Do recruiters read the interests section?

Some do, especially for early-career roles or as an interview conversation starter, but it is rarely decisive.

Which hobbies look good on a CV?

Ones that show relevant skills or achievements: leading a club, competing, volunteering, creating, or learning something relevant.

Should I remove interests if my CV is too long?

Yes. It is usually the first section to cut.

Hobbies and Interests on a CV: Include Them or Not?

Hobbies and interests are optional on a CV. Include them when they show skills relevant to the job, demonstrate achievement or leadership, or help an early-career CV with little experience. Be specific ("Captain of a five-a-side football team" rather than "sport"), keep it to one or two lines, and leave the section out if space is tight.

When interests help

Early-career CVs with limited experience.
When they show relevant skills: coding projects for tech, writing for marketing.
When they show leadership or commitment: captaining a team, organizing events, volunteering.
Culture-focused employers that ask about you as a person.

Weak vs strong

Weak	Strong
Reading	Run a monthly book club for 15 members
Sport	Completed three half-marathons, raising $1,200 for charity
Travel	Taught English as a volunteer in Ghana for two months
Technology	Build small web apps; maintain an open-source library

When to leave them out

Your CV is already two full pages.
The interests are generic.
They could be controversial or unprofessional.

See CV with no experience and how to write a CV.

How to write the section

Keep it to one or two lines, or three short bullets, at the end of your CV. Lead with the interest that is most relevant or impressive, and include a detail that shows commitment.

Example

Interests: Captain of a five-a-side football team (organize weekly fixtures for 12 players); amateur photographer with work exhibited at a local gallery; volunteer reading mentor at a primary school.

Interests by career goal

Target role	Interests that support it
Marketing	Running a blog or social account, photography, writing
Tech	Side projects, hackathons, open-source contributions
Teaching	Coaching, mentoring, youth volunteering
Healthcare	First aid volunteering, community health projects
Sales	Competitive sport, fundraising, public speaking
Hospitality	Cooking, travel with work or volunteering abroad

Be ready to talk about them

Interviewers sometimes ask about hobbies to break the ice. Only list interests you can discuss with genuine enthusiasm, and never invent one to look impressive.

Should You Put Hobbies and Interests on a CV?