Hobbies and interests: Should I include them in my CV?

Whilst to some it may seem simple to list your education or work history, trying to put your pastimes down on paper can be far more of a challenge. If you’re not sure whether your hobbies and interests are worth including, here are a few things to remember.

3 mins read
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about 2 months ago

​What are hobbies?

Hobbies are activities or pastimes that are carried out regularly in your spare time – usually for fun but could also be a great way to supplement your income simultaneously.

Shared hobbies and interests could include anything from sports, music, and dance, to art, blogging, or reading.

Why include hobbies and interests in my CV?

To put it simply, hiring managers are nosy.

While your CV tells the story of your qualifications and your career, the hobbies and interest section reveal a little more of your personality.

Benefits of including hobbies on your CV include:

  • Demonstrating your relevant skills for the role

  • Helps

  • your CV stands out from the crowd

  • Makes your CV more individual

  • Allows you to show voluntary and community-focused projects

  • Gives you something to talk about during your interview

Do recruiters read the hobbies on my CV?

Here’s the problem with hobbies: they’re subjective.

Some recruiters are absolute advocates, believing them to be an integral part of the well-rounded application. Conversely, some may only consider them essential if it’s a close decision, or if company fit/culture becomes a factor.

As a general rule, most recruiters will only be interested in your hobbies if they’re relevant to the role and, crucially – if you’ve ticked all the other boxes.

Where should I include my hobbies on my CV?

It can be great to show what you do outside of a working environment, but you should never place precedence on your hobbies.

If you do include them, always make sure they come at the end of your application.

Use them to seal the deal, rather than as your key selling point.

Do my hobbies always need to be relevant on my CV?

OK, so not everyone’s a fan of Morris Dancing. But surely, it’s better to include something to help sell yourself than leave more blank space, right? Wrong.

Unfortunately, not everyone’s a fan of traditional English folk dancing. And unless you’ve applied for a job where these skills will be particularly useful, they’ll probably not help you get the job.

Wherever possible, your hobbies and interests should reinforce your application and the idea that you’ll be the right fit for the role – even if it’s just through transferable skills.

Hobbies and interests CV examples

Some examples of relevant hobbies include:

  • Coding or programming (for technology jobs)

  • Fashion and beauty blogging (for Journalists and Copywriters)

  • Sports and conditioning training (for Personal Trainer and jobs in sport)

  • President of a society or club (for management positions)

  • Strategic games/puzzles (such as chess) (for Project Managers and Developers)

  • Mentoring, coaching, and tutoring (for Teachers and jobs in retail)

  • Model making and DIY (for jobs in construction and engineering)

  • Cooking/baking/flambéing (for jobs in the catering industry/those who want to become professional flambé-ers)

What’s more, your hobbies don’t even necessarily need to be related to your role directly. Many transferable skills may come across in your hobbies and apply to your application.

Examples include acting or drama skills for jobs in the sales industry, coaching a local football team and demonstrating your motivational skills, and even being a metal detectorist for those looking to break into archaeology.

How should I write my hobbies on my CV?

If you do decide to include some hobbies, style can be just as important as substance.

Bullet points are fine but should not be used as a way to list all of your activities individually with zero context. The most effective CVs have their hobbies backing up everything the recruiter has read so far.

For example, a weekly five-a-side game with friends becomes a lot more attractive when written as successfully organized a range of regional five-a-side football tournaments, including managing all bookings, venues, and participants and helping coach my team’.

Are you looking for the next step in your career? Contact us today.

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