Hobbies for Resume: 49+ Top Interests That Impress Employers

The best hobbies for your resume are those that demonstrate your strengths and show the true colors of your personality. They can leave a lasting impression on a recruiter, making you more memorable and setting you apart from other candidates, raising your chances of getting hired in some cases.

In light of this, we offer some examples of hobbies for your resume depending on your career path and the abilities you want to highlight. Moreover, we’ll list a few tips to help you make the most out of them. Let’s begin!

Should You Add Hobbies and Interests to Your Resume?

Whether or not you should add hobbies and interests to your resume depends on several factors. For starters, if you have a lot of experience in your field, your resume probably says enough about you as it is. In that case, adding a section for hobbies and interests may make it too long to read.

On the other hand, including hobbies on a resume as a fresher could help you make up for the lack of work experience and give recruiters enough reading material. This way, you can still highlight your abilities and stand out from other candidates even though you’re just entering the workforce.

The same goes if you’re going through a career change—listing hobbies relevant to your new field can help you showcase some of your transferable skills. In addition, by reading about your interests, a recruiter can make sense of why you’re making the transition and even recognize your passion for the new line of work.

Are Hobbies and Interests the Same?

Hobbies and interests aren’t exactly the same, although the two terms are often used interchangeably.

Simply put, hobbies are activities you engage in in your spare time. Some examples include cooking, drawing, playing sports, and making music.

Meanwhile, interests are the ideas and topics that capture your attention and that you want to learn more about, such as art history, classical music, culinary art, and philosophy, for example.

Also, hobbies show recruiters what you like to do in your free time and what skills you may have thanks to those activities. Let’s say you list a team sport, such as basketball, on your resume; this tells hiring managers that you likely possess excellent teamwork skills.

In contrast, interests indicate the concepts you enjoy exploring. For instance, if you choose traveling as one of the interests for your resume, you may come across as a more suitable candidate for a job that requires relocation.

9+ Hobbies and Interests You Can Add to Your Resume

Hobbies and interests you can add to your resume range from writing and art to yoga and meditation. Which ones you’ll choose depends on your affinities and the job you’re applying for.

Without further ado, here are ten examples of hobbies and interests for your resume:

#1. Writing

Whether you write poetry, prose, blog articles, or essays, including this hobby in your resume is a great way to showcase your creativity and writing skills. Moreover, it highlights your ability to convey different types of ideas, which can be valuable in many professional settings.

While writing as a hobby can be useful for a variety of careers, it’s especially valuable in a journalist, content creator, and marketing resume. In fact, it can give you an advantage over other candidates even if you don’t have any professional experience in those areas.

#2. Traveling

Choosing traveling as one of the great interests for a resume shows that you like going on adventures, as well as exploring new places and other cultures. It also conveys your curiosity and willingness to learn, as well as your readiness to step out of your comfort zone.

Lastly, someone who enjoys traveling is likely to be adaptable and have strong organizational skills, as they need to plan trips and manage schedules. With this in mind, traveling can find a place in the ‘Hobbies and Interests’ section of a hospitality or event planner.

#3. Photography

Photography requires creativity, a good eye for detail, and technical knowledge, which makes it an interesting hobby on your resume. Needless to say, it also demonstrates precision and the ability to express ideas visually—a candidate who’s into photography is likely to bring a unique, unconventional perspective to projects.

It’s noteworthy that there are many nuances to this hobby, including drone photography, image processing, and similar. For this reason, it can be an ideal choice for a graphic designer or a social media manager resume.

#4. Sports

Sports and brain health are closely linked, as physical activity boosts energy and enhances the ability to perform everyday tasks, including work-related ones. Additionally, including any type of sports in the hobbies on your resume might show recruiters your self-discipline and teamwork (if you play team sports).

Not to mention, engaging in sports often indicates you can stay motivated under pressure, which is a valuable trait in a work setting.

Given the skills and abilities this hobby highlights, it can be a great feature on a sales, human resources, customer service, and project manager resume.

#5. Yoga

Aside from being a good choice when it comes to physical activity, yoga sharpens focus, relieves stress, relaxes the mind, and creates mental clarity. In other words, it helps you stay productive and concentrated on your work, which makes it an excellent addition to your resume.

While yoga may be among the unique hobbies for a resume—in the sense that it’s not mentioned often in this context—it can still be valuable for a wide range of positions. These especially include jobs that involve working with people and require a calm attitude, such as roles in healthcare, consulting, and education.

#6. Meditation

Meditation improves stress management, helping you stay calm under pressure and handle challenges with a clear mind. It also enhances concentration, making multitasking more efficient. As a resume feature, it shows commitment to personal growth, well-being, and a balanced approach to handling daily responsibilities.

For these reasons, it’s one of the great hobbies for a teacher resume. It highlights focus, patience, and emotional resilience, which are all key to managing a classroom and engaging students effectively.

#7. Music

Making music—composing tunes and writing lyrics—indicates not only creativity but also endurance, patience, and determination. On top of that, playing a musical instrument can improve cognitive functions, including memory and focus, both of which are essential for work-related tasks.

With this in mind, including any kind of musical activity as a hobby on your resume can help you demonstrate a wide range of skills, from attention to detail to discipline. This makes it a valuable asset for numerous jobs, including those in creative fields, sound engineering, and education.

#8. Learning Languages

Speaking any foreign language can increase your chances of getting a job. This isn’t surprising, as every employer appreciates a candidate who can engage with people of different nationalities and help the company expand its reach.

