Hobbies and interests on the resume

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When we fill out our CV, among the many questions we ask ourselves there is one that recurs frequently: what is the really important information to add, to avoid that the document is too long and excessively full-bodied? Because if it is true that there are data from which it is impossible to ignore, there are others that can be omitted. In this guide we deal specifically with Hobbies and Interests, discovering if and when it is good to mention them on our curriculum vitae.

The curriculum, it’s formatting, its editing and its style, he says very much of a candidate, a few elements are enough to ensure that the recruiter has an overview of the person who is applying for a particular position. If it is indeed true that from fundamental data, and above all professional and study experiences, it is possible to obtain important information on the path of a candidate, it is other data that can make the difference in the recruiting phase. Hobbies and interests, together with relevant extracurricular experiences, are precisely the elements to focus on when writing a CV that you want to have an impact on the reader.

Hobbies in CV: is it mandatory to insert them?

Inserting our hobbies on the CV is by no means mandatory and in fact in the past it was a practice completely discouraged, to avoid mixing the work plan with the private plan. Today, however, based on the Anglo-Saxon model, more and more people add this information on their curriculum, to allow the employer to have an overview of the person in front of him, evaluating him at the beginning not only for his professional merits but also based on other extra experiences.

Why it may be useful to mention your hobbies on the CV

If you choose to put your hobbies on your CV, it could definitely work to your advantage. It is in fact a way to make yourself known more deeply, to tell something more about yourself to those who will have to evaluate. It is not impossible to find, on the other hand, a person interested in the same things as you and this, always considering that recruiters are human beings and in some way influenced by their perception of things even in the evaluation phase, could definitely represent an advantage competitive compared to other candidates.

And if your hobbies have somehow to do with the position for which you are applying, the advantage of entering them is even more evident, as long as you do not overdo the information (as we will see later).

Let’s take some examples:

You are applying for a job position as “Room manager in a restaurant”, you own all the skills and experience required and in addition you are passionate about cooking and regularly attend various courses to learn the subject. Your hobbies, even if you don’t have to work in the kitchen, will certainly help you in the selection phase, representing the common denominator with the company you are introducing to.

You are applying for a job position as Commercialism, in addition to skills and experience you also have a particular passion: chess. The particular nature of this hobby makes it particularly relevant to the position you are applying for: it requires concentration, an open mind but at the same time method. In short, in this case a hobby that apparently has nothing to do with work turns out to be very relevant and therefore represent an advantage in the selection phase.

Interests and hobbies relevant to the position constitute a competitive advantage.

When not to mention your hobbies on the CV

The downside to the pros are, of course, the against that can occur if and when you include your hobbies in the CV. In fact, it is personal information and does not necessarily have to be explicit: after all, an employer must evaluate a candidate for his professional characteristics and his flexibility in this sense, not on the basis of other data that could reveal details of the his private life insignificant for work purposes. And if the hobbies have nothing to do with the job you want to get, mentioning them becomes a redundancy that can be seen as a useless one.

Let’s do a couple more examples:

You are applying for a position as Accounting Analyst, you have all the required characteristics on a professional level and experience. Your main hobby is knitting: how useful is it to include this information in your CV, considering that it doesn’t add anything to the position you are applying for?

You are applying for a position as Nurse, with experience and professionalism acquired over the years, among your hobbies there are parlor games, completely superfluous information compared to your potential new job and that tells a part of you that is not interesting for work purposes and totally private to add and which ones not to mention on your CV

In light of the above, here is a list (not exhaustive, of course) of hobbies and pastimes to add and not to add to your CV.

Hobbies to mention

  • Playing a musical instrument
  • Sports
  • All creative hobbies (sewing, drawing, photography, etc)
  • Hobbies that help you learn something new (a language, a skill, etc)
  • Etc.

Each of these hobbies, in fact, can tell a lot about you and your attitude, so they can be a great way to break through the heart of a recruiter. For example, if you play a musical instrument you convey to others the feeling of being a creative person, if you practice a sport that requires perseverance, such as running, for example, you convey the feeling of being a stubborn person or if your hobby is to learn a new language, the feeling you will transmit is that of being a curious person eager to test yourself.

Hobbies not to mention

  • Gambling
  • Video games
  • Dangerous sports
  • Etc.

Again, these pastimes can say a lot (or too much) about you and since they are very particular and perceived as negative in general, they can hurt you in the selection phase. For example, if you gamble you could be perceived as an unreliable person, if you play video games you could be seen as an adult who never grew up and if you play dangerous sports you could be perceived as a person always looking for adrenaline, and therefore unreliable in the workplace.

Remember that if you have no hobbies it is good not to mention it on your CV, but avoid entering information about it.

Useful information for inserting hobbies and pastimes on the curriculum

If you decide to follow the American and Anglo-Saxon model and want to include hobbies and pastimes on the CV, remember to keep in mind these few rules, which will allow you to add this information in a manner consistent with your curriculum vitae:

  • Indicate only hobbies and interests qualifying for the position you are applying for;
  • Indicate a maximum of 4 hobbies or pastimes, to avoid this information being seen, by the recruiter’s eye, as more important than the most important ones such as professional and school experience;
  • Do not mention any pastimes considered “borderline” or those that could negatively connote you
  • Do not add too much text but limit yourself to reporting the various hobbies on separate lines, using specific terms (for example: Cooking / Cooking if your hobby is, in fact, cooking).

In summary

  • Hobbies and interests can reveal a lot about you in the job selection phase, therefore it is a card that must be played carefully and intelligently;
  • Entering hobbies relevant to the position you are applying for, can be an advantage in the selection phase;
  • Enter hobbies not relevant to the position for which you are applying, can represent a disadvantage in the selection phase and frustrate the whole CV;
  • If you follow specific rules to insert your interests on the CV, it will be enriched by them but not burdened.