Hobbies and Interests in Resume｜Examples, Formats, Writing Guide

In this article, you will get to know how to write a professional "Hobbies and Interests" section for a resume, which is especially crucial if you are a fresher with no or little work experience. In the end, we provide a complete list of "hobbies & interests" example for 10 different jobs/professions. To create an attractive "hobbies & interests" section for resume, continue to read the article!

Should I mention hobbies and interests in my resume?

The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no.

The decision on whether to include the “Hobbies and Interests” section in resumes will often come down to how “full” your resume is.

For experienced job seekers who are struggling to fit their work experiences into their resume, the inclusion of hobbies and interests may be an unwanted distraction. While fresh graduates (freshers) who need to differentiate themselves from the crowd may find listing hobbies and interests helpful. This is particularly true if your hobbies or interests are unique and cutting edge.

Your hobbies and interests are a good way to demonstrate to potential future employers that you are a well-rounded individual who has a life beyond the office door.

To properly list hobbies and interests in your resume, it is useful to understand the difference. Hobbies and interests may appear alike, but they are not at all the same.

The "Area of Interest" section is an opportunity to show off the personal side of you. These extra details will help you stand out, especially if you are a fresher.

You can attract the attention of the recruiter with your resume interests' section. You might even be invited to the interview with it in mind if you share common interests with the recruiter.

If you are a fresher, you might be thinking that you should not write an area of interest in the resume section. Perhaps you think that you have no attractive hobbies for inclusion in your resume.

This is not true. Missing out a list of interests and hobbies means missing out on an excellent chance to promote yourself.

There are many day-to-day activities that you can include in your resume as hobbies and interests.

Do you run every morning? Keep a diary? Are you the cook in the family?

These are all great hobbies to include - Running, Writing, and Cooking.

Just think of a few more while considering the job position that you want. You should now be halfway to completing your hobbies & interests to put on a resume.

The "Hobbies and Interests" section is particularly important for freshers and people with minimal work experience, or job seekers who are struggling to stretch their resume to a full page.

The “Hobbies and Interests” section in a resume should be located at the end of your resume.

It is the last section because the recruiter will primarily want to learn about your work experience, skills, and educational background.

After reviewing your qualifications for the job, the recruiter might be interested in getting to know your personal traits through the "area of Interest" section, to determine if they will reflect positively in your future role.

How to write hobbies and interests in a resume?

You might already have some ideas about what hobbies to put on a resume, but have you looked into the company you are applying to?

Yes, the first thing to do is to research the company.

See if it has a particular style of employment, specific values, and what it looks for in a candidate.

Do your interests match with the company's value?

If the name of the recruiter is known, you may even decide to look at their profile up on LinkedIn or social media. Who knows, you might just pick up that golden nugget about their favorite sports team.

Choosing the right hobbies and interest for your resume/CV is about deciding how you want to present yourself. You should try to make a great impression through your personal interests.

Now that you have ideas for your list of hobbies and interests in your resume, it is time to write it. The following steps suggest how to write a good “hobbies and interests” section in a resume:

Your personal interests say a lot about you. So, you should be careful about what hobbies and interests you put on a resume/CV.

When writing personal interests on a resume, you can list it with bullet points, icons, or spread everything out in paragraphs. Each of these styles has its pros and cons.

Bullet points are good for listing hobbies and interests in your resume with minimal or no description. While icons are used for a more creatively themed resume.

It is suggested to use bullet points or icons when there's little space available on your resume/CV. Both bullet points and icons are good for highlighting each of your personal interests.

However, do adjust the formats accordingly to adapt for the company cultures. Icons might be seen as informal or childish in some industries, but creative and lively in others. Plus, icons might not be as ATS friendly as bullet points or paragraphs.

Mentioning your personal interests and hobbies in paragraphs might easily be overlooked by readers. However, writing the section in paragraphs can help fill up the resume if there is a lot of blank space left.

How to add the right hobbies in your resume? Here are some tips for writing a professional "hobbies & interests" section for a resume:

For Freshers: How to write hobbies and interests in resumes?

As someone who had just graduated from college or is a fresher, do you feel lost about how to write your resume?

Why would a company look at your resume and grant you the job without any work experience?

There is no need to be discouraged.

