Your hobbies and interests section is the one part of your CV where you stop being a list of qualifications and start being a person. Done well, it reinforces your fit for the role and gives the recruiter something to connect with. Done poorly, it wastes space or raises red flags.
The challenge is knowing which hobbies strengthen your application and which ones to leave off. This guide gives you 80+ examples organised by industry, with clear guidance on what works, what to skip, and how to format the section.
Should You Include Hobbies on Your CV?
The short answer: it depends on your situation. Here is when hobbies add value and when they do not.
Include hobbies if:
- You are a fresher or graduate with limited work experience. Hobbies fill space that would otherwise be empty and demonstrate transferable skills. See our student CV guide for more on building a strong CV without experience.
- Your hobbies directly relate to the role. A coding side project matters for a developer role. A photography portfolio matters for a creative role.
- You want to show cultural fit. If the company values community involvement and you volunteer regularly, that is worth mentioning.
- Your CV has room. If you are comfortably within one page and every other section is strong, hobbies can round out your profile.
Skip hobbies if:
- Your CV is already tight on space. Work experience, skills, and education should always take priority. Read our guide on CV length if you are struggling with space.
- Your hobbies are generic. "Reading, travelling, music" tells the recruiter nothing distinctive.
- The role is highly technical or senior. At director level and above, your track record speaks for itself. The hobbies section may feel out of place.
Hobbies vs Interests: What Is the Difference?
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction:
- Hobbies are activities you actively do: photography, coaching a football team, building furniture, competitive chess
- Interests are topics you follow or care about but do not necessarily practise: artificial intelligence, behavioural economics, sustainable architecture, space exploration
Both can appear on your CV. Hobbies are stronger because they imply action and commitment. Interests work when they signal intellectual curiosity relevant to the role.
How to Choose Which Hobbies to Include
Follow these three rules to pick the right hobbies for each application.
Rule 1: Connect the hobby to a skill the role requires
Every hobby you list should map to a quality the employer values. Ask yourself: "What does this hobby prove about me that is relevant to this job?"
Rule 2: Be specific, not generic
Vague hobbies waste the recruiter's time. Specific hobbies create a picture.
Weak: "Sports"
Strong: "Captain of a local 5-a-side football team, competing in a regional league since 2022"
Weak: "Reading"
Strong: "Read 30+ books on behavioural psychology and product design in 2025"
Weak: "Travelling"
Strong: "Solo backpacked through 6 Southeast Asian countries, planning all logistics and budgeting independently"
Rule 3: Limit yourself to 3 to 5 hobbies
More than five and the section becomes bloated. Three well-chosen, specific hobbies beat ten generic ones every time.
80+ Hobby and Interest Examples by Industry
Technology and IT
These hobbies signal technical curiosity, problem-solving ability, and a self-starter mindset.
- Building personal coding projects (apps, websites, tools)
- Contributing to open-source repositories on GitHub
- Participating in hackathons or coding competitions
- Competing in data science challenges (Kaggle)
- Writing a tech blog or newsletter
- Home lab setup and network experimentation
- 3D printing and hardware tinkering
- Playing strategy games (chess, Go)
- Podcasting about tech topics
- Learning new programming languages
For a full tech CV walkthrough, see our Engineering CV guide.
Healthcare
Hobbies that demonstrate empathy, community involvement, and wellness commitment.
- First aid volunteering at community events
- Charity fundraising for health causes
- Yoga or meditation instruction
- Running or endurance sports (marathons, triathlons)
- Mental health awareness advocacy
- Community health education workshops
- Nutrition and meal planning
- Volunteering at care homes or hospices
See our Medical Assistant CV guide for more healthcare-specific tips.
Marketing and Creative Roles
Hobbies that showcase creativity, communication, and audience awareness.
- Running a personal blog or newsletter
- Photography (street, portrait, product)
- Social media content creation (personal brand)
- Graphic design side projects
- Video production and editing
- Podcasting (hosting, editing, publishing)
- Copywriting or creative writing
- Attending design or marketing conferences
- Curating art exhibitions or pop-up events
- Amateur documentary filmmaking
Finance and Corporate
Hobbies that signal analytical thinking, discipline, and strategic acumen.
- Competitive chess (with tournament results)
- Personal investing and portfolio management
- Reading financial publications and market analysis
- Sudoku or logic puzzles
- Volunteering as a charity treasurer
- Debate club or public speaking (Toastmasters)
- Property investment research
- Board games with strategic depth (Settlers of Catan, Risk)
Education
Hobbies that demonstrate patience, communication, and a commitment to learning.
