We’ve all been there: you’re staring at the last few lines of your resume, wondering if “marathoner and sourdough nerd” belongs alongside “budget forecasting” and “Python.”
Half the internet says hobbies humanize you; the other half insists they’re a waste of space. No wonder it’s confusing.
Part of the chaos comes from conflicting guidance across countries and industries. For instance, Canada’s official Job Bank cautions against listing hobbies unless they’re clearly relevant - warning they can invite snap judgments - while still acknowledging that relevant interests can help your case.
Meanwhile, some UK public-sector careers advice encourages thoughtfully weaving personal activities into your story when they showcase skills.
Our take: a hobbies section is optional - but strategic when used well. Like any resume real estate, it needs a return on investment. If your interests show job-relevant skills, culture alignment, or a memorable angle that sparks conversation, they earn their spot. If not, they don’t.
Hiring teams are increasingly scanning for evidence of core capabilities - problem solving, teamwork, communication - rather than just pedigree.
In the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook research, nearly 90% of employers looked for problem‑solving, over 80% for teamwork, and roughly three‑quarters for communication on resumes.
There’s also long‑standing evidence that volunteering - a close cousin of “interests” - is viewed positively by hiring influencers. In Deloitte’s survey, a large majority of hiring decision‑makers said volunteer work builds leadership skills and can make a resume more competitive.
And talent leaders continue to emphasize “human” skills alongside technical ones; LinkedIn’s trends brief notes U.S. executives prioritizing soft skills even as AI changes work.
That said, enthusiasm varies.
Creative/startup teams may welcome a peek at the person behind the resume. Highly conservative sectors (think finance, law, government) often remain strictly qualifications‑first - more on that shortly.
✅ Include hobbies if:
❌ Skip hobbies if:
There isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all rule here. Think of hobbies like seasoning - add them when they enhance the dish.
In the next sections, we’ll show exactly when they help, when they hurt, and how to write them so they work for you.
When your professional section is thinner than you’d like, smartly chosen hobbies can spotlight potential. Employers consistently hunt for transferable strengths like problem solving, teamwork, and communication - attributes you can demonstrate via substantive extracurriculars.
If your interests show initiative (launching a community project), leadership (captaining a league), or genuine industry curiosity (coding a side app), they fill the narrative gap with evidence.
Mini‑scenarios:
We like to think of these as “strategic hobbies” - interests that map directly to the role’s success criteria. The key is a believable, visible connection: what you did, how often, and what came of it.
Startups and creative shops often hire the “whole person.”
They emphasize soft skills, values alignment, and creative problem‑solving - areas where thoughtful hobbies can provide texture. LinkedIn’s talent trends repeatedly highlight employers’ focus on human skills alongside technical ones, making personality‑rich signals more relevant than ever.
Industries where interests are commonly welcomed: tech startups (side projects signal curiosity), marketing and media (content creation shows voice and taste), hospitality and entertainment (people‑centric energy), and mission‑driven nonprofits (volunteering demonstrates values).
Use company research - careers pages, values statements, employee posts - to calibrate your approach.
If you used a sabbatical, parental leave, or a job search to upskill or contribute, say so.
Substantial volunteer work can be treated as legitimate experience and is often recognized by employers as such. For federal applications, for example, volunteer service is explicitly considered relevant experience.
Some relevant examples of using hobbies to fill employment gaps on your resume:
For consultants, speakers, creators, or executives with public‑facing work, interests like podcasting, writing, or community leadership aren’t merely “personal” - they’re brand assets.
With “founder” and “creator” identities growing across LinkedIn, showcasing these pursuits can reinforce your credibility and reach.
Past a certain point, your outcomes and scope speak louder than your weekend pursuits.
If you’re a senior professional with a track record to showcase, allocate space to leadership impact, transformation initiatives, and results. In highly structured or public‑sector contexts, resume space may be explicitly limited - leaving little room for extras.
But there's an exception: board roles, industry association leadership, or public speaking - those are quasi‑professional and can absolutely stay.
Most readers have limited attention. If adding hobbies forces you to truncate high‑value bullets or shrinks readability, cut them. Career editors routinely recommend concise, relevant resumes to boost clarity and scanning.
Some markets now accept two pages more readily, but “more pages” isn’t a license to include low‑impact lines. Here's an interesting read from Fortune on two‑page norms and how they're the new normal in the era of AI.
Essential space‑audit before adding hobbies:
Interests like “reading,” “watching movies,” or “travel” don’t tell us anything specific - most people do them.
