Creating a CV should have around six sections. However, there are a number of optional sections that some don’t include. One such section is that of hobbies and interests. Many people don’t include it purely because they don’t know if they should or if it’s relevant. Others may struggle to nail down what their hobbies actually are.
However, providing your hobbies and interests on your CV can give hiring managers a greater insight into your personality and who you are. Hiring managers are trained to be nosy, so providing them with more information about you will make them want to meet you.
Listing your qualifications and work experience will help the employers understand your capability as a worker, while your hobbies and interests have a number of benefits on their own.
First of all, it will allow your CV to stand out among others. You may have the same qualifications and skillset as other candidates and your hobbies may be just the thing to put you ahead. It will help your CV to seem more individual.
Depending on your hobbies and interests, listing them may help you to demonstrate skills relevant to the role. Your interests may assist you in the job. For example, if you’re interested in history, this may help you as a company archivist.
You will be able to show you are voluntary and community focused through these interests. For example, you may have used your interest in sports to teach children how to play. This will help you impress the employer and you will show that you’re a good person to hire.
If nothing else, listing your hobbies on your CV will give you something else to talk about in your interview. This, again, will help you stand out among others and will give you more of an edge as a candidate.
This all being said, hobbies and interests on a CV is an incredibly subjective area. Some employers see it as an essential part of an application. This is because it can give them a better understanding of you as a candidate.
However, others may not see it this way. Some will only consider your hobbies if they are having trouble deciding between two or so candidates. As well as this, company culture could come into play and they may want to see if you’re the right fit.
Generally speaking, most employers will only be looking for your hobbies if they’re relevant to the job advertised. As well as this, they may only consider them if you’ve ticked all of the other boxes.
If you decide to include hobbies and interests in your CV, do not let them take precedence over other elements such as work experience, education or skills. The best place for them is at the end of your CV.
In terms of what hobbies are best to include, you may not always have one relevant to the role you’re applying for. Regardless of this, they may just be able to demonstrate what you’re capable of and what skills could be transformed into workforce tasks.
If you don’t have a hobby that you think is interesting, it could be best to leave it out. For example, going to the cinema will very rarely add to your application and may make it seem cliché. It’s better to not include them than to include them for the sake of it.