The honest answer to 'should I put hobbies and interests on my CV?' is: usually only if you have the space and they earn their place. Hobbies are optional. When a CV is running long, they are almost always the first thing we cut, because a recruiter is looking for evidence you can do the job, not a picture of your weekends. But in the right situation, a well-chosen line about what you do outside work can add something real. The trick is knowing which situation you are in.
When hobbies help
There are three cases where hobbies genuinely earn their space. The first is when you are early in your career or a recent graduate with little paid experience to show. Here a hobbies section can carry real weight, because a Duke of Edinburgh Award, a sports team you captained, or a society you ran are often your best available evidence of commitment, teamwork and initiative. With a thin work history, they help fill a genuine gap rather than pad a full one.
The second is when a hobby has a genuine link to the role. If you are applying for a coaching or teaching job and you coach a junior team at the weekend, that is relevant experience, not a hobby. If you are moving into a technical field and you build things in your own time, that says more than a line in a profile. When the interest points directly at the work, include it.
The third is culture-fit signals, used sparingly. A hobby that shows you are the kind of person who commits to something, organises other people, or sticks at a difficult goal can quietly reinforce the rest of your CV. It should support the story, not carry it.
When to drop them
On a senior or experienced CV, hobbies are usually the wrong use of limited space. If you have fifteen years of results to prove, every line should be working to show what you delivered and how. A hobbies section on that CV competes with your strongest evidence and loses. The reader has already decided what they think of you by the time they reach the bottom, and 'enjoys hiking' will not change it. When space is tight, cut hobbies before you cut a single achievement.
What makes a hobby worth including
A hobby earns its place when it is specific, credible, and says something relevant. Specific means a reader can picture it: 'completed the London to Brighton cycle for the third year' rather than 'keeping fit'. Credible means you actually do it and can talk about it. Relevant means it hints at something an employer values, such as leadership, discipline, or a real skill.
Filler does the opposite. 'Socialising', 'watching films', 'reading', 'spending time with friends' describe almost everyone and tell a recruiter nothing. They can even count against you, because they suggest you had nothing better to put and did not think about the reader. If a hobby could sit on anyone's CV, it does not belong on yours.
How to write them concisely
Keep it to one or two lines at the very bottom of the CV, after experience, skills and education. Name the activity and, where it helps, add a detail that shows the level or commitment: a role held, an event completed, a result achieved. You are not writing a paragraph. You are giving a recruiter one credible, specific thing that might come up as an easy question at interview.
Be honest about it
Do not invent interests to look more rounded. If you list a hobby, you should be happy to talk about it for two minutes with a straight face. Interviewers do ask, sometimes to break the ice, and a claimed passion you cannot back up is an awkward, avoidable own goal. Only put down things that are true and that you can speak about naturally.
The space trade-off
Every line on a CV competes with every other line. A hobbies section is space you are not spending on an achievement, a skill or a stronger example from a role. Ask what the reader gains from each line. If a hobby adds more than the experience or skills it would displace, keep it. If not, the space is better spent proving you can do the job.
A before and after
Before: 'Interests: reading, socialising, keeping fit.' This is filler; it describes no one in particular and gives the reader nothing. After, for someone applying to a role that values organisation and leading others: 'Interests: coach a junior football team of 14, organising weekly training and fixtures for two seasons.' The second version is specific, credible, and quietly reinforces skills the job actually needs.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing vague filler like 'socialising', 'reading' or 'watching films'
- Keeping a hobbies section on a senior CV that is already tight for space
- Inventing interests you could not discuss at interview
- Writing a paragraph when one specific line would do
- Placing hobbies above experience, skills or education
- Choosing hobbies that say nothing relevant to the role
Common questions
Should I put hobbies and interests on my CV?
They are optional. If you are early in your career and short on experience, or a hobby genuinely links to the role, they can add something. On a senior or experienced CV, the space is almost always better spent on results, so hobbies are usually the first thing to cut.
What hobbies look good on a CV?
Ones that are specific, credible and say something relevant, such as running a club, coaching a team, completing an endurance event or building something technical. These hint at leadership, discipline or skill. Vague filler like 'socialising' or 'watching films' adds nothing.
Where do hobbies go on a CV?
At the very bottom, in a short one or two line section after your experience, skills and education. They should never push more important content onto a second or third page.