Hobbies and Interests to Put on Your Resume in 2025

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Table of contents

Why to Include Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume
When to Include Hobbies on a Resume
Sample Hobbies and Interests to Include on a Resume
How to Include Hobbies on a Resume
Sample Resume With Hobbies and Interests
Key Takeaways
Resources to Help With Your Job Search

Building an impressive resume starts with choosing what information matters for your goals. From obvious sections like experience and skills to optional details like awards, languages, or hobbies, there is a huge range of options for resume sections that can help your resume stand out from the crowd. One such section is hobbies and interests, which are optional resume details that give you a chance to show employers what makes you unique as a candidate.

Our guide will help you decide what hobbies to put on your resume and walk you through how to showcase your individuality without sacrificing professionalism.

Our guide will discuss:

Why relevant hobbies and interests have a place on your resume

When to include hobbies on a resume

Examples of professional hobbies to list on your resume

Where to put hobbies on a resume

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Why to Include Hobbies and Interests on Your Resume

Resume real estate is limited and very valuable, so deciding what kind of content makes the cut is an important consideration. If you're struggling to squeeze all of your career history onto one or two pages, then you don't need extra sections to bulk up your resume. But if you have the space, there are lots of ways to highlight your value as a candidate that goes beyond just work history or a list of skills.

Hobbies are activities that you engage in in your free time. They can range from athletics to areas of study to volunteer work. When you work on a hobby, you are choosing to invest your time in an activity for the sake of it. This, in itself, is a valuable trait that shows your dedication and hard work. Pair this with a hobby that's relevant to your career, and you've got yourself a worthy addition to your resume.
Interests are areas of knowledge or expertise that you pursue in your free time. Interests and hobbies are similar, but interests aren't usually as interactive. In both cases, demonstrating that you enjoy spending your free time in pursuit of something productive and relevant to your career says a lot to employers about your level of passion and your work ethic.

Including hobbies and interests on your resume gives you an opportunity to show the employer a glimpse of who you are outside of work. This can help your resume stand out. More importantly, showcasing hobbies and interests that are relevant to your career and that reinforce valuable professional skills can show employers that you're a well-rounded candidate who is genuinely enthusiastic about pursuing knowledge, connections, and achievements in your field.

When to Include Hobbies on a Resume

Now that you know that hobbies and interests can be an asset on your resume, the next question to answer is: When is it worth it to list hobbies on your resume? Depending on the role and your experience level, hobbies and interests may or may not be useful. Consider including hobbies on your resume if:

You have limited professional experience. A resume for your first job may lack the key experience that usually makes up a resume's length. Creating a strong first resume sometimes takes a bit of creativity. Relevant hobbies can greatly help show that you are interested and knowledgeable in your field.
Your hobbies are highly relevant to the role. If the role you're applying for relates closely to your hobby or if your hobby demonstrates a key skill from the job description, then including it on your resume is a smart strategy that shows how well you fit the position.
Your hobbies have produced tangible results. Hobbies and personal projects may not necessarily be "for profit," but that doesn't mean that you'll never produce something impressive in your free time. If your hobby has allowed you to deliver something exceptional, it can contribute to your resume.

Sample Hobbies and Interests to Include on a Resume

Now that we've discussed when and why to put hobbies on your resume, let's look at a list of sample hobbies and interests that are professional and appropriate for a resume. This list shows examples of hobbies that demonstrate professional skills so you can decide if yours are a good fit for your resume.

Hobbies to demonstrate technical skills on a resume:

Coding or programming personal projects
Robotics or engineering competitions
Building websites or apps
3D modeling and printing
Photography and videography editing
Graphic design projects
Audio production or podcast editing
Using data analysis software (e.g., Tableau, Excel)
Learning new software tools or technologies

Hobbies to demonstrate teamwork skills on a resume:

Team sports (e.g., soccer, basketball)
Participating in hackathons or coding competitions
Drama or theater groups
Collaborative art projects (e.g., murals, group exhibitions)
Organizing team-building activities
Joining industry-specific professional organizations
Playing in an orchestra or band
Working on a community garden

Pro tip

Teamwork is crucial for a wide variety of roles, so showing employers that you're an active and enthusiastic collaborator is a big plus. Teamwork-focused hobbies are also a good opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills on your resume.

