Hobbies vs Interest
Many people get confused between hobbies and interests, thinking of both as the same thing. But they aren’t. They complement each other if done correctly. It can become your strong weapon to ace interviews. So, what exactly are hobbies? How does it differentiate from interests?
| Hobbies | Interests |
|---|---|
| A hobby is a fun activity you can do when you’ve some free time. It might not earn you any money but it can be fun to do. | Interests are something you’ve got a fascination with. It can be an area of a subject or topic which knocks your thought process and you want to explore and understand the subject more. |
| Some examples of hobbies are gardening, collecting stamps, snorkeling, collecting postcards, etc. | Some examples of interests are traveling, cars, languages, etc. |
|
Hobbies show the recruiter what you exactly like to do in your spare time and what other skills you have. If your hobby is blog writing, it shows that you’re very keen on research work. |
Interests show that you’re interested in that certain topic or idea and would like to explore more. When it comes to interests, you can mention interests like cars if you’re finding a job in a motor company which shows that you’re interested in cars and related to the industry. |
You can see that hobbies and interests can add value to your resume if they are relevant to the position and point to the soft skills that the company is searching for.
List of Hobbies and Interests For Resume [2023]
While most recruiters advise that one shouldn’t include hobbies or interests on their resume as it looks unprofessional, but it’s not exactly true. There are some benefits that come with citing the right hobbies and interests on your resume.
When it comes to mentioning your hobbies and interest on a resume, you must choose relevant hobbies that can boost your personality. If you’re thinking about listing hobbies like “I like reading books and watching movies”, then you’ll definitely lose out and become a part of the crowd who doesn’t impress recruiters in the first place.
The hobbies and interest section in the resume might look irrelevant and boring but it’s a great way to catch the eye of recruiters. The Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and many others highlight the importance of adding interests and hobbies to your resume. But why? It’s all about the work-life balance. Employers are looking for humans who have fun outside of work and it will definitely show the real you.
Let’s be real that not every hobby belongs on your resume. Some unusual or weird hobbies can show you in a bad light in front of recruiters and potentially blacklisted in the future. This is why it’s very important to choose the right hobbies and interests to put on a resume.
In this article, we’ll list such examples of hobbies and interests that will create a positive impression and stand you out from the crowd. Before that let’s see how hobbies differentiate from interests.