Hobbies and Interests on a CV: When to Include Them, Good Examples and What to Avoid

The hobbies section is the most debated part of a CV. Some recruiters skip it entirely; others read it to start a conversation. The honest answer: it helps when it adds evidence you cannot show elsewhere, and hurts when it only fills space.

When to include it

• Early career: when you have little work experience, interests can show teamwork, discipline or leadership.
• When the hobby is relevant: coding projects for a developer, photography for a designer, coaching a team for a manager.
• When the culture expects it: common in the UK, Germany and Japan, rarer on US resumes.

When to leave it out

• When you need the space for achievements — a two-page senior CV rarely needs it.
• When the hobbies are generic: reading, travelling, music, socialising. They say nothing about you.

Good examples

1. Half-marathon runner — completed 4 races since 2023 (shows discipline and goal-setting).
2. Volunteer football coach for an under-12 team (shows leadership and patience).
3. Maintain an open-source library with 300+ GitHub stars (shows technical skill).
4. Founded a book club of 25 members (shows initiative and organisation).

What to avoid

• Political or religious activities, unless directly relevant to the role.
• Risky or controversial activities that raise questions instead of answering them.
• Hobbies you cannot talk about for two minutes — interviewers do ask.

A good interest is specific, true and says something about how you work.