If you can’t add context or relevance (“Reading behavioral economics; applying insights to product experiments”), skip them:
❌ Avoid: Reading (too broad unless genre links to the role)
❌ Avoid: Watching movies/TV (passive, nonspecific)
❌ Avoid: Listening to music (ubiquitous)
❌ Avoid: “Socializing,” “going out” (unprofessional framing)
❌ Avoid: Cooking/baking (unless food industry or entrepreneurial angle)
❌ Avoid: “Sports” (name the sport and context/level)
❌ Avoid: Gaming (unless you specify teamwork/modding/casting/competitive play)
❌ Avoid: “Art” (define medium, exhibitions, commissions)
❌ Avoid: “Volunteering” (explain cause, role, impact)
While discrimination is illegal, resumes can trigger unconscious bias. Interests tied to politics, religion, polarizing causes, risky/extreme sports, or age‑revealing eras of activity can inadvertently shift focus away from your qualifications. U.S. law prohibits hiring discrimination on protected grounds like religion and age, so avoid signaling details that invite off‑topic assumptions. (You can read more about the prohibitions here: EEOC - Religious discrimination; EEOC - Age discrimination.)
Note that perceptions vary by region. A hobby like hunting may be neutral or positive in some U.S. regions, but read differently in the UK; faith‑based volunteering may be common in parts of Canada yet raise eyebrows in other contexts. Local norms matter. For example, Canada’s Job Bank explicitly warns that hobbies can draw judgments and should be included only when clearly relevant; some UK local careers guidance (Southampton), conversely, encourages using hobbies to illustrate skills.
In finance, law, government, and some academic or insurance settings, interests are often unnecessary unless they carry professional weight (e.g., bar associations, board roles). Many law school career offices treat “Interests” as optional and mostly useful as an interview icebreaker for students - another sign to be selective if you’re not early‑career.
Government resumes, meanwhile, follow stricter rules and space limits today, leaving little room for non‑essentials.
These are broad tendencies and recommendations, not laws. Always check the employer’s careers page, values, and employee profiles to calibrate your call.
These signal collaboration, people‑management potential, and comfort with group dynamics - assets for managers, client‑facing roles, and cross‑functional teams.
Great for creative, marketing, design, and media roles - and increasingly useful elsewhere to show inventive problem‑solving. Specificity beats labels.
Especially valuable for tech, engineering, data, and finance - these show curiosity and skill growth beyond the job.
Volunteer work is widely respected and often highlights leadership and reliability.
Deloitte’s research shows employers perceive volunteerism as a builder of in‑demand skills - yet many candidates still omit it.
These interests can communicate discipline and grit. If the sport skews risky, consider whether it sends unintended signals.
Employers value growth mindsets. Curated learning shows momentum and curiosity - relevant across sectors.
Showcase your most relevant hobbies effectively with Resumonk’s AI resume builder - it suggests which interests strengthen your application and formats them cleanly so they never overshadow your achievements.
Use three filters. Your hobbies should meet at least one - ideally two:
Match the header to your content and industry tone.
Creative/culture‑focused? “Hobbies & Interests” or “Interests.”
Conservative? “Additional Information” or “Activities.” Volunteer‑heavy? “Community Involvement.”
Pick a format based on space and relevance:
Examples:
“Interests: Marathon running, Photography, Chess, Volunteer coaching.”“Interests: Marathon running (5 finishes incl. Boston).”“Competitive Marathon Running - 5 marathons, 3:15 PR; qualified for Boston 2023.”Default placement is near the bottom - after experience, skills, and education - because it’s additive, not core.
Exceptions: if a pursuit is highly relevant (e.g., open‑source maintainer for a developer role), spotlight it earlier or blend it into experience.
If you’re applying to federal or similarly strict environments, remember that space is tightly governed and non‑essential sections can conflict with formatting rules - prioritize essentials.
Just like your summary and bullets, tailor your interests. Scan the job description and the company’s values page for cues. Culture‑first creative role? Lean into content creation or performance interests. Corporate finance? Emphasize analytical, disciplined pursuits.
Before/After:
❌ Before (Generic): “Hobbies: Reading, sports, travel, photography.”
✅ After (Creative Agency): “Interests: Street photography (featured in local gallery), Content creation (1K+ IG following), Improv comedy.”
✅ After (Financial Firm): “Interests: Chess club member, Markets analysis blog, Marathon running (3 completed).”
At the start of your career, curated interests can round out limited experience - especially when they demonstrate maturity or initiative aligned with NACE’s most‑sought attributes.
