Should you put hobbies and interests on a resume?

Hobbies and interests are optional on a resume. Include a short section when it adds useful context about you and leaves room for your qualifications. Leave it out when a relevant work example, project, or credential needs the space. Follow the employer's instructions if interests are specifically requested.

An interest can give you something concrete to discuss. It does not need to be an unusual achievement, and its name alone does not prove teamwork, leadership, or technical ability.

Decide what the section would add

Use the posting and your draft to make the decision:

• The employer asks about interests. Answer where requested. A question in an application form does not automatically require a duplicate section on your resume.
• An interest connects with the work or product. A brief line can explain your familiarity with an activity, such as recreational cycling for a bicycle shop application. Keep your work qualifications visible separately.
• The interest is unrelated but meaningful to you. You can include it as optional personal context if there is room and you would welcome a conversation about it. You do not have to force a connection to the job.
• The page is already crowded. Remove the optional interest line before cutting stronger evidence or shrinking the text to preserve it.

Limited work experience is a reason to look carefully at what else you have done, rather than a requirement to list hobbies. A class project or unpaid role may explain more about your contribution. Empty space does not need a hobby list to fill it.

Describe the activity without inflating it

Nina Ahmed is a fictional cashier in Calgary, AB, applying for a sales assistant role at a bicycle shop. She cycles on local pathways and maintains her own commuter bike by cleaning and lubricating its chain and checking tire pressure. She has not repaired customers' bicycles or trained as a bicycle mechanic.

A vague line such as “Sports, fitness, and mechanics” blurs those limits. This excerpt names what she actually does:

The line adds context about Nina's interest in cycling. It does not establish that she can diagnose faults, fit equipment, or perform repairs for customers. If the posting requires mechanic experience, she must assess that requirement separately. Her cashier work should carry the evidence for payment handling and customer service.

For a complete example of presenting store experience, see the retail sales associate resume guide.

Specific wording also helps with interests that have no direct job connection. These alternatives are illustrative and should be used only when true:

• Instead of “Reading,” name a subject or genre, such as “Contemporary Canadian short fiction.”
• Instead of “Music,” describe your participation, such as “Playing rhythm guitar in informal weekend sessions.”
• Instead of “Games,” give the setting, such as “Cooperative board games with a monthly local group.”

None of these lines needs an added claim about creativity or collaboration. If you want to claim a skill, describe an action that supports it. The transferable-skills guide explains that evidence check.

Give substantial activities their own entry

Sometimes a hobby produces evidence that deserves more than an interests line. A finished app, research report, or design can belong in a project entry, with your contribution and a concrete deliverable. An organized unpaid role may belong in volunteer experience, with its actual responsibilities and dates.

Choose one place for the detail rather than repeating it across sections. Playing music with a group and organizing the group's bookings are different contributions. Describe the organizing work only if you did it, and do not turn informal participation into an invented job title.

Keep the section brief and choose what to share

Use a clear heading such as “Interests” or “Hobbies and interests.” Place it near the end, after the experience and qualifications the application needs. Choose the few details that add something new, without aiming for a fixed number of hobbies.

You decide which optional personal details to share. Leave out an interest if discussing it would reveal information you prefer to keep private. You can describe an activity without naming every group, location, or person involved.

In Better Resume, open Custom sections, use Interests as the Title, and add your wording in Content. Use Preview, then check the exported file to see whether the extra section earns its space.