Should You Include Hobbies and Interests on Your CV to Stand Out?

Including a well-crafted hobbies and interests section on your CV can be a strategic differentiator, providing recruiters with insight into your personality, motivation, and transferable skills. Based on our assessment experience, this section is most effective for candidates with limited work experience, those changing careers, or when the hobbies directly demonstrate skills relevant to the job. The key is to move beyond a simple list and frame your activities to highlight professional competencies.

What is the Difference Between Hobbies and Interests on a CV?

Understanding the distinction between hobbies and interests helps you present them effectively. A hobby is a regular, active pursuit done on an amateur basis, such as playing a team sport or blogging. An interest, however, is a subject you are passionate about and knowledgeable in, but may not practice as actively, such as an interest in sociopolitical history or emerging technologies.

When listing them, consider these common examples:

When Should You Include a Hobbies and Interests Section on Your CV?

Your CV is a professional summary designed to secure an interview. Adding a hobbies section is not always necessary, but it can be highly beneficial in specific scenarios.

• Limited Professional History: If you are a recent graduate or applying for your first job, this section supplements a sparse employment history. It can showcase desirable traits like curiosity, teamwork, and initiative.
• Career Change: When using a skills-based or functional CV, hobbies and interests can powerfully complement your abilities section. They provide concrete evidence of your passion and aptitude for your new chosen field.
• Demonstrating Relevant Skills: This is the most compelling reason. If you manage the social media for a club, you are practicing digital marketing. If you are a club treasurer, you have financial management experience. These transferable skills are highly valuable to employers.
• Filling Space Strategically: If your CV is slightly short, adding this section is preferable to leaving significant white space, as long as the content is meaningful.

How Can You Effectively Showcase Your Hobbies and Interests?

Simply listing activities is not enough. To make this section work for you, follow these guidelines to demonstrate purpose and skill.

Be Specific and Action-Oriented Instead of writing "reading," elaborate with "Leading a monthly book club focused on business leadership biographies." This shows initiative, organizational skills, and a specific interest. Detail any projects, courses, or events related to your hobby to demonstrate depth of engagement.

Highlight and Frame Transferable Skills Connect your personal activities to professional competencies. For instance, being a sports team captain demonstrates leadership and teamwork. Managing a blog showcases communication, technical, and content strategy skills. Organizing club events highlights project management and organizational abilities. Explicitly framing your hobbies this way helps recruiters see their direct workplace value.

To maximize the impact of your CV, focus on these actionable tips:

• Prioritize relevance. Always tailor this section to the role you are applying for.
• Be prepared to discuss. Anything on your CV is fair game for an interview question.
• Keep it concise. Use bullet points and powerful action verbs to describe your activities.
• Show, don't just tell. Instead of saying "good communicator," demonstrate it by mentioning "Writing a monthly newsletter for a local charity."