Work experience is not the only thing recruiters are looking for. Personal skills are also necessary. Therefore, including hobbies and interests in your resume can be a great try to catch a recruiter’s attention. Promote yourself by showing off your hard-learned hobbies and team-oriented interests.

Be appealing to the recruiters.

You can follow these creative ways to write an attractive hobbies and interests section in your resume/CV, even when you do not have any work experience:

1. Show off your most impressive qualities.

Including hobbies and personal interests in resume/CV is like putting together a sales pitch for yourself. Hence, the first thing to do is to find out what you can sell.

Make a list of things you are good at regardless of whether they are professional or not.

Then, match each item you write with the criteria that your dream job lists in its advertisement.

For example, being fond of blogging shows that you work creatively. It also shows that you are good at communicating through words. It would be great, for example, if you want to pursue a career in journalism.

2. Think of extra-curricular activities as a hobby.

For freshers, here is an ultimate tip to make you resume professional even without work experience - you can write about any role or activity you have taken part in as a hobby at school or during leisure time.

Such as participating in a workshop, volunteering in a local community, or organizing a hobby club. Break down how long it took for you to learn the skills you’ve developed and how skilled you are now.

Moreover, you will often find some of your extra-curricular roles similar to the job that you are applying for. Focus on these relevant activities.

For example, you were in the school newspaper club. The employer will be more impressed by this if you are applying to be a copywriter than they will be if you are applying to be an accountant.

3. Elaborate on your personal interests.

Your personal interests should not merely be a bullet-point list if you have nothing else to put on your resume. You can start by writing a coherent and descriptive explanation of your favorite hobbies.

For example, if you are into theater, you can write about your performance in a drama, how it reflects on your responsibility to the cast, your ability to contribute to the play, and how involved you are in the team.

You can also elaborate more on your participation in a particular project.

Write about how you organized a monthly bake sale for a local non-profit organization.

How you regularly went up the mountain with your hiking club.

Or how you started a podcast.

All these activities show your good sides to the employer which help you stand out from among your peers. Therefore, you have an advantage over your fellow fresh graduates now.

What to write in the hobbies & interests section in a resume?

You can include any hobby & interests that you want to, as long as they are relevant to the field of work that you are applying to.

Avoid writing about hobbies that tend to have negative connotations, such as watching series late at night or binge-watching movies. Unless, of course, you are aiming to work in the film industry or writing subtitles for movies. Yet, even so, you should still phrase it in another way, a more professional and attractive way. You can instead be a film enthusiast or movie aficionado.

Sounds much more interesting, right?

Which types of hobbies & interests are appropriate to write in resumes?

Did you know that some hobbies & interests are scientifically proven to be signs of good characters? These areas of interest are looked on positively by recruiters, so it is recommended to include them in your resume.

Here is a example list of the best interests and hobbies to write on a resume:

If you are applying to a company in advertising, public relations, or any other field with a busy rhythm, having yoga as a hobby is a big plus.

It is because people who routinely do yoga are believed to have great self-control and are more resilient when working under pressure.

Whether it is as a cameraman, production assistant, reporter, or even outside the entertainment industry, make use of your personal portfolio to kickstart your professional portfolio.

For those who love to paint, do not hesitate to include this elegant hobby in the interest section on your resume. People who can paint usually have a good artistic and design sense, which is something critical for designer and marketer positions.

Videography is a hobby that also doubles as a skill. It means that your chances of being accepted into companies are improved, especially if you apply to the visual entertainment industry. It is well known that videographers are very much in demand due to the social media boom.

Do you love mountain biking, skydiving, or bungee jumping? It might help if you put these interests in your resume, and gain you a stamp of approval from the recruiters while applying for certain positions, such as personal fitness trainers, tourist guides, or jobs requiring physical strength.

Because those who like extreme sports are usually good at calculating risks, and are also not afraid of the unknown.

Make sure your musical talents are suitably captured in your resume.

Being able to play an instrument reflects the focused, dedicated, and disciplined characteristics inside you

Examples: list of hobbies & interests for resume

The following examples will give you some resume hobbies and personal interests ideas, with examples for specific professions and roles:

Hobbies and interests in a resume offer a reflection of a candidate's character. That is why you must use it properly to leave a solid impression of yourself on the company’s decision-makers of hiring and recruitment.

Do not hesitate to share your hobbies and interests on your resume!