In addition, learning new languages demonstrates persistence, adaptability, and strong verbal communication skills. While these qualities are in demand across many industries, this hobby can especially make the resumes of flight attendants, hotel managers, receptionists, and similar professionals stand out.

#9. Art

Listing art as a hobby on your resume, whether it's painting, sculpting, design, or something else, is a surefire way to capture recruiters' attention. This makes sense—doing art requires creativity, which is a sign of a multitude of other qualities, such as inventiveness, patience, attention to detail, and critical thinking skills.

Since all of these abilities are transferable, it’s unsurprising that art is a popular hobby on resumes in many fields. Still, it’s most valuable for careers in creative industries like graphic design, animation, advertising, and fashion.

#10. Reading

Reading shows intellectual curiosity, eagerness to learn, and the ability to absorb complex information. Needless to say, it also improves vocabulary and communication skills, which are both highly valuable assets in professional settings, especially when it comes to client work.

As such, reading is a good hobby to have on a resume for the writing, editing, content creation, or teaching field. Plus, since it highlights your ability to stay informed, it can also be an asset in industries that require strong analytical skills, such as journalism, research, and education.

39+ Additional Hobbies to Include in Your Resume

Here are 40 additional hobbies you can include in your resume, depending on which skills you want to bring to a recruiter’s attention:

Here are some hobbies for a resume to showcase communication skills:

Now, let’s see a few hobbies for a resume that demonstrate leadership skills:

Next, here are some examples of hobbies for a resume to highlight problem-solving skills:

Let’s take a look at hobbies for a resume to emphasize creativity:

Here are a few hobbies for a resume to showcase technical skills:

Furthermore, these are good examples of hobbies for a resume to highlight presentation skills:

Let’s have a look at some hobbies for a resume that showcase adaptability:

Finally, here are a few hobbies for a resume that usually emphasize a strong work ethic:

How and Where to Add Hobbies and Interests to Your Resume

How and where you add hobbies and interests to your resume matters as much as choosing which ones to include. You want them to catch a recruiter’s eye without overshadowing your professional history and qualifications; they should enhance your resume, not be its focal point.

With this in mind, you shouldn’t go overboard with the number of hobbies and interests. Listing four to six of them with a brief description of each is enough to showcase your personality and highlight relevant skills. If you include too many, it may seem like you’re only trying to fill in space; in contrast, adding too few will make your hobbies and interests section look empty.

Speaking of the hobbies and interests section, you should place it at the bottom of your resume. That way, you’ll prioritize your work experience, skill set, and education, which are the most important factors for recruiters when evaluating your qualifications.

Alternatively, you may include a hobby or an interest in the skills section, but only if it’s relevant to the position you’re applying for. Be careful not to list these under random or irrelevant categories, as this can make your resume appear unstructured and unprofessional.

Let’s put theory into practice and see how to properly include hobbies and interests in a resume:

Now, let’s see an example of how not to add hobbies and interests to your resume:

5 Final Tips for Adding Hobbies and Interests to Your Resume

Some resume writing tips for featuring hobbies and interests include being honest, choosing which ones to add and which ones to leave out, and showcasing your soft skills.

Let’s explore them in more detail:

#1. Don’t Lie

You should be honest about everything you list on your resume, and that includes hobbies and interests. While you may slightly embellish certain details to highlight relevant qualities, it’s important not to go overboard.

Otherwise, you may find yourself in an uncomfortable position down the line if the recruiter asks you to elaborate on the hobby you’ve listed and you don’t really know much about.

#2. Ask Yourself Whether It’s Worth Adding a Specific Hobby to Your Resume

As previously mentioned, hobbies and interests can add weight to your resume, but that doesn’t mean you should include them at all costs. For example, if your work experience and education already take up an entire page, an extra section for hobbies and interests may be redundant.

However, if you’re a recent graduate with no professional history, this section can help you showcase your skills and get recruiters’ attention.

#3. Know Which Hobbies Not to Add

Knowing which hobbies not to add to your resume is just as important as choosing the right ones. After all, your goal is to present yourself as reliable, responsible, and professional, so it’s important not to include anything that could tarnish that image.

Here are some examples of hobbies and interests you should leave out of your resume:

#4. Consider Tailoring Them to the Job

Think of your hobbies and interests section as flexible—you can also tweak it according to the job you’re applying for. For that, you should analyze the job posting and research the company to learn about its culture and values.

This way, you can determine which of your hobbies and interests are most likely to resonate with the recruiter. Then, you can elaborate on them in your cover letter to stand out as a candidate who aligns with the company’s mission.

That said, you can add hobbies to a resume even if they don’t align with the job. There’s always a chance the recruiter might find them interesting and use them as a conversation starter at the interview.

#5. Be Specific

Listing generic hobbies won’t help you stand out—they can only make your resume longer. This is why you should be specific about the activities you engage in and topics that interest you—to give recruiters a clearer picture of who you are.

For example, instead of listing “learning languages” as your hobby, you could specify “studying Spanish through immersive language exchange programs.”

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right hobbies and interests for your resume can help you emphasize your skills and stand out from the competition. It can also give recruiters an idea of who you are as a person.

With this in mind, adding hobbies and interests to your resume is the perfect opportunity to present yourself as a well-rounded candidate. It shows you have valuable skills and can bring more to the table beyond just professional experience.

When done thoughtfully, this section can reflect your creativity, adaptability, and teamwork abilities—traits all employers look for in potential hires.