Hobbies Examples for a Resume: 40 Interests by Skill

By , founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated

9 min read

The best hobbies examples for a resume are specific activities that prove a skill the job needs, such as "captain of a club volleyball team" for leadership or "run a home server" for IT support, written in one line each. The constraint is relevance: two to four lines at the end of the page, or none if your experience already fills it. The UK's National Careers Service gives the same rule, quoted below, and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains what you never have to share. Forty hobbies and interests grouped by skill come first, then six complete interests sections. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

Every interests section in the pile said "reading, travel and spending time with friends". Somewhere out there is a person who does not enjoy spending time with friends, and they have the decency to leave it off.

A complete interests section, before the list

Here is what a good one looks like on a first resume. Each line names the activity, how you do it and what it shows.

Complete Entry level: High school senior applying for a grocery store job example, 84 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Entry level: High school senior applying for a grocery store job (84 words)

Jordan Ellis · Columbus, OH · (614) 555-0142 · jordan.ellis@email.example

Experience Volunteer, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Columbus, OH | 2024 to present - Sort and pack donations on Saturday shifts; trained three new volunteers on the packing line

Interests - Varsity cross country: run six days a week through the season; team captain in my senior year - Cooking for my family on weeknights: I plan the meals and do the grocery shopping on a set budget

Availability Evenings and weekends; full time in summer

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40 hobbies and interests examples, grouped by the skill they prove

Pick from the group that matches the job ad, then make the line specific: your role, how often, and a result if you have one. The UK's National Careers Service puts the rule in one sentence: "You can also include your interests and hobbies that show some of the skills you have." It gives the example of a team captain, which "demonstrates leadership and organisation skills".

Leadership and teamwork

Communication

Discipline and endurance

Technical and problem solving

Creativity

Organisation and planning

Community and service

Curiosity and learning

That last one matters. "Reading" alone is the most common interest in the pile and tells the reader nothing. "Reading about the history of aviation, and volunteering at the local air museum" tells them plenty.

Hobbies vs interests: is there a difference?

A hobby is something you do. An interest is something you follow. Running half marathons is a hobby; following electric car technology is an interest. On a resume, both go in one section called "Interests" or "Hobbies and interests", and the same rule applies to both: be specific, and pick the ones that connect to the job. A hobby usually beats an interest, because it shows you doing something.

Interests on a graduate resume

Graduates often have more activities than jobs. Choose the ones that show workplace skills, and move anything with real responsibility, such as a club committee role, into its own "Leadership and activities" section where it carries more weight.

Complete Entry level: Graduate resume with interests that support an engineering application example, 89 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Entry level: Graduate resume with interests that support an engineering application (89 words)

Lachlan Brooks · Brisbane QLD · lachlan.brooks@email.example

Summary Mechanical engineering graduate from QUT, starting full-time work in February. Completed a 12-week vacation placement in a mining services design office.

Leadership and activities Team member, QUT Motorsport, 2023 to 2025: designed the cooling system for the team's race car and presented it at the national competition's design event

Interests - Restoring an old motorbike with my father; I rebuilt the carburettor and wiring from the workshop manual - Rock climbing at an indoor gym twice a week, and belay certified

Both interests point back to the job: hands-on mechanical work and attention to safety. Neither is padding.

Interests on a career change resume

If you are moving into a new field, a hobby can be the strongest evidence you have. Treat it almost like a job: what you did, how often and what came of it.

Complete Mid level: Hospitality manager moving into digital marketing example, 105 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Mid level: Hospitality manager moving into digital marketing (105 words)

Sophie Martin · Melbourne VIC · sophie.martin@email.example

Summary Restaurant manager with eight years in hospitality, moving into digital marketing. Completed a short course in social media marketing and has run the marketing for a community market as a volunteer for two years.

Experience Restaurant Manager, Laneway Kitchen, Melbourne VIC, 2019 to present - Ran the restaurant's Instagram account, growing it from a few hundred followers to over 6,000

Interests - Volunteer marketing lead, Brunswick Makers Market: plan the monthly social posts and email newsletter for 40 stallholders - Photography: I shoot the market and our restaurant's dishes on a mirrorless camera and edit in Lightroom

Here the interests are the bridge between the old job and the new one. They show the work is already happening.