Hobbies to showcase problem-solving skills on a resume:

Writing and debugging code
Baking
Conducting personal research projects
Playing chess
Participating in clubs dedicated to puzzle-solving
Learning advanced mathematical techniques
Writing algorithms or optimization scripts
Solving real-world technical challenges
Contributing to open-source projects

Hobbies and interests to highlight communication skills on a resume:

Public speaking
Blogging or vlogging about industry topics
Teaching or tutoring in professional skills
Hosting webinars or workshops
Running a podcast on career-related subjects
Participating in debate clubs or forums
Language learning with professional certifications
Writing technical documentation or user guides
Coaching or mentorship

Hobbies that put your values on display:

Volunteer work
Organizing charity events or fundraisers
Taking a leadership role in youth sports or recreational clubs
Participation in advocacy groups
Sustainability projects
Mentoring students or young professionals
Continuous learning through online courses or certifications
Promoting ethical practices in your industry

Pro tip

Showcasing work values on your resume can help you stand out from the competition, especially if they align with the mission of the organization that you're applying to. Be extra aware of listing hobbies that demonstrate your values when applying to mission-driven organizations such as nonprofits.

How to Include Hobbies on a Resume

Equipped with a list of professional and appropriate hobbies, let's look at how you can list them on your resume.

You can list hobbies under their own section, especially if they aren't connected to any other elements on your resume. For hobbies that you're involved in through school or work, such as school sports teams or volunteer groups organized through your workplace, you may include them within the relevant section. Here's how:

Sample hobbies section for a resume:

Hobbies & Interests

Participating in local hackathons and coding competitions
Volunteering as a mentor for STEM outreach programs
Practicing digital painting and concept design
Training for marathons and outdoor trekking

Pro tip

A hobbies and interests section should usually be placed near the bottom of your resume. Even if you're using your hobbies to demonstrate important skills, your professional experience should take priority.

Sample education section with extracurricular hobbies included:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
XYZ University, City, State | Graduated: May 2022

GPA: 3.8/4.0
Relevant Coursework: Data Structures, AI Development, Cloud Computing
Extracurricular Activities:
- President, Coding Club: Organized monthly hackathons and coding workshops.
- Member, Robotics Team: Led software design for a competition-winning project.
- Volunteer, Community Tech Workshops: Taught basic programming to high school students.

Sample work history entry with work-sponsored hobbies included:

Software Developer
ABC Tech Solutions, City, State | June 2020 – Present

Designed and implemented scalable APIs, improving system performance by 30%.
Led a team of five in developing a machine learning model that reduced fraud detection time by 25%.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize workflows and reduce downtime by 15%.
Organized and hosted quarterly "Tech Talks" for the engineering team, promoting knowledge sharing.
Participated in the company-sponsored "Hack for Good" initiative, developing a nonprofit app to improve resource accessibility.

Pro tip

Work-sponsored hobbies are a great addition to your experience section because, in addition to showcasing your relevant skills, they also demonstrate your enthusiastic participation at work. If you've led an employee resource group, a work-related club, or organized team-building activities, include them on your resume to show employers that you go above and beyond for your team.

Sample Resume With Hobbies and Interests

Need to see exactly how hobbies and interests fit onto your resume? Take a look at the following resume example for reference.

Use this template

Key Takeaways

Hobbies and interests can be an asset to your resume.
Don't limit yourself to the traditional resume sections if you have a relevant hobby that will help establish your skills for the role you're seeking.
Include hobbies if your experience is limited.
If you lack experience in your industry or in a specific area of expertise from the job description of the role you're applying to, you can supplement that inexperience with hobbies. Use relevant hobbies and interests to show the employer that you're the ideal candidate for the job.
Select hobbies that demonstrate specific skills.
List hobbies that demonstrate key skills related to your industry or field. Your hobbies should help show the employer how well you fit the role by demonstrating your professional skills in action.
Include your hobbies and interests where they make sense.
If you intend to list several independent hobbies, then create a section dedicated to them. Otherwise, if your resume will include work and school-related extracurriculars, you may include them within their relevant sections.

Resources to Help With Your Job Search

Hailey Brophy is an experienced writer with a diverse career in digital publication. She is passionate about using her unique skills and experiences to help job seekers find the information that they need to succeed.