As you work through all of the “must-have” sections on your resume, you may find yourself getting to the end and thinking, “Have I given the hiring team any information or insight into who I am as a person?”
Enter: the “Interests” section of your resume.
How do you add your interests without drawing attention away from the most important details? And, what should you even include? Read on for helpful tips on all of the above, in addition to 100+ activities you can use as inspiration.
Why You Should List Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume?
The interests section of your resume is an opportunity to show a potential employer a little bit more about who you are in a few critical ways:
1. They show you as a multidimensional person.
We’re more than our work experiences and skills, and including your hobbies and interests on your resume will present a more well-rounded idea of who you are as a person. Let’s say a hiring manager is making a decision about the last candidate they’ll bring in for an interview. They’re deciding between two people with the same level of experience and the same skill set — you and another applicant. You’ve included a few details about your interests. Suddenly, you’re a person with a personality and a bit of depth — a small addition that got you to the next round of the hiring process.
2. They give employers and recruiters a better sense of cultural fit.
There are many companies on the lookout for applicants with unique character or personality traits. Listing your interests and hobbies is an easy way for hiring managers and recruiters to get a glimpse into who you are as a person and how well you’ll relate to the organization’s culture.
3. They help support a resume with limited professional experience.
If you don’t have much experience under your belt, or you’ve just graduated and are on the lookout for your first role, listing your hobbies and interests can help to fill in those blanks. If some of these hobbies include volunteering or being a part of an association or networking group, they could speak to your leadership qualities.
100+ Hobbies and Interests To Put on Your Resume
Need a bit of help remembering your own hobbies and interests list? Use these general examples below and personalize them by adding your own specifics:
Arts & Crafts
- Animation
- Creative writing
- Drawing
- Filmmaking
- Flower arranging
- Furniture building
- Furniture restoration
- Illustration
- Knitting
- Painting
- Photography
- Pottery
- Quilting
- Restoring Furniture
- Woodworking
Collecting
- Action figures
- Comic books
- LEGO sets
- Record albums
- Sports memorabilia
- Stamps
- Stickers
- Vintage collectibles
Games
- Board games
- Billiards/pool
- Card games
- Chess
- Crossword puzzles
- Geocaching
- Video games
Music, Movies & Performing Arts
- Acting
- Composing music
- Dancing
- DJing
- Juggling
- Poetry
- Playing a musical instrument
- Magic tricks
- Screenwriting
- Singing
- Songwriting
- Standup Comedy
Plants & Animals
- Animal training
- Beekeeping
- Birding
- Gardening
- Houseplant caretaking
- Pet fostering
Sports & Outdoor Activities
- Backpacking
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bodybuilding
- Canoeing
- Car racing
- Coaching
- Boating
- Bowling
- Football
- Fantasy football
- Fantasy baseball
- Golf
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Martial arts
- Mountain biking
- Mountain climbing
- Paintball
- Pickleball
- Pilates
- Rock climbing
- Running
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Skydiving
- Snowboarding
- Skiing
- Tennis
- Whitewater Rafting
- Yoga
Technology
- 3-D Printing
- App Building
- Artificial Intelligence
- Blogging
- Computer Programming
- Podcasting
- Robotics
- Virtual Reality
- Web Design
- Web Development
Miscellaneous
- Astronomy
- Astrology
- Building models
- Car restoration
- Genealogy
- Historic preservation
- Learning languages
- Networking groups
- RV traveling
- Sign language
- Traveling
- Vintage shopping
- Volunteering
4 Tips on How To List Interests on Your Resume
1. Use space wisely
If there just isn’t room on your resume to include your interests, it’s okay to leave them off. Consider putting them on another piece of professional real estate — your LinkedIn profile’s “About” section, for example. That way, when a recruiter or a hiring manager takes a look at your profile, they’ll see them and potentially strike up a conversation in an interview.
2. Keep your list short yet detailed
Choose three to five activities for your resume, and be specific if you can For example, you can list “Active in a year-round indoor pickleball league” instead of “Playing sports,” — or “Part of a book group focused on historical fiction” instead of “Reading.”
3. Tailor your list of interests based on the role you’re applying for
Your collection of cookbooks may be more relevant than your love of true crime podcasts, if you’re applying for a role at a marketing agency that works with food and beverage brands. Choosing relevant hobbies and experiences to highlight can help establish that you’re even more of a fit for the role you're applying for.
4. Stay away from controversial hobbies
It most likely goes without saying, but we’d suggest staying away from listing anything that might be considered polarizing. That could include politics or religion — or potentially controversial activities like gambling or hunting. Unless you’re applying for a very specific role where those interests are expected, certain activities might harm the perception of you as a candidate.
Where Should Hobbies and Interests Go on a Resume?
Since these details aren’t as critical to your experiences, skills and personal summary, the ideal place for your hobbies and interests is at the very bottom of your resume. If your resume has a column format, you can put your interests in the righthand column along with your skills.
For the actual name of the section, it’s best to stick with something general, such as “Interests”
If you’d like to take the guesswork out of this section, Teal’s Resume Builder has a built-in Skills & Interests section where you can easily add your details.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of resume experts that will tell you to leave these more “personal” details out of your resume. Here’s our take, though: business is personal.
You shouldn't have to shut down your personality and the unique details that make you who you are just because you’re interviewing for a new role. In fact, showcasing a few of the things you like to do when you’re not working can give the entire picture of who you are as a candidate.
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