Incorporating hobbies and interests on your resume can be a powerful way to humanize your application, convey your personality, and highlight soft skills that may not be evident from your professional experience alone. While qualifications and work history are crucial, hobbies and interests in a resume can provide a well-rounded picture of who you are, potentially setting you apart from other candidates.
Why Include Hobbies and Interests on a Resume?
Humanizing your application
Including hobbies and interests can make your application more relatable to hiring managers. It adds a personal touch and can spark conversations during interviews, making you more memorable. For example, if you and the interviewer share a common interest, this can create a connection that extends beyond your professional experience.
Demonstrating soft skills
Hobbies often require skills that are transferable to the workplace, such as leadership, teamwork, finding solutions, and creativity. By highlighting these activities, you can demonstrate these soft skills effectively. For instance, if you play in a local soccer league, this can indicate your ability to work well in a team and your commitment to staying active and healthy.
Showing a cultural fit
Companies often look for candidates who align with their values and culture. By including hobbies and interests on your resume that resonate with the company’s culture, you can show you are a good fit for their environment. For example, if a company values community service, mentioning your volunteering experiences can underscore your alignment.
Providing conversation starters
Including hobbies and interests can serve as icebreakers during interviews. They can give interviewers topics to ask about, making the process more engaging and personal and helping you build rapport with the person hiring.
Displaying a well-rounded personality
Employers appreciate candidates who are well-rounded and have interests outside of work. This can indicate a balanced approach to life and suggest that you bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the workplace, which can be valuable in solution-finding and innovation.
How To Choose the Right Hobbies and Interests for Your Resume
- Relevance to the job. When selecting hobbies and interests to include on your resume, consider their relevance to the job you are applying for and the company’s culture. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position, creative hobbies like blogging or photography can be particularly relevant.
- Demonstrating transferable skills. Choose hobbies that display transferable skills valuable to the role. For instance, if you are applying for a technical role, hobbies such as coding or participating in hackathons can highlight your technical proficiency and passion for technology.
- Ensure authenticity and passion. Be genuine about your hobbies and interests. Pick activities you are truly passionate about, as it is likely you will be asked about them in interviews. Your enthusiasm will come through more convincingly if you are genuinely interested in what you’re talking about.
The 6 Best Hobbies and Interests To Include on a Resume
1. Team sports
Participating in sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball can indicate your ability to work collaboratively, lead a team, and maintain a high level of physical fitness. These activities show that you value teamwork and have experience in coordinating with others to achieve common goals.
2. Volunteering
Donating your time can highlight your empathy, community involvement, and commitment to helping others. Whether you volunteer at a local shelter, mentor students, or participate in community clean-up events, these activities show you are socially responsible and proactive in making an impact.
3. Artistic pursuits
Engaging in artistic projects such as painting, writing, or playing a musical instrument can indicate creativity, attention to detail, and patience. These hobbies suggest you have a well-rounded personality and can bring innovative thinking to your professional role.
4. Technical hobbies
Coding, building electronics, or engaging in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects can show your abilities to resolve issues, technical skills, and passion for continuous learning. These hobbies are particularly relevant for roles in information technology (IT), engineering, or any tech-related field.
5. Individual sports
Participating in individual sports such as running, cycling, or swimming demonstrates your discipline, self-motivation, and perseverance. These qualities are highly valued in any professional setting, as they indicate a strong work ethic and the ability to set and achieve personal goals.
6. Traveling
Traveling is a valuable hobby to include because it displays cultural awareness, adaptability, and solution-finding skills. It highlights your ability to navigate new environments, interact with diverse people, and handle unexpected situations, showcasing qualities like open-mindedness and resourcefulness.
Examples of Hobbies and Interests by Job Type
Marketing and creative roles
Blogging, photography, graphic design, or social media management can be highly relevant for marketing and creative positions. These activities exemplify your creativity, ability to generate engaging content, and understanding of visual aesthetics.
See marketing resume templates.
Technical and IT roles
Hobbies such as coding, gaming, participating in hackathons, or building computers can be beneficial for technical and IT roles. These activities highlight your technical skills, solution-finding abilities, and knowledge of technology.
See IT resume templates.
Management and leadership roles
Mentoring, coaching a sports team, or public speaking can be relevant to management and leadership roles. These activities showcase your leadership abilities, communication skills, and commitment to developing others.
See management resume templates.
How To List Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume
When listing hobbies and interests on your resume template, place them towards the end, after your professional experience and education sections. Use a simple list or bullet points for clarity and conciseness, and avoid cluttering the section with more than five activities.
Craft concise and engaging descriptions for each hobby or interest. Focus on what you do, how often you do it, and any notable achievements. For example, instead of simply listing “volunteering,” you could write, “volunteer monthly at a local animal shelter, assisting with animal care and adoption events.”
Additional resources:
- Fortune: Hobbies can help your resume stand out
- Johns Hopkins: Hobbies are in
- LinkedIn: Should you list hobbies on your resume?
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Being too generic
Avoid listing overly generic or cliché hobbies such as “reading” or “traveling” without providing context. Be specific about what you read or where you travel and why it is meaningful to you. This adds depth and makes your hobbies more interesting to potential employers.
Including irrelevant hobbies
Ensure that all listed hobbies add value to your application. Avoid including hobbies that have no relevance to the job or do not exhibit transferable skills. For instance, if you are applying for a finance role, mentioning your love for cooking may not be as impactful as discussing your participation in a finance-related club or activity.
Overly personal or controversial interests
Avoid including hobbies or interests that could be seen as controversial or too personal, such as political activism or specific religious practices. These can potentially alienate or bias the hiring manager and are generally better kept out of professional documents.
How many hobbies should I list on my resume?
Generally, listing three to five relevant hobbies or interests is sufficient. This number ensures you provide enough information to showcase your personality and skills without overwhelming the reader.
How do I know if a hobby or interest is appropriate to include?
Consider if the hobby or interest adds value to your application by highlighting skills or attributes relevant to the job. Avoid including interests that might be seen as unprofessional or unrelated to the position. Think about whether the hobby shows traits like leadership, teamwork, or creativity that could benefit the employer.
Can hobbies make up for a lack of experience?
While hobbies can enhance your resume template, they should not be used as a substitute for professional experience. However, they can be particularly useful for entry-level candidates or career changers to demonstrate relevant skills and qualities.
Should I include hobbies on my cover letter as well?
Mentioning hobbies on your cover letter can be beneficial if they directly relate to the job or company culture. Use them to illustrate your enthusiasm and to provide a fuller picture of who you are as a candidate.
What are the six optional additional parts of a resume?
A resume has three main parts: Professional Experience, Key Skills or Core Competencies, and Education. But, for some industries or career levels, there are other optional sections that should be included to highlight to hiring managers why you'd be a good fit for the role. Those additional resume sections include:
- Certifications to validate specialized skills.
- Volunteer Experience to showcase leadership and community involvement.
- Awards and Honors to highlight recognition of excellence.
- Professional Affiliations to demonstrate industry engagement.
- Projects to illustrate hands-on experience and outcomes.
- Publications or Presentations to showcase thought leadership.
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
