The best Hobbies and Interests for your CV? “I didn’t know it mattered!”

Many employers, recruiters included, may argue that its’ the skills, education and experience of an applicant that are used to ‘shortlist’ candidates for a job, when they receive CVs for a job that they have advertised. And this is all true.

However, when a recruiter or employer has to delve just that little bit deeper, whether it be at first shortlist, or first interview, the strength of the hobbies and interests that you include on your CV, can have a strong bearing on your job success. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with reading, the cinema, walking, cooking, socialising or football, but in reality most people, love to do at least one of the above.

By answering with the generic answer, you are not really adding anything of value to your CV, in fact, your lack of hobbies and interest depth, can make you look, frankly a little boring! With this in mind, take a look at the list of the best hobbies and interests below and work out if any of the below applies to yourself:

Writing / Blogging
Periods of both employment and unemployment can be tough going. Showing employers that you have the tenacity to write or blog (and often) about a subject or hobby, can show strength of character, passion and interest. It is easy to say that you like playing football, but creating a blog that talks about football, means you talk the talk too. However, if you write about a taboo subject, or an off limit subject, don’t be too frank with this interest.

Programming / Computer related Stuff
Once only a pastime of the tech-loving job seeker, IT skills, now go past whether you know and use MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Teaching yourself how to programme or at least understand how websites or computers work is something that can now be self taught online, or at least one of your friends will be able to show you. Often employers, whilst they might not admit it, might not be so technically able, so having team members with some ‘techy’ skills and experience, can be an ideal.

Volunteering
Showing that you do something for free, does not just mean that you are happy to do something for free, it shows that you care about other people and your surroundings. Volunteering is a valuable asset if an employer is considering applicants that can offer more to a company that just skills and experience, it could potentially suggest a grounded and endearing character, and in some offices, you can’t buy this type of person!

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