“Interests: Short‑form video (8K TikTok followers), Nonprofit social campaigns (volunteer for local shelter), Street photography (exhibited, 2025).”“Interests: Open‑source contributor (PRs to FastAPI), Hackathons (2x finalist), Algorithm puzzles (weekly).”“Interests: Children’s literacy tutoring (weekly), Classroom tech experiments (Scratch, Micro:bit), Community theatre (youth director).”“Interests: Hospital volunteering (200+ hrs), CPR instructor trainee, 10K races (goal‑setting, persistence).”With 5–10 years of experience, include only interests that amplify your leadership or subject depth.
“Interests: PMI chapter event organizer (quarterly meetups), Trail‑running (3 half‑marathons, 2024–26), Mentoring junior PMs (nonprofit).”“Interests: Newsletter writer (2K subscribers; CTR 6.5%), Conference speaker (Content UK 2025), Community arts board (fundraising committee).”“Interests: OSS maintainer (1.2K GitHub stars), Meetups co‑host (monthly), Competitive chess (USCF 1700).”“Interests: Patient‑experience task force (volunteer chair), Health‑equity reading group (facilitator), Open‑water swimming (2 events).”Here, interests often act like portfolio extensions - quantify reach and outcomes where possible.
“Interests: Poster design series (featured in local arts magazine), Pro‑bono branding (2 nonprofits), Film photography (darkroom prints).”“Interests: Substack column (1.8K subs), Short‑story award finalist (2025), Literary reading series co‑host.”“Interests: TikTok experiments (viral: 220K views), Community moderation (Discord, 3K members), Event live‑tweeting (conference volunteer).”Tech values demonstrable learning and community contribution.
“Interests: Open‑source triager (React), DevRel blogging (20 posts, 120K views), Hackathon mentor.”“Interests: Public datasets projects (sports analytics), Kaggle competitions (Top 10%), R‑meetup lightning talks.”“Interests: Design sprints (quarterly), Usability testing for local nonprofits, Urban sketching (improves observation).”Highlight influence, community ties, and strategic thinking:
“Interests: Financial modeling blog (case studies), Toastmasters (CC award), Local entrepreneurship mentor.”“Interests: Supply‑chain meetup organizer (bi‑monthly), Lean reading group facilitator, Cycling (metric century rides).”“Interests: Chamber of Commerce ambassador, Charity golf tournament co‑chair ($25K raised), Podcast guest on B2B prospecting.”Need help deciding which hobbies to highlight for your role? Resumonk’s AI builder suggests industry‑specific options and formats them in seconds.
Three to five items (or 2–4 lines) is the sweet spot. A laundry list looks unfocused and steals space from what matters most.
❌ Don’t: “Hobbies: Reading, movies, music, travel, hiking, yoga, chess, cycling, photography, cooking, coding, gardening…”
✅ Do: “Interests: Street photography (local exhibit), Chess (club member), Half‑marathons (5, 2023–26).”
Generic words add zero value. Add specifics, scale, or outcomes. Our interactive infographic below shows how you can transform vague entries into impactful ones:
Even if important to you, politics, religion, and polarizing causes can trigger bias.
Unless directly relevant (e.g., applying to a campaign or faith‑based org), leave them off. U.S. law bars discrimination on protected characteristics like religion and age, but avoiding triggers helps keep the focus on your fit:
If it’s on your resume, it’s fair game in an interview. Don’t claim you’re a “marathoner” if your longest run is a 10K; don’t cite a book you haven’t read.
Many legal career offices explicitly warn that you must be ready to discuss any interest you list.
If you list “avid reader of contemporary literature,” be prepared to discuss a couple of recent books. If you mention “marathon running,” expect questions about races and times.
Interests evolve. So should your resume. Retire one‑off or dated activities, and swap in what strengthens your current pitch.
In the U.S., hobbies are optional and less common outside early‑career or creative/tech roles. Employers prize evidence of skills and culture contribution; volunteer work and thought‑through interests can help, but only after essentials. Research on culture’s impact on retention underscores why “whole‑person” indicators sometimes matter - selectively.
Similar to the U.S., but official guidance more explicitly warns against hobbies unless relevant, due to potential bias.
If you include them, tie directly to the role or values.
“Interests” are somewhat more common in UK CVs, particularly for students and grads. Public‑sector and academic employers often value volunteering and club leadership; tone tends to be formal; local guidance also encourages using hobbies to evidence skills.
