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Should You Mention Hobbies & Interests on Your Resume?

if you’re a recent graduate with little work experience, adding your hobbies and interests to your resume can help you stand out as a candidate, as well as help fill up your resume to take up an entire page. But enough with the hypotheticals! Let us tell you exactly when to mention hobbies and interests on your resume and how they can benefit your job application.

What’s the Difference Between Hobbies and Interests?

Hobbies show the hiring manager how you spend your free time and what kind of additional skills you may possess. For example, if you include “basketball” as your hobby, you’re also telling the hiring manager that you have great teamwork skills.

Interests, on the other hand, indicate what topics and ideas you’re currently interested in or you’d like to explore in the future. If, for example, you’re applying for a job that requires relocation and you list traveling as your interest, you may seem like a more relevant candidate because you enjoy traveling to new places.

10 Top Hobbies and Interests to Put On Your Resume

To help you avoid such a mistake, we’ve listed some of the best hobbies and interests to put on your resume, based on companies’ most commonly required skills and abilities:

#1. Community Involvement

Volunteering and community involvement is probably the best hobby/interest you could be adding to your resume, as it’s associated with 27% higher odds of employment.

In a nutshell, volunteering shows initiative, empathy, and the ability to see beyond your personal interests. On top of this, volunteering teaches organizational skills, teamwork, and leadership.

#2. Writing

Communication skills - both verbal and written - are some of the most sought-after soft skills by companies.

As such, having writing as a hobby can effectively show potential employers that your communication skills extend beyond the workplace and are, as such, stronger than other candidates.

#3. Blogging

Blogging is another hobby that proves you’ve got excellent communication skills, which is essential for most roles.

At the same time, blogging as a hobby also shows that you’re a self-starter that can work on independent projects, which is another very in-demand skill for most roles.

#4. Learning Languages

It’s no secret that speaking foreign languages can improve your chances of getting a job.

For starters, employers are always on the lookout for candidates who can communicate with people from different nationalities and can be an asset when dealing with international markets.

On top of that, learning languages is associated with improving valuable skills like problem-solving and dealing with abstract concepts, both of which are desirable employee skills.

Some of the jobs where listing learning languages as a hobby can come in handy include social workers, human resources managers, flight attendants, community health workers, hotel managers, customer service agents, etc.

#5. Photography

Just like all the other hobbies on this list, photography can represent you in more ways than “this candidate likes to take pictures.”

After all, photography takes creativity, interpersonal skills, and even technical skills!

This means that, in addition to all the jobs that require photography skills, there are many other positions out there that could benefit from a candidate who’s into photography.

#6. Travel

Traveling may not seem like the best hobby to include on your resume at first sight. After all, it simply involves picking a destination and being a tourist, right?

Well, not exactly.

Someone who loves traveling is also likely to be:

Curious to learn new things, experience new cultures, and meet new people
Well-organized and adaptable to new situations and people
Not afraid to step out of their comfort zone

All of these personality traits make for an adaptable and flexible employee, something that employers appreciate!

#7. Sports

Sports - and any kind of physical activity, really - are known to improve brain health and your ability to do everyday activities.

Not only, but sports also help you develop self-discipline, teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

All of these are essential skills that could help you “adapt” your resume to different kinds of jobs.

#8. Reading

Reading is one of the best hobbies to put on your resume, regardless of what types of books you like to read.

Reading exercises the brain, improves the ability to focus, increases general knowledge, can sharpen your communication skills, and helps relieve stress.

#9. Making Music

Making music not only takes creativity, but also a lot of determination, patience, and endurance. Not to mention, studies show that playing an instrument can also improve your memory and focus.

Showing such qualities can instantly make you more attractive to hiring managers.

#10. Art

To do any kind of art, you need to be creative, which is among the most popular transferable skills companies are looking for in 2022.

According to this Adobe study, creativity has gained the most value in driving salary increases in the past five years. That’s also because creativity is also linked to inventiveness, imagination, and problem-solving abilities.

10 of the best skills to put on a resume

While you can often easily determine hard skills to list based on details in a job description, selecting relevant soft skills isn't always as apparent.
Here are 10 examples of the best resume skills employers may be seeking:

#1. Active listening skills

Active listening refers to the ability to focus completely on the person who you're communicating with. Active listening helps you to understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully. Active listeners use verbal and nonverbal techniques to show their attention to a conversation partner. Developing and using active listening skills can show colleagues you're engaged and have an interest in the project or task at hand

#2. Communication skills

Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving and receiving different kinds of information. Some examples include communicating ideas, feelings or what’s happening around you. Communication skills involve listening, talking, observing and empathizing . Having strong communication skills is important in every industry at every career level.

#3. Computer skills

Computer skills involve the ability to learn and operate various technology. Hardware skills allow you to physically operate a computer, and this can be as simple as knowing how to switch devices on and off. Software skills help you to efficiently use computer programs and applications. There are some software skills employers may consider prerequisites to employment, like using spreadsheets or knowing a certain coding language .

#4. Customer service skills

Customer service skills are traits and practices that help you address customer needs to create a positive experience for them. Customer service skills, in general, rely heavily on problem-solving and on communication. Customer service is often considered a "soft skill."

#5. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are the personality traits you rely on when you interact and communicate with others. They cover a variety of scenarios where cooperation is essential. Developing interpersonal skills is important to work efficiently with others, solve problems and lead projects or teams .

#6. Leadership skills

Leadership skills allow leaders to organize a group of individuals to reach a shared goal . Whether you’re in a management position or leading a project, leadership skills require you to motivate others to complete tasks and reach milestones—often according to a schedule.

#7. Management skills

Management skills are qualities that help you to govern both tasks and people. A good manager is organized, empathetic and communicates clearly to support a team or project. Managers should also be adept in both soft skills and certain technical skills related to their industry.

#8. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills enable you to determine the root of a problem and quickly find an effective solution for all parties. This skill is highly valued in any role and across industries. Effectively solving problems in your role might require certain industry or job-specific technical skills.

#9. Time management skills

Time management skills allow you to complete tasks and projects before deadlines while also maintaining a work-life balance. Staying organized can help you to allocate your workday to specific tasks by importance. Deeply understanding your individual, your team and company goals can provide you with a starting point when deciding how to manage your time.

#10. Transferable skills

are qualities that are useful to any employer as you change jobs or even careers. Transferable skills often include soft skills like flexibility, organization and teamwork, as well as any other qualities that employers typically seek in strong candidates. Transferable skills can be used to position your past experience when applying for a new job, especially if it’s in a different industry.