Hobbies and Interests on a CV: What to Include, What to Leave Off (UK Guide)

Do Hobbies Belong on a CV?

The short answer is: it depends. A hobbies section is not mandatory on a UK CV, and adding one for the sake of filling space does more harm than good. However, when chosen carefully, interests can reinforce your suitability for a role, demonstrate soft skills that are hard to evidence elsewhere, and give a recruiter a reason to remember you.

The key question is whether a given hobby tells the employer something useful about you as a professional. If it does, include it. If it does not — or worse, if it raises concerns — leave it off.

When to Include a Hobbies Section

There are several situations where listing hobbies genuinely strengthens your application:

• You are early in your career. Graduates and school leavers often lack extensive work experience. Hobbies and extracurricular activities can demonstrate skills, commitment, and initiative that your limited employment history cannot.
• The hobby is directly relevant. If you are applying for a sports marketing role and you captain a local rugby team, that is worth mentioning. If you are applying for a coding job and you contribute to open-source projects in your spare time, that is evidence of genuine passion.
• You want to demonstrate leadership or teamwork. Activities like coaching a youth football team, organising a community event, or serving as treasurer of a society provide concrete examples of soft skills.
• The employer's culture values it. Some companies — particularly start-ups and creative agencies — actively look for personality and cultural fit. A well-chosen hobby can show that you would thrive in their environment.
• You have a gap to address. If you took time away from employment and used it productively — volunteering, learning a language, completing a long-distance trek — including it shows initiative during an otherwise unexplained period.

When to Leave Hobbies Off

Equally, there are situations where the section does nothing for you:

• You are a senior professional with extensive experience. If you have 15 years of relevant work history, your CV space is better used on achievements and skills. A partner at a law firm does not need to list "reading" to fill the page.
• Your hobbies are generic. "Socialising," "travelling," and "watching films" appear on thousands of CVs and communicate nothing meaningful. If you cannot be specific about what you do and what you have achieved, it is better to leave the section out entirely.
• You are already at two pages. The standard UK CV is two pages. If you are running out of space, hobbies are the first section to cut. Work experience, skills, and education all take priority.

Hobbies That Impress UK Employers

The best hobbies for a CV are specific, demonstrable, and relevant. Here are categories that tend to land well with UK recruiters:

• Volunteering and community work: Regular volunteering — especially in a leadership or organisational capacity — signals commitment and social responsibility. "Volunteer coordinator for a local food bank, managing a rota of 25 volunteers" is far stronger than "volunteering."
• Duke of Edinburgh Award: Particularly relevant for graduates and early-career candidates. The Gold award, in particular, demonstrates resilience, planning, and sustained commitment — qualities employers value.
• Team sports: Playing for a club or team shows teamwork, discipline, and reliability. Captaining or coaching adds a leadership dimension. Be specific: "Centre-back for Ealing RFC, competing in London League Division 2" is better than "football."
• Endurance or solo pursuits: Marathon running, long-distance cycling, or mountaineering demonstrate determination and self-discipline. Completing specific challenges (a particular marathon, a Three Peaks attempt) adds credibility.
• Creative pursuits with output: Writing a blog, exhibiting photography, performing in a band, or producing a podcast all show creativity and follow-through — but only if you can point to something tangible.
• Technical hobbies: Contributing to open-source software, building electronics projects, or competing in hackathons are directly relevant for technical roles and demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the field.
• Language learning: Speaking or actively learning a second language is valuable in many UK workplaces, particularly those with international clients or operations.

Hobbies to Avoid Listing

Some interests are best kept off your CV, not because they are wrong, but because they create risk without adding value:

• Political activities: Unless you are applying for a role within a political organisation, mentioning party membership or campaigning can introduce unconscious bias.
• Religious activities: The same principle applies. Faith-based volunteering can be mentioned in neutral terms ("community outreach volunteer") without specifying the religious context.
• Extreme or high-risk sports: Activities like base jumping or cage fighting may lead an employer to worry about injury risk and time off work. This may seem unfair, but it is a reality of how CVs are read.
• Passive consumption: "Watching Netflix," "scrolling social media," or "gaming" (without competitive or creative context) suggest passivity. If you are a competitive gamer or a game developer, frame it accordingly.
• Anything you cannot discuss in an interview: If a recruiter asks about your hobby and you cannot speak about it with genuine knowledge and enthusiasm, it will be obvious — and it will undermine your credibility.

How to Write the Hobbies Section

If you decide to include hobbies, follow these formatting guidelines:

• Use the heading "Interests" or "Interests and Activities" — both are standard on UK CVs.
• List two to four interests. More than that dilutes the impact.
• Be specific. Instead of "reading," write "reading non-fiction, particularly behavioural economics and decision science." Instead of "running," write "training for the 2026 London Marathon."
• Add context where possible. Mention roles held (captain, treasurer, organiser), achievements (awards, completion of challenges), or frequency (weekly, competitive).
• Keep it brief — two to four lines is sufficient. This section should never dominate the CV.

Place the section at the bottom of your CV, after skills and education. It is the last thing a recruiter reads, so treat it as a closing impression rather than a headline.

Putting It Into Practice

Here is an example of a well-written interests section for a graduate applying for a marketing role:

Interests: Committee member of the University of Leeds Marketing Society, organising speaker events and a 200-person annual conference. Completed the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in 2024. Training for the Great North Run, raising funds for Mind.

Every item is specific, demonstrates a relevant skill, and gives the interviewer something concrete to ask about. That is the standard to aim for.

If you are unsure whether your CV sections are working together effectively, the AI CV Builder analyses your entire CV against a job description and highlights where content can be strengthened — including whether your supporting sections are adding value or just taking up space. For a full breakdown of what belongs on a UK CV, see our guide on what to include in a CV.

Related Reading

• What to Include in a CV: A Complete Section-by-Section Guide
• CV Tips UK: 15 Practical Tips for a Stronger CV
• How to Write a CV With No Experience
• Graduate CV Guide: From University to Employment