What are Hobbies and Interests?
Hobbies and leisure interests are usually not connected to your profession. Instead, they are activities that we take up as a way to unwind from our daily pressures. They could be typical pursuits like photography, baking, embroidery, painting, playing an instrument, dancing, or not-so-common pursuits such as glass etching, miniature arts, mountain biking, or rock collection; it can be a never-ending list.
Leisure interests are usually broader areas of occupation about exploring ideas, concepts, and subjects related to history, culture, the culinary arts, space, nature, films, etc.
What makes them relevant to your resume?
Hobbies and leisure pursuits provide others with a deeper perspective of your character. It allows potential recruiters to better understand your approach to work-life and your fit to organizational culture. Hobbies and interests can reinforce personality traits such as mental fortitude, concentration power, focus, physical fitness, time management, and even social skills.
Therefore, when you include hobbies and interests on your resume, you must ensure that they aid in personal development skills relevant to your candidature for a potential job. Mentioning pastimes, such as watching movies, listening to music, or reading, are commonplace activities that do not bring alive anything in particular.
It is also vital to only include a hobby or an area of interest if you truly pursue it. It will help if you come across as someone knowledgeable and passionate about your area of interest. Never make the mistake of mentioning a hobby to impress someone.
Here are a few interests and hobbies for a resume that can potentially bring alive your personality:
Photography
Mention photography only if you are serious about it, with a thorough understanding of the technical aspects. Selfies and family outings do not count. Professional photography suggests conceptual skills, technical knowledge, and perseverance.
Sporting activities
Not what you did in school or college many years ago, but something you continue to engage in. Sporting activities are evidence of self-discipline and competitiveness, and team sports can display leadership and interpersonal skills.
Blogging
Good writing skills are an invaluable resource for any organization. You must be a regular blogger with a particular area of focus. Blogging also shows you as someone who embraces the digital world.
Podcasting
Another hobby that shows your ease in interacting with the digital world, podcasting, can demonstrate your efforts to build and engage with a mass audience and your interest in connecting with people.
Volunteering
Community involvement is an earnest pursuit, especially for someone regular. It displays self-initiative and a strong sense of moral values.
Travel
Take care to mention traveling only if it is the type that brings alive curiosity, courage, and discipline. Traveling off the beaten path means you are someone who does not shy away from stepping outside your comfort zone, adapting, and learning new things.
Yoga
Once the preserve of a few, yoga and meditation have become fashionable pursuits, and regular yoga strengthens your physical and mental agility. It can add a lot of value to your resume.
Learning languages
Evidence shows that learning new languages means you possess good problem-solving abilities and a skilled memory. In addition, knowledge of multiple languages is a very relevant resource for many organizations.
Outdoor activities
Regular hiking, camping, dirt-track riding, mountaineering, or even farming, are all activities that express your resourcefulness and a willingness to face and overcome challenges.
In Conclusion
Ensuring that it is a regular and current pursuit is critical to include a hobby or leisure interest on your resume. In addition, and ideally, you must tailor the description of your hobby to connect who you are with the organization you are applying to.