Before you put across your hobbies and interests on your resume, first think about what are your hobbies and interests.
We have all been there. Finding relevant yet exciting things to say about yourself isn’t that easy.
Although many experts will tell you that you should never, ever list hobbies and interests on a resume. However, we suggest that interests on resume when carefully included, might even be the thing that will catch employers’ attention and help you land an interview.
So, read on and discover when and how should you include interests on resume.
Examples of Interests on Resume
Read on for various examples of hobbies and interests on a resume:
Sport interests
- Individual Sports – These can be Marathon Running, javelin throw, jumps or any other sport. These show that you’re fit and you enjoy challenges.
- Team Sports – For instance, basketball, football, etc. These demonstrate you excel at teamwork and have leadership skills.
- Extreme Sports – such as Motocross prove that you are a risk taker. Such a person is bad for desk jobs.
- Puzzles- such as crosswords are perfect to convey that you are an analytical thinker with problem-solving skills.
- Games – Such as chess, carrom show that you’re an intelligent strategist.
- Computer Games– These are great but can silently tell that you are tech savvy but introverted (not great for social jobs).
Social Hobbies
7. Mentoring – This hobby works great on resume. It proves that you communicate well and connect with others. This is an important requirement for any job.
8. Volunteering– You must keep in mind that volunteering is quite impressive to hiring managers as these tell- you work well with other people and are altruistic. Moreover, the field rwally interests you.
9. Club participant– This again is a confirmation of your valuable quality to gel up with people.
10. Community work-It convinces that you love to setve people.
11. Church Activities- Note that it is advisable not to mention your religion on resume for you might get subjected to discrimination.
Collecting
It doesn’t matter if you collect stamps, coins, or rocks. The important part is that the management of collections shows strong attention to detail and a passion for your personal interests. However, stay away from wierd collections like cats, unless you are applying for a caretaker at zoo!
12. Stamps
13. Coins
14. Rocks
15. Action Figures
16. Rare Books
Reading
17. Reading– Here is a very important point to remember. Reading must always be accimpanied by what you are reading. Simply mentioning ‘reading’ on your resume won’t help and is very vague.
So, the right way is-
Reading complicated Russian novels
Some more good examples
18. Yoga
19. Writing– This again must also tell what you write. For instance- stories, poetry, blog writing, research articles, etc.
20. Music – Playing, Listening
21. Traveling
22. Fishing
23. Hunting
24. Painting
25. Dancing– Do mention if you are associated with any dance form in particular.
26. Computing
27. Gardening
28. Animal Care
29. Martial arts
30. Meditation
31. Craft
32. Acting
33. Musical instruments
How to Add Interests on Resume?
Here is some advice from our resume experts that you must consider.
1. List the Relevant Hobbies
When you sit down to write the hobbies and interests section you might have tons of hobbies popping up in your mind.
This can overwhelm your resume and actually annoy the hiring manager.
Therefore, pick those that are relevant. Also, limit it to a maximum of four hobbies or interests.
Remember that your goal is to give the employer a better understanding of who you are with your list of interests on your resume.
2. Translate Your Hobbies to a Job Skill
So, take your hobby and translate it to a required job skill.
For instance, you coach the local football team. You could focus on your ability to plan, organize, and solve problem.
This trick is even more beneficial to those who are new to the workforce such as students. Also, it works well with those who have been out of the workforce for some time, or those who are making a career change.
3. Avoid Politics
Unless you are applying for a political position, you must avoid listing political association or preference.
On the contrary, when you are applying for a political position, your political affiliation could be beneficial.
Politics are a touchy subject. So, be careful.
Follow the tips above and use our examples to create your perfect resume.
