Should you include hobbies and interests on your CV?
Lots of companies in the 21st century want to hire based on culture and how a potential hire’s personality might fit into that. Hobbies and interests play a huge part in that, for example, you might have a personal interest in a particular industry that the company is looking to break into. Particularly if you’re a recent graduate, you might use hobbies and interests as a way to distinguish yourself during the application process.
However, CVs are supposed to be brief and sum up your professional skills. It really is a minefield!
So, should you include hobbies and interests on your CV? In this blog, we’ll give you the pros and cons of including your hobbies and interests on your CV and offer you some top tips if you decide to.
Quick links:
- Why do people include hobbies on a CV?
- When should you include hobbies on a CV?
- Tips for including hobbies on your CV
Why do people include hobbies on a CV?
Including hobbies on your CV can help you to come across as a human, rather than just a name on a computer screen. Hobbies can enhance your CV by demonstrating skills outside of qualifications.
Soft skills like communication, perseverance and problem-solving might be difficult to exemplify in other parts of your application, so by including your hobbies and interests, you might be able to better showcase your skills.
It might also help you in an interview. Interviews are nerve-wracking, but your hobbies might help your interviewer spark up a conversation and put you at ease.
When should you include hobbies on a CV?
When it comes to including hobbies on your CV, there’s no right or wrong answer. It heavily depends on the role, so you’ll have to use a bit of common sense.
If the role is highly technical, relying on years of experience and technical qualifications, you’d probably err on the side of fewer hobbies and interests. However, if the job you’re applying for requires soft skills to be used frequently, you might find yourself leaning more on hobbies and interests to demonstrate soft skills like communication or problem-solving.
Don’t feel the need to shoehorn your hobbies into your CV; if they’re not relevant, leave them out. It’s always better to have no hobbies than to cram your CV full of useless information.
Tips for including hobbies on your CV
If you do decide to include your hobbies in your CV, you must do so in a professional way. Here are some tips to ensure your CV remains efficient and to the point.
Keep the details as concise as possible
The main focus of your CV should be on qualifications and work experience, so try to keep your hobbies and interests section short and sweet, if you choose to include it at all. Just a few lines or bullet points will be enough to help demonstrate your skills.
Save the details for your interview
A CV isn’t designed to tell your interviewer your entire life story; it’s meant to be a snippet that succinctly showcases your skills so you can explore them in more depth during an interview.
On your CV, write down hobbies and interests that you’re happy to talk about with enthusiasm, helping you to humanise yourself in the eyes of the interviewer. Try to stay away from political topics in your CV; this might come across as combative.
Link them to the role
If you can successfully link your transferable skills gained through hobbies and interests to the role you’re applying for, it’s a surefire way to impress the interviewers. For example, coaching a sports team demonstrates leadership and organisational skills; these are both crucial skills to have when applying for a managerial role. Mention how your hobbies can prepare you for the role should you be hired, and make sure you’re not missing out on any opportunity to impress with your CV.
Use them to rebrand yourself
If your career has taken a couple of twists and turns, you might find yourself relying on hobbies and interests to demonstrate skills for your desired job because your previous roles haven’t incorporated certain skills. Use your hobbies as a way to rebrand yourself and add a different dimension to yourself, showing aspects of your personality that will apply to new roles you’d like to hold.
Be honest and don’t exaggerate
It’s tempting to exaggerate on any part of your CV, but make sure you don’t get carried away with things, as this could cause problems if you’re pressed further at the interview.. Back up your statements effectively, and show them why you’re a good fit for the role.
Similarly, while we’re on the subject of not getting carried away, stay focused and exercise some restraint. There’s no need to list every little thing you do in your free time. Prioritise your pastimes and skip the ones you don’t feel are necessary to mention.
If you’re struggling to think of hobbies, then reframe the little things. If you are really into watching films, then look at it from another angle; perhaps you’ve parlayed this passion into blogging about them or attending film festivals – the interviewer always appreciates if you can talk about the extracurricular with enthusiasm.
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