How to add hobbies to your CV
As a graduate, you’ve probably been told a few times already that to be invited to a job interview, your CV needs ‘something extra’ to stand out against other applicants. Adding hobbies to a CV is a great way to do this, but there is a trick to getting it right so that you don’t look as if you are only trying to fill space. Let’s take a look at how to effectively include hobbies in your CV.
1. Should I add hobbies to my CV?
Confused about whether you should even include hobbies on your CV in the first place? We don’t blame you - there’s a lot of contradictory advice out there.
As a general rule, you should add hobbies to a CV if one (or more!) of the following is true:
- You’re just starting out in your career
- You have limited work experience
- You are looking to go into a career that’s different to your degree
Your hobbies align with the company’s values or mission - for example, if you are interested in a job at a clothing company and one of your hobbies is making your own clothes, we’d recommend including this even if the vacancy you’re applying for doesn’t have anything to do with clothes design
2. What's the benefit of adding hobbies to my CV?
This is a good question and exactly what you should be asking yourself when deciding what hobbies to write in a CV. Everything that’s on your CV should boost your application and put you one step closer to getting an interview, so with every hobby you should ask yourself: ‘Is this going to benefit my application?’. If the answer is ‘no’ or ‘not sure’, leave it out.
Hobbies benefit your CV by highlighting your teamwork and leadership abilities, creativity, problem solving, communication, and other soft skills. Graduate recruiters receive a high volume of applications, so another benefit of including hobbies on a CV is that they add some personality to your application, giving insight into who you are as a person.
If you still have space on your CV after listing all the essential information (contact details, work experience, skills, references), see if you can add value to your CV by including hobbies that showcase your skills and your individuality.
3. Hobbies vs interests
When deciding how to add hobbies to your CV, always keep in mind that there is a difference between hobbies and interests.
- A hobby is something you do in your spare time - volunteering, reading, playing a musical instrument, playing sport, etc.
- An interest is something that you enjoy learning about - politics, music, fashion, environmentalism, etc.
Avoid becoming yet another applicant who says they ‘enjoy listening to music and watching films’ because, in all honesty, who doesn’t enjoy those things? If you are particularly interested in something, then the chances are it will have become a hobby that you can talk about instead. For example, a keen interest in music usually turns into a hobby like playing an instrument or being in a band. In the same way, an interest in film may have turned into a hobby of directing, writing, or acting in short films.
4. Good hobbies to have on a CV
The good news is, there are a variety of hobbies to put on your CV. We’ve put together a list of common hobbies and a list of more unique ones, with the skills they demonstrate:
Common hobbies
- Sport and exercise demonstrate teamwork, dedication, reliability, and being results driven/goal oriented.
- Technology (coding, video editing, photography, graphic design, etc.) demonstrates adaptability, being quick to learn, and problem solving.
- Arts and culture (music, theatre, literature, etc.) demonstrate confidence, public speaking, performance or presentation skills, creativity, and attention to detail.
- Language learning demonstrates communication, dedication, patience, being goal-oriented, and working independently.
- Volunteering or charity work demonstrates commitment, passion, teamwork, and communication.
Unique hobbies
- Sustainability (upcycling, making your own clothes, participating in environmental projects). With UK businesses’ sustainability spending projected to grow 13% every year from 2025 - 2030, hobbies that show an awareness of and commitment to sustainability may differentiate you from other candidates.
- Community activities (fundraising, local politics, campaigning) demonstrate skills similar to more popular hobbies, such as leadership, teamwork, dedication, proactivity and communication, but the way that you’re acquiring these skills is less common and could capture the interest of a hiring manager.
Health and wellness (exercise, meditation, journaling). The UK Government’s white paper ‘Get Britain Working’ includes healthy workplaces as one of its four priorities, so any hobbies that demonstrate a commitment to both mental and physical health could be seen as an asset by a graduate employer.
5. Where should I put hobbies on my CV?
Hobbies are an optional extra, so they should go towards the end of your CV. After you have listed your contact information, education and work experience, create a section titled ‘Hobbies and interests’ and list your hobbies in a bullet point list.
6. Tips for adding hobbies to a CV
Link them to your skills
If you take away only one thing from this article, it should be that every hobby you include needs to showcase at least one skill. Make a list of the hobbies you have and use the skills mentioned in the section above, or the ones listed in our Graduate Talent guide to soft skills, as inspiration on the expertise you have and the hobbies that best demonstrate them.
Tailor them to your job
The hobbies on your CV (and the skills they demonstrate) should relate to the job you are applying for. Take a look at the job description and rule out any hobbies that don’t directly align with what’s expected in the role. For example, if the job doesn’t require any public speaking, do you really need to mention that you’re part of a theatre group and experienced speaking in front of a large audience?
Quality not quantity
If you’re a graduate without much practical work experience, we get that it’s tempting to pad out your CV with additional experiences. The problem with that is that graduate employers read so many CVs that they can spot filler content a mile off. It’s much better to pick between 1 - 3 hobbies that you regularly take part in, even if it leaves your CV looking a little emptier than you’d like.
At Graduate Talent, our mission is to support graduates like you in finding exciting and ambitious roles. We work with small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to match you with job opportunities where you can leave your mark.
Interested to see how a graduate role within an SME could benefit your career? Send your CV to enquiries@graduatetalent.com and our recruitment manager will get in touch with any positions that suit you.