Should You Put Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume?
Hobbies on your resume can be a differentiator or a dealbreaker. Here is a framework for deciding what to include and what to leave out.
The Hobbies Debate: When They Help and When They Hurt
The question of whether to include hobbies on your resume divides career experts. The truth is that it depends on your career stage, the role you are targeting, and the specific hobbies in question. There is no universal answer, but there is a clear framework for deciding.
Hobbies can help when they demonstrate skills relevant to the role, show cultural fit with the company, provide a memorable talking point in interviews, or fill space on a light resume. They can hurt when they are irrelevant, controversial, suggest time-consuming commitments that might conflict with work, or replace more valuable content.
The golden rule: if the hobby strengthens your candidacy for this specific role, include it. If it does not, leave it off. Every line on your resume should earn its place.
Hobbies That Strengthen Almost Any Resume
Some hobbies signal broadly valued qualities. Competitive athletics (marathon running, triathlons, team sports) signal discipline, goal-setting, and teamwork. Volunteer work signals community mindedness and initiative. Leadership in organizations (board membership, club president) signals leadership skills.
Creative pursuits like photography, writing, music, or woodworking signal creativity, attention to detail, and perseverance. Technical hobbies like open-source contribution, robotics, home automation, or 3D printing signal curiosity and technical aptitude.
Travel is often listed but rarely adds value unless it is genuinely extensive or relevant. "I enjoy traveling" is generic. "Backpacked solo through 23 countries across 4 continents" suggests adaptability, planning skills, and cultural competence.
Industry-Specific Hobby Wins
Certain hobbies carry extra weight in specific industries. For tech roles, contributing to open-source projects, participating in hackathons, or building personal apps demonstrates passion for technology beyond your 9-to-5. For finance roles, investing, quantitative strategy games like chess or poker, or financial blogging shows genuine interest.
For creative roles, personal art projects, photography exhibitions, or a design blog demonstrates that your creativity extends beyond client work. For outdoor and fitness brands, relevant activities like hiking, climbing, or competitive fitness show authentic connection to the brand lifestyle.
For consulting and client-facing roles, hobbies that demonstrate social skills—public speaking at Toastmasters, improv comedy, or hosting community events—signal the interpersonal abilities these roles require.
What to Leave Off
Politically or religiously charged activities should generally be left off unless you are applying to an organization aligned with those values. The goal is to avoid giving a hiring manager a reason to form a bias, conscious or unconscious.
Passive hobbies like "watching Netflix," "scrolling social media," or "sleeping" should never appear on a resume. They suggest passivity and lack ambition. Extremely common hobbies like "reading" or "cooking" do not differentiate you unless they are genuinely exceptional (published cookbook, book review blog with 10K followers).
Hobbies that suggest high injury risk (extreme sports) or extreme time commitments (professional-level competitive gaming, semi-professional athletics) can sometimes raise concerns about availability or absences. Whether to include them depends on the employer culture.
Formatting the Interests Section
If you include hobbies, keep the section brief—one to two lines at the bottom of your resume. Use a heading like "Interests" or "Activities" rather than "Hobbies" which can sound casual.
Be specific rather than generic. Instead of "Music," write "Lead guitarist in a 5-piece blues band that performs monthly at local venues." Instead of "Sports," write "USTA-rated competitive tennis player (4.5 rating)." Specificity makes hobbies memorable and credible.
If your resume already fills one full page or two pages with relevant professional content, skip the hobbies section entirely. Your work experience, skills, and achievements are more valuable than any hobby. Use TechnCV's AI builder to determine whether your resume has space for an interests section or whether that space is better used for professional content.