The Section Everyone Adds Without Knowing Why
"Reading, cinema, travel, sport." If your Interests section looks like this, you've just wasted 2 lines of your CV saying nothing. The recruiter learns nothing about you. Worse: they learn you didn't bother thinking about what this section is supposed to achieve.
The Interests section is probably the most controversial part of a CV. Some recruiters read it with curiosity. Others never look at it. None consider it a decisive selection criterion. So why does it exist, and how do you use it without shooting yourself in the foot?
What Recruiters Actually Look for Here
When a recruiter glances at your interests, they're not trying to find out if you like cinema. They're looking for three things:
1. A Personality Signal
After reading 50 CVs with the same technical skills, the recruiter looks for what makes you memorable. A specific, original interest creates a hook. They'll remember "the candidate who does competitive freediving" far longer than "the candidate who likes travel".
2. Implicit Skills
Certain hobbies translate to professional qualities without you having to spell them out:
- Team sports (rugby, basketball, volleyball) → teamwork, discipline, performing under pressure.
- Individual endurance sports (marathon, triathlon, climbing) → perseverance, rigour, resilience.
- Volunteering / community work → initiative, responsibility, commitment.
- Creative pursuits (music, writing, photography, personal coding) → creativity, autonomy, learning ability.
- Strategy games (chess, go) → analytical thinking, forward planning.
3. An Interview Conversation Starter
Recruiters often use interests as an icebreaker. "I saw you're into climbing — tell me about that." It's a relaxed moment that reveals how you communicate, tell a story, light up about a subject. If your interest is "reading" and you can't name a recent book, the moment becomes awkward for everyone.
When the Section Helps
You're a Recent Graduate or Have Limited Experience
When your CV is short on professional content, interests fill the space intelligently. A graduate who chaired a student society, competed in hackathons or coached a sports team demonstrates concrete qualities that work experience can't yet show.
For juniors, this section can genuinely make a difference. Our CV guide for recent graduates details how to maximise every section when experience is thin.
Your Interest Is Directly Linked to the Role
Applying to a games studio and you do amateur game design. Applying in communications and you run a blog with an audience. Targeting a role in sport and you have a competitive record. In these cases, the interest becomes almost a professional qualification.
You're Applying to a Culture-Driven Company
Some companies — startups, creative agencies, non-profits — place significant weight on "culture fit". They want to know who you are beyond the professional. An interest that resonates with their values can tip the scales.
When the Section Hurts
When It's Generic
"Travel, reading, music, sport." That's background noise the recruiter ignores. If you can't be specific, it's better to include nothing.
When It Takes Too Much Space
If your CV is one page and your interests take up 5 lines while your experience is compressed, your priorities are wrong. CV space is limited — every line should be allocated by impact. Re-read our guide on filtering what goes on your CV: the same logic applies here.
When It Can Trigger Negative Bias
Some interests, even innocent ones, can trigger unconscious bias:
- Political or religious activities — risk of polarisation. Unless you're applying to an advocacy or faith-based organisation, avoid.
- Extreme sports — some recruiters associate this with excessive risk-taking. Unfair, but real.
- Video games — still stigmatised in certain traditional sectors, even as attitudes shift. Contextualise: "regional-level esports competition" reads better than "video games".
- Social media as a hobby — "TikTok" as an interest on a CV for an investment banking role will raise eyebrows.
It's not fair. But a CV isn't the place to fight prejudice — it's the place to land an interview.
How to Write This Section Well
Be Specific
Specificity is what separates a useless section from a memorable one.
| Generic (bad) | Specific (good) | |---|---| | Sport | Running — Paris Half Marathon 2024 (1h42) | | Reading | Contemporary Japanese literature (Murakami, Ogawa) | | Travel | 14 countries across Southeast Asia — travel blog (800 readers/month) | | Music | Jazz guitar — weekly jam sessions with a local collective | | Volunteering | Volunteer mentor at [charity] — supporting sixth-formers with university applications |
Limit Yourself to 2–4 Interests
Beyond that, you dilute the impact. Choose the ones most relevant to the target role or most distinctive.
Keep It to One or Two Lines
This section doesn't deserve more than 2 lines on your CV. If you have substantive things to say about a commitment (chairing a society, high-level competitive sport), it may be more relevant to place it in the Experience section rather than Interests.
Don't Lie
It's tempting to write "passionate chess player" because it sounds impressive. But if the interviewer plays chess and asks you a technical question, the bluff will be immediate and devastating for your credibility. Only list activities you actually do and can discuss.
Should You Always Include an Interests Section?
No. If you have a well-stocked CV with relevant experience, solid technical skills and quantified results, the Interests section is optional. Nobody will reject your CV because it's missing.
Include it if:
- You have space and something specific to say.
- You're junior and need to fill your CV intelligently.
- Your interest is directly linked to the role or company culture.
Skip it if:
- You have nothing more precise than "travel, reading, cinema".
- Your CV is already dense and every line is occupied by higher-impact content.
- You're applying in a highly formal field where only technical skills matter.
Build Your CV with CV Creator
With CV Creator, you decide which sections appear on your CV. Add or remove the Interests section in one click, reorder blocks with drag-and-drop, preview in real time. 20+ professional ATS-friendly templates, €2 one-time, unlimited CVs for 2 hours, no registration.
To go further:
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