Adding hobbies and interests to your CV can provide valuable details about your personality to potential employers and help you stand out as a unique individual. Especially if you have little to no professional work experience and therefore don’t have much information to list on your CV, adding your hobbies and interests can also help prevent the page from looking too empty and provide a more comprehensive look at your skills and activities.

Not sure how to add hobbies and interests to your CV? Consider using a CV builder like Jobseeker to help you get started. Additionally, keep in mind that when adding your hobbies and interests to your CV, you’ll want to balance your individuality with being workplace-appropriate – avoid including any controversial, very unusual, or potentially dangerous hobbies. Instead, consider listing your hobbies and interests that fall into the following categories:

Volunteering

Volunteering shows employers that you are altruistic, compassionate, and able to manage your time effectively. In fact, more than 80% of managers have indicated that they prefer hiring candidates who have volunteer experience over those who don’t.

Sports

Sports and athletics can indicate to potential employers that you prioritise your wellbeing, enjoy some healthy competition, and are disciplined. Participating in team sports also demonstrates that you are a team player with good interpersonal skills. And, if you are a team captain, you can even showcase your leadership skills through your sports involvement!

Artistic Pursuits

Whether you play a musical instrument, are in a band or choir, enjoy drawing or painting, act in community plays, shoot photos, or otherwise exercise your creative side, artistic pursuits are excellent hobbies to list on your CV.

Travelling

Travelling shows that you are willing to step outside your comfort zone, are adventurous, and are likely familiar with other cultures. Additionally, travelling usually requires a certain level of adaptability and stress tolerance, which are always good traits to have as a job candidate.

Mentoring or Coaching

If you mentor or coach others, that shows employers that you have leadership skills, effective communication abilities, and that you are willing to take the time to help others perform at a higher level. Leadership is one of the most desirable qualities in job candidates and it’s very difficult to teach so if you are a proven leader, take every opportunity to highlight that on your CV.

Reading

An interest in reading suggests that you are intelligent and enjoy learning new things, although reading is very commonly listed as a hobby on CVs and can therefore seem trite and impersonal. To avoid that possibility, share what you like to read specifically, such as 18th century romance novels or travel memoirs by female authors.

Club or Organisation Membership

As a member of a community club or organisation, you likely have strong interpersonal skills, enjoy collaborating with others, have excellent time management, and are passionate about your interests. Make a note on your CV if you help plan meetings or events, as that neatly shows off your organisational skills as well.