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What’s the point of hobbies on a CV?
There is a big misconception surrounding the importance of the hobbies section on a CV, and whether or not you should go into any great detail. Is it ok to simply state that you enjoy socialising and reading books?
Some employers like to find out more about your personality. What do you like to do outside of work? Are you a creative person? Do you have a sporty hobby? Are you a family person? Although your credentials are the most important factor when short listing for interviews, your personality is important too. Will you be able to work well with the team? Will you fit into the company’s culture?
We would like to give you our opinion on what we feel you should do when it comes to the hobbies and interests section of your CV, and then let you decide how you want to fill your own out.
So what’s the point of hobbies on a CV?
An employer may take an interest
Although you could argue that the most important parts to a CV are your work experience, skills and qualifications; you should never underestimate how important it is to bring through your personality. Ultimately it comes down to just one or two people that are going to care or not about this – the hiring manager and anyone else in a supervisory role that may see your CV in preparation for an interview.
In some cases the hiring manager is not going to care what your hobbies are, and may not even read that section at all! There are also instances whereby the manager reads them and takes a little bit of interest, but doesn’t really use this information to make a decision. Then there are some managers that completely take note of your hobbies and interests and as such, this influences their decision greatly.
Your personality will certainly be under the microscope during a job interview. So when you make it to that stage you need to be aware of how important this is. The employer wants to imagine you integrating seamlessly into the team. Your personality needs to align with the culture of the company.
Be creative (and sporty)
We firmly believe that you should consider being creative with your CV, and the hobbies and interests section is a great place to start. If you play in a band for example, then why not provide a link to a YouTube video of you rocking out on stage, or your social media page advertising your next gig.
Sports are also important to show, as it can represent a dedicated person who enjoys keeping fit and taking part in activities outside of work – and they can be a great way to de-stress! If voluntary work is one of your hobbies, then this would always be a fantastic way to show an employer that you are someone who is willing to give up their own free time to help others.
Your hobbies are a great way to show the employer your personal side and to give them a sense of how creative and passionate you can be about something. This obviously transfers well over to employment, and will often get you noticed.
