’s uncommon to include this section, feel free to leave it out.
Whatever you choose to do, our CV builder can help you create a perfect application in less than 15 minutes, so try it out and come a step closer to landing your dream job.
Hobbies and Interests for CV FAQ
#1. How do I write my hobby on my CV?
When writing about your hobbies on your CV, keep it short and to the point. There’s no need to go into details; a bullet list of five activities or interests should suffice. This section typically goes at the very end of the document after you’ve mentioned all other relevant information.
#2. Should I include hobbies and interests on a one-page CV?
You should include hobbies and interests on a one-page CV only if there is enough room. For instance, if you’ve already completed all other sections and have some leftover white space at the bottom of the document, you can put your hobbies there. Otherwise, omit this section; there’s no need to start a new page just for your interests.
#3. Will recruiters really read my hobbies and interests?
Recruiters may read your hobbies and interests, but these are unlikely to drastically change their opinion on whether to hire you. They can, however, add valuable information about your character, so you must carefully consider which activities to highlight if you choose to include this section.
#4. Can hobbies be discussed in interviews?
Hobbies can be discussed in interviews, especially when recruiters want to learn about you as a person outside of work. They may ask you what you do for fun, even if you haven’t included this section in your CV. In that case, you should mention a few interests that seem relevant to the position you’re applying for.
