Typical resume convention says not to include hobbies and interests on your resume—it can introduce bias, take up unnecessary space, and share irrelevant details.
However, did you know there are some very good reasons to include hobbies and interests? It’s just a matter of determining the most impactful interests to put on your resume.
We walk through when to include hobbies and interests on your resume, where to put them, and several examples to consider.
Jump straight to the list of hobbies and interests.
Once you’ve got good interests to put on a resume, you need to find the right spot for them.
Even if you’ve got compelling hobbies, your work-related experience and skills will always be most important and should come first. This means you should keep your list of hobbies and interests at the bottom or side of your resume so you don't make the mistake of detracting from your professional expertise.
The best bet is to create a small section following your skills section, label it “Hobbies and Interests,” and list just a few of the most relevant or impactful.
If hobbies and interests are inherently related to your professional path, why include them?
There are a few reasons:
Sports and fitness. These types of interests and hobbies show teamwork, perseverance, adaptability, resilience, and discipline.
Outdoor activities. Show off your love for the great outdoors—as well as your decision-making, focus, and challenge-solving.
Music and performance. Display your appreciation of the finer things in life by detailing your interest and talent for the arts.
Arts and crafts. Showcase your creativity, eye for detail, and focus by displaying your arts and crafts hobbies.
Writing. Nearly any job you’ll encounter will require writing, so call out your affinity for the written word.
Volunteer work. Taking time out of your busy schedule to give back to others says a lot about your values. Let your volunteer work speak for itself.
Technology. Technology continues to advance, meaning there’s no shortage of new things to learn and play around with. And many are relevant to the workplace!
Internet activities. Along with technology, the internet at large is continuing to grow and change every day. Show off how you engage with the world using the World Wide Web.
Pursuit of knowledge. Love to learn? That looks great to hiring managers, so show off those intellectual curiosities.
Food and drink. If you’re a foodie at heart, showcase some of the ways you innovate with food.
Miscellaneous. Don’t feel limited by standard categories—share what most excites you!
Looking for additional resume writing tips and templates to showcase your hobbies and intrests ? We’ve got you covered with ATS templates, Google Doc templates, two-column templates, and plenty of other templates.
Plus, we walk through when to use a resume writer, how to use ChatGPT for your resume, and where to post the finished product.
With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to decide which to include. Start by making a list of all of the hobbies and interests you regularly engage in. Think, too, about the type of work you want to do and the skills and experiences required.
Once you’ve got some ideas, consider adding only the most beneficial. Think about what you’ve learned or what skills you’ve built from your hobbies—are they relevant to the job at hand? Does this hobby or interest show off your passion for the work the company does? Does it set you apart some other way, like showing how you’re a self-starter or creative individual?
Ultimately, you want to choose hobbies and interests that show how you’re a fit for the job you’re after. Below are a few examples of this in action.
Copyable box: of example Hobbies and interests
These hobbies tie well into real estate work because they demonstrate an eye for aesthetics, creativity, and a commitment to building relationships and working within the community.
Check out a complete real estate resume example here.
These hobbies and interests show off your interest in building and sharing knowledge (reading and writing), presenting to groups (public speaking and theater), and serving others (mentoring and volunteering).
Check out a full education resume example.
Show off your engineering knowledge by sharing related hobbies like these. Each one proves your interest in programming, problem-solving, or electronics.
Take a look at an electrical engineer resume example.
Your interests in fashion, makeup, and photography will show off your aesthetic and design sense while volunteering with the public makes it clear you’re an excellent people person.
Take a look at our shop assistant resume example.
Lawyers need to speak and debate confidently, write comprehensive and convincing legal briefs, and think critically and strategically. These hobbies show you’re practiced at doing just that.
Take a look at our lawyer resume example.
Confused about the differences between hybrid, functional, and other resume formats? Wondering how to decide about a summary or an objective, or whether a picture belongs on your resume?
You’re in luck! We’ve got plenty of resume tips, complete with helpful dos and don’ts to avoid landing in the “ bad resume” pile.
While it’s clear hobbies and interests on your resume can benefit your job search, there are times they should be avoided. There are also certain types of hobbies you should keep off of your resume. Be mindful of the following:
You should also avoid adding hobbies and interests if it will take away from more important resume sections, like your header, education section, or summary.
Want to learn even more about hobbies and interests on your resume? Keep reading.
Hobbies are activities you engage in for fun or enrichment. Typically, they're something you "do," meaning they are hands-on or require practice or participation. An interest, on the other hand, can be an area of curiosity or fascination but does not necessarily have to be an activity. For example, maybe you enjoy learning about birds (an interest) or going out birdwatching (a hobby).
It’s best to keep your list of hobbies and interests small. Ideally, this will be just a single line or two. If in a list format, consider listing up to 6.
You should only include the most relevant and impactful interests and hobbies, and make sure they’re ones you can truly speak to if asked. And if you don’t feel you have relevant hobbies or interests to include, it’s okay not to use this section at all and instead focus on more important bullets and keywords.
The most popular resume hobbies and interests vary by job. The reason for this is that each job requires different skills, so the hobbies someone includes on a lawyer resume (such as writing, debating, or researching) will be vastly different from those on a software developer resume (which may include app development or video games).