In Australia, including interests is relatively common, but relevance rules still apply.
Government guidance suggests interests only when they add value; volunteering and outdoor/community activities often resonate.
If a pursuit is central to your professional brand, integrate a tasteful nod into your summary: “Product marketer and conference speaker,” “Engineering leader and open‑source maintainer,” “Healthcare manager with wellness coaching certification.” Keep it relevant.
“Built audience of 12K across industry talks and podcasts; keynote at Martech Summit 2025.”“OSS maintainer (2K★) advocating for developer experience.”“Wellness‑certified leader focused on patient‑experience initiatives.”Substantial volunteer or community leadership deserves real estate in “Experience” - especially if you led teams or delivered outcomes. Many employers, including federal agencies, explicitly regard volunteer service as qualifying experience when it shows relevant competencies.
Format example:
Volunteer Program Lead, Code for City | 2024–2026
Recruited and led 18 volunteers to build a web portal for local shelters; reduced intake time by 22%; secured $7,500 in micro‑grants.
Your resume is selective; LinkedIn can be fuller. Use the About, Featured, and Volunteer Experience sections to show projects, photos, talks, and community work.
Consistency matters, but you can provide richer context online.
Some quick tips to showcase hobbies on LinkedIn
Sometimes a single, relevant sentence in your cover letter is perfect: it builds rapport without consuming resume space.
“As an avid listener of your CEO’s interviews, I appreciated her take on ethical AI on the Future of Work podcast - your stance aligns with my open‑source advocacy.”“I lead a neighborhood sustainability project, which is why your zero‑waste initiative caught my eye.”“Coaching youth basketball has sharpened my feedback style - useful for managing the sales associate team in this role.”Match format to industry and template style.
For conservative or public‑sector applications, keep it text‑only and minimal to respect formal expectations.
A practical rule: keep hobbies to ~5–10% of a one‑page resume (2–4 lines or 3–5 bullets).
If adding interests squeezes core content or readability, remove them.
Some employers strictly limit length (e.g., federal two‑page cap in USA), reinforcing the need to prioritize essentials.
Adjust proportions for your stage - entry‑level might weigh education/projects more; senior roles emphasize impact in experience.
Keep styling consistent with the rest of your resume: same font family, matching header styles, uniform spacing. Avoid oversized icons, colors, or shapes that draw more attention than your achievements.
Some templates include a sidebar “Interests” block; others expect a bottom section; minimalist designs may omit it altogether.
Be flexible: tailor where it best supports your story without stealing focus.
Choose from dozens of professionally designed templates on Resumonk that include well‑formatted hobby sections. Our AI builder helps you position and word your interests for impact while keeping the design clean and professional. Try it now!
Three to five. Fewer than three can look sparse; more than five can look unfocused. Quality over quantity.
Only if you have space after essentials, you’re early‑career, or the hobbies are exceptionally relevant. Otherwise, prioritize achievements and skills.
No. They can supplement - especially for students or career changers - but they don’t carry the same weight as professional results. Substantial volunteer or community leadership can be listed under “Experience” when it aligns closely with the role.
Skip the section. It’s better to omit than force filler. If you want to build relevant interests, start now - volunteer, write, join a club - but list only what you actively do.
They should be consistent, but your resume is selective while LinkedIn can be more comprehensive. Avoid contradictions.
Yes. Always research the specific employer culture.
Include hobbies when they strengthen your candidacy - by signaling relevant skills, filling experience gaps, aligning with culture, or offering memorable differentiation. Exclude them when they’re vague, risky, or crowd out higher‑value content.
Quick checklist to see if your resume needs inclusion of hobbies:
If you answer “yes” to 3+ questions, include them. Otherwise, consider skipping.
Every line must earn its place. Hobbies aren’t a personal diary - they’re strategic proof points that support your pitch. Use them when they help; lose them when they don’t.
Track what gets you interviews, listen for what interviewers ask about, and iterate. Different roles and companies will respond to different signals.
That was a lot of ground to cover - from when hobbies help to when they quietly sabotage your chances. Here's the condensed version you can keep open in a tab the next time you're finalizing your resume.
Now that you know exactly when hobbies help, when they hurt, and how to write them - put it all into action.
Resumonk's resume builder has been trusted by thousands of job seekers for over a decade.
Its AI-powered suggestions help you surface the most relevant content for your resume, readymade templates give you a polished design out of the box, and complementary cover letter templates keep your entire application looking consistent. The strategy is yours - Resumonk handles the execution.
Try it now!
.png)