A resume is the best document to introduce and promote yourself professionally. Adding to your qualifications, skills, and experience, your hobbies can play an essential role in a resume. They can impress your employer and uplift you among candidates. For more resume writing tips and techniques, join Fratres, and follow the guidelines.

Are Hobbies a Necessary Section in a Resume?

Yes, if they have a professional aspect. Like any average human being, you obviously have a favorite practice or activities, and you enjoy doing during your part-time. These activities are known as hobbies. They have many benefits:

• They shape your personality
• They keep you safe from stress and depression.
• They can even become part of your future career. For example if your hobby is playing cricket, who knows! Maybe one day you will become a cricketer.
• They can help start a project. If your hobby is in clothing you can become a fashion designer or build your clothing website.

Here is why you need a hobby: Six Reasons to Get a Hobby.

Now let’s find the connection between hobbies and a resume.

What are the Best Hobbies to put in a Resume?

As we said before, your hobbies should look very professional. You cannot grab an employer interest if your hobbies can not add too much in the balance. For example:

You are applying as an accountant, and your hobby is gardening. This activity is far from accounting. You better avoid listing this hobby as it has no relation to the job you are applying for.

What Hobbies Should I Avoid?

If your hobby is not connected to the job you are applying for, you can mention it as long as it is professionally relevant. For example, if you are applying as a physio-therapist and your hobby is Cooking. Both fields don’t make a perfect match. You can put a sports activity or a blog writing instead.

You should also avoid two other types of hobbies.

Time-consuming hobbies: Many activities take a lot of time. No matter how fun and enjoyable they can be, professionally speaking, time-consuming hobbies cannot promote for you or impress employers. These activities are like watching T.V., listening to music. It is better to avoid them.

Passive activities: Many hobbies don’t require being active. An employer cannot be impressed with hobbies that don’t show your energy. For example, if your hobby is fishing or watching T.V., don’t put it in your resume.

Before you consider your part-time activities, take a look at this;

Understand Resume Meaning and Design

Hobbies and Interests in a Resume:

Adding hobbies and interests can be more important, especially when the applicant has little to no professional experience. Some employers pay more attention to that section when they receive applications from fresh graduates.

Are Hobbies and Interests the Same?

No, they are not! Hobbies are pastime activities, while interests are like a passion for a field. For example, if you are interested in music, but you don’t play at any musical instrument, you attend concerts. You can put in your resume:

I am attending musical events and festivals rather than listening to music.  

As we said before, listening to music sounds very passive and time- consuming and even lazy. However, attending musical events to listen to music sounds more active as your potential employer may get this impression:

• You are a friendly person: you go out. You invest your money to attend these events.
• You have a musical taste.

So always show interest in a field that builds a better image of you. Are you looking for affordable hobbies? Check this out; 13 Hobbies That Are Both Cheap and Fun

Skills and Interests in a Resume:

A resume can tell about the applicant, whether it is a new job seeker or an experienced candidate. This can be found out through the way the applicants reorder the resume sections.

Adding hobbies and interests is a common resume section among all applicants. Although this section cannot replace a professional experience, it can resolve the lack of experience by presenting professional interests. This section can inform your potential employers about how you spend your time. In this respect, your interests should indicate a specific field. For example, attending museums shows your interest in art, culture, history, and traveling. Always choose the statements, which indicate that you are an active, adventurous person.

Always avoid what sounds passive, boring, and time-consuming.

• When your list of hobbies and interests become effective:
• When you are applying to skill-based jobs
• When you have a limited education and work experience
• When you are applying for jobs based on talents like acting, photography, journalism etc.

Examples of Hobbies and Interests in a Resume:

It’s essential to be honest when it comes to writing the hobbies and interests section. You cannot pretend you're interested in a field that you never tried before. Select the hobbies and interests that positively promote your skills and personal traits, like in this list.

• Artistic activities such as singing, drawing, graphic design
• Cooking
• Sport activities
• Meditation and yoga
• Reading
• Traveling
• Writing or blogging

These were the different positive hobbies and interests that you can list at the end of your resume.  

Hobbies and interests can make a positive impact on your application. If you are a new applicant, list four or five activities in that section. If you are an experienced job seeker, list three only. Always choose active and productive hobbies and interests. If you want to read more about resume tips, visit Fratres, and choose the section of articles that interests you.