- Private tutoring or mentoring
- Volunteering with youth organisations (Scouts, Guides)
- Writing educational content or lesson resources
- Learning new languages
- Running reading groups or book clubs
- Organising community workshops
- Musical instrument instruction
- Coaching children's sports teams
Hospitality and Service
Hobbies that reflect people skills, energy, and a service mindset.
- Home cooking and recipe development
- Food blogging or restaurant reviewing
- Wine or coffee tasting courses
- Event planning for friends and community
- Travel blogging with a hospitality focus
- Volunteering at food festivals or farmers markets
- Mixology and cocktail creation
For more, see our Server CV guide.
General (Strong for Any Industry)
These hobbies work across most roles because they signal broadly valued qualities.
- Volunteering (any cause, with specific details)
- Learning a new language
- Public speaking or Toastmasters
- Marathon running or endurance sports
- Coaching or mentoring
- Writing (blog, journal, creative)
- Playing a musical instrument
- Community organising
- Board member of a local organisation
Hobbies to Avoid on Your CV
Some hobbies hurt more than they help. Leave these off.
Generic hobbies with no detail
"Reading," "watching films," "listening to music," and "socialising with friends" appear on millions of CVs. They tell the recruiter nothing about what makes you different. If you do include one of these, add specificity: "Member of a monthly non-fiction book club focused on leadership and psychology."
Political or religious activities
These can introduce unconscious bias into the screening process. Unless the role is directly related (e.g., working for a political organisation or a faith-based charity), leave them off.
Extreme or high-risk hobbies
Activities like BASE jumping, cage fighting, or extreme mountaineering may signal to risk-averse employers that you could be a liability or prone to extended absences due to injury. This is debatable, but it is a common concern among hiring managers.
Passive consumption
"Watching Netflix" or "scrolling social media" are not hobbies in a CV context. They suggest no initiative, skill development, or engagement.
Anything you cannot discuss in an interview
If a recruiter asks about your hobby and you cannot hold a conversation about it, you will look dishonest. Only list hobbies you genuinely do.
Where to Place Hobbies on Your CV
The hobbies section belongs at the bottom of your CV, after:
- Contact information
- Work experience
- Education
- Certifications (if applicable)
- Hobbies and interests
This placement signals that hobbies are supplementary, not a substitute for professional qualifications. The exception is if you are a fresher with very limited experience; in that case, moving hobbies higher (after education) can fill an otherwise thin CV.
How to Format the Hobbies Section
Option 1: Simple bullet list
Hobbies and Interests
- Captain of a local 5-a-side football team (regional league since 2022)
- Contributing to open-source Python libraries on GitHub
- Volunteer maths tutor for secondary school students
Option 2: Inline list
Hobbies and Interests: Competitive chess (county-level), marathon running (3 completed), Spanish language learning (B2 level)
Option 3: With skill tags
Hobbies and Interests
- Toastmasters public speaking club (communication, presentation)
- Personal finance blog with 2,000 monthly readers (writing, analytics)
- Volunteer event coordinator for local charity (organisation, leadership)
Option 3 is the strongest because it explicitly connects each hobby to a transferable skill. This makes the recruiter's job easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hobbies should I list on my CV?
Three to five is the ideal range. Fewer than three can look thin; more than five starts to dominate the section. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.
Should I include hobbies if I have lots of work experience?
It depends on space. If your CV comfortably fits one or two pages and every other section is strong, two or three well-chosen hobbies can add personality. If space is tight, cut hobbies first. Your work experience and skills section always take priority.
Can hobbies help me get past ATS screening?
Hobbies rarely contain the keywords ATS systems scan for (those tend to be job titles, skills, and certifications). The hobbies section is primarily for the human reviewer, not the ATS. For ATS tips, read our applicant tracking system guide.
What if I do not have any interesting hobbies?
Start by thinking about what you do outside of work or study. Cooking, gardening, fitness routines, volunteering, language learning, and DIY projects all count. The key is to describe them specifically and connect them to a skill. If nothing fits, it is perfectly acceptable to leave the section off entirely.
Should I say "Hobbies" or "Hobbies and Interests" as the section heading?
Either works. "Hobbies and Interests" is the most common heading and the one recruiters expect. Alternatives like "Activities" or "Extracurricular Activities" work well for students and graduates.
Key Takeaways
- Include hobbies when they reinforce skills relevant to the role, especially if you are a fresher or have space on your CV
- Be specific: "Captain of a 5-a-side team" beats "sports"
- Limit yourself to 3 to 5 hobbies maximum
- Connect each hobby to a transferable skill (leadership, communication, creativity, analytical thinking)
- Avoid generic hobbies (reading, travelling), political or religious activities, and extreme sports
- Place the section at the bottom of your CV, after skills and education
- Skip the section entirely if space is tight or your experience already speaks for itself