Complete Mid level: Teacher moving into instructional design example, 63 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Mid level: Teacher moving into instructional design (63 words)

Priya Raman · Austin, TX · priya.raman@email.example

Summary Middle school science teacher with six years in the classroom, moving into instructional design. Builds online lessons for the whole grade team.

Interests - Built a free YouTube series of 20 short science lab videos for my students, filmed and edited at home - Learning Articulate Storyline through an online course; finished two practice modules

What to leave out

Some hobbies tell an employer things they should not use to decide. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that "it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex". In Australia, the Fair Work Ombudsman says: "Under the Fair Work Act, an employer can't take adverse action against an employee or a prospective employee for discriminatory reasons."

You are allowed to mention these things, and some roles make them relevant, such as a church youth worker or a campaign officer for a party. But for most jobs, leave out religious, political and health details. Also skip:

Mid-career and senior resumes

With ten or more years of experience, most people do not need a hobbies section. If you include one, keep it to one line and choose something that shows character or a link to the organisation, such as a board seat, a sporting commitment or a community role.

Complete Senior: Operations manager with a one-line interests section example, 77 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Senior: Operations manager with a one-line interests section (77 words)

David Kaur · Perth WA · david.kaur@email.example

Summary Operations manager with 15 years in logistics and warehousing, currently responsible for three distribution centres and 180 staff. Led the move to a new warehouse management system across all sites.

Experience Operations Manager, WestFreight Logistics, Perth WA, 2017 to present - Lead three distribution centres, 180 staff and a $14 million operating budget

Interests Treasurer of my local surf life saving club and a patrolling volunteer on summer weekends.

One line, two strong signals: trust with money and a commitment to safety. That is enough.

Complete Mid level: IT support analyst with technical hobbies example, 99 words, laid out as it would sit in the application form

Mid level: IT support analyst with technical hobbies (99 words)

Ethan Walsh · Denver, CO · ethan.walsh@email.example

Summary IT support analyst with four years in a 300-user organization, handling the service desk, device setup and Microsoft 365 administration.

Experience IT Support Analyst, Front Range Health, Denver, CO | 2022 to present - Resolve service desk tickets for 300 users across two sites - Set up and maintain laptops and phones through the company's device management system

Interests - Home lab: I run a small server at home to test updates and learn networking before using them at work - Volunteer tech help at my local library's monthly seniors' session

Where the section goes, and how long it is

Put interests last, after experience, education and skills, under the heading "Interests" or "Hobbies and interests". Keep it to two to four lines. If you have no work history at all, it can move higher, as in the first example. Before you add it, make sure your resume skills section and experience already match the ad. For a more personal way to introduce yourself, our guide to interesting facts about me covers what works in interviews, and the soft skills for a resume guide shows how to turn a hobby's skill into a bullet. On an Australian resume, the referees usually come just before or after this section.

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Frequently asked questions

What are good hobbies to put on a resume?

Hobbies that show a skill the job needs: team sports and coaching for leadership, volunteering for reliability, creative projects for initiative, technical projects for problem solving, and endurance sports for discipline. Describe each one with your role or a result, such as "volunteer youth soccer coach, under-12 team", not a single word.

What are some examples of interests for a resume?

Good interests examples include learning a language, following a field of technology, history research, astronomy, and reading in a defined area such as business history. Make each one specific and, where you can, show that you act on it, such as a course you finished or a club you joined.

What interests should I put on my resume with no experience?

Pick two to four activities that show work habits: a sport with regular training, a volunteer role, a club where you organised something, or a project you finished. With no work history, these lines carry real weight, so give each one a role, a frequency or a result, and place the section higher on the page.

Should I put hobbies on my resume?

Only if they add something: a skill the job needs, evidence for a career change, or substance for a short work history. Many experienced candidates leave the section out. If you include it, keep it to two to four specific lines at the end of the resume.

What hobbies should I not put on a resume?

Leave out vague fillers such as socialising or watching movies, anything you could not discuss in an interview, and usually religious, political or health details, which are not relevant to most jobs. Anything risky or controversial should only appear if it clearly supports the role you are applying for.

How many hobbies should I list on a resume?

Two to four is enough. One strong, specific interest is better than six generic ones. For senior roles, a single line is usually best. Every line should either show a skill the job needs or tell the reader something useful about how you work.

Looking for a worked example for your job title? Browse the resume examples by job title.

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