Unique Hobbies and Interests for Your CV in 2026 (And How to Actually Write Them)
Last week, someone sent me their CV through EasyCV asking why they kept getting ghosted after applications. The experience section was solid. The skills were relevant. But at the bottom, under "Interests", I saw three words: Reading. Travelling. Music.
I've seen that exact combo — word for word — on hundreds of CVs. Maybe thousands.
Here's the thing: that section isn't hurting you. But it's doing absolutely nothing for you either. And in a job market where recruiters spend an average of a few seconds on an initial scan, a flat, forgettable interests section is a wasted opportunity to be a real human being on paper.
So let's fix that.
Why the Hobbies Section Still Matters in 2026
I know what some people think: "Hobbies are fluff. Recruiters don't care."
Honestly? That's half true. A generic hobby list — yes, pure fluff. But a specific, well-chosen hobby can do three things your bullet points can't:
- Show personality — and personality is what makes someone want to actually work with you
- Signal soft skills without you explicitly claiming them
- Create a memorable hook that sticks in a recruiter's mind after they've read 50 other CVs
From what I've seen building EasyCV and working with thousands of job seekers, the candidates who get called back are often the ones who felt like a person, not a profile. The hobbies section — done right — is where that happens.
But "done right" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Let me break it down.
What Are Actually Unique Hobbies and Interests to Put on a CV?
Alright, so "reading" is out (unless you're specific about what you read — more on that in a second). What should you put instead?
Here's my honest take: the best hobbies for a CV are the ones that are specific, slightly unexpected, and ideally signal something transferable.
Hobbies that tend to impress (with examples of how to write them)
- Competitive chess → signals strategic thinking, patience under pressure. Write it as: "Competitive chess player (national ranking, top 5%)" — suddenly it's not just a hobby, it's evidence.
- Improv theatre or stand-up comedy → signals communication, quick thinking, resilience to failure. Massively underrated on a CV.
- Running or triathlon training → discipline, goal-setting, consistency. Especially strong if you have a qualifying time or completed a specific race.
- Open source contribution → if you're in tech, this is gold. Listing a GitHub project with actual contributors is better than most portfolio items.
- Teaching or tutoring (informal) → even if unpaid. "Volunteer chess coach for local youth club" tells a story.
- Podcast or newsletter → if you create content consistently, that shows initiative, self-discipline, and often writing or communication skills.
- Competitive gaming or esports → still gets raised eyebrows in some traditional industries, but in tech, marketing, gaming, or media? Strong signal.
- Foraging, beekeeping, or homesteading → unusual enough to be memorable. Shows curiosity and hands-on problem-solving.
- A foreign language at conversational level → this can go in skills, but if it came from travelling or immersion, it works in interests too.
Look, I'm not saying make things up. I'm saying: look at what you actually do and find the angle that makes it relevant.
If you really do read — what do you read? "Avid reader of behavioural economics and cognitive psychology" is completely different from "reading". One tells me something about your mind.
How Should You Write Hobbies on a CV? (The Format That Works)
This is where most people go wrong — not in what they list, but how they write it.
Don't just list nouns. Give it one sentence of context where you can. Here's the difference:
❌ Interests: Photography, Hiking, Cooking
✅ Interests: Landscape photography (published in two regional magazines) | Long-distance hiking (completed the Camino de Santiago, 2024) | Fermentation cooking and food science
See how the second version makes you curious? It has specifics. It has micro-stories. A recruiter reading that thinks: "huh, interesting person."
And keep it short — two to four items max. This isn't your diary. Three well-chosen, well-written interests beat eight vague ones every single time.
One more thing: tailor it slightly by role. Applying for a marketing position? Leading with "freelance newsletter writer (2,000+ subscribers)" makes more sense than leading with your triathlon results. Applying for a project management role? Flip that.
Should You Always Include a Hobbies Section on Your CV?
Short answer: not always. Honest answer: it depends.
If you're a senior professional with 15 years of experience and a CV that's already pushing two pages, hobbies might need to go. Space is limited, and your experience section should do the heavy lifting. (If you're unsure about length, I wrote a whole piece on ideal resume length in 2026 that's worth reading.)
But if you're:
- A recent graduate or career changer
- Applying to a company with a strong culture focus (startups, creative agencies, NGOs)
- Someone whose hobbies genuinely signal skills relevant to the role
…then yes. Include it. It might be the detail that tips the balance.
And if you have no experience yet? Hobbies become even more important. I've seen students land interviews partly because their CV showed a genuine personality when their experience section was thin. Check out our full guide on how to write a resume with no experience for more on that.
The Hobbies to Avoid (Or at Least Rewrite)
Let's be honest about the ones that don't land well:
- "Socialising with friends" — this tells me nothing. Everyone socialises.
- "Watching Netflix / TV series" — I'm not judging, but it's not CV material.
- "Shopping" — please, no.
- "Travelling" on its own — too vague. If you speak a language from travelling, or volunteered abroad, that's the thing to mention.
- Any hobby listed solely because you think it sounds impressive but you'd struggle to talk about it in an interview — recruiters do ask about these sometimes.
The rule I give everyone: if you couldn't talk about it confidently for 60 seconds in an interview, don't put it on your CV.
A Note on ATS and the Hobbies Section
Quick practical point — hobbies won't usually help your ATS score, but they also shouldn't hurt it if written as plain text. Where I see people trip up is formatting: putting the interests section in a sidebar, a text box, or an image-based layout that ATS software can't read. If you want to understand how ATS actually processes your CV, I'd recommend reading our guide on ATS-friendly CV optimization in 2026 — it's one of our most detailed breakdowns.
Build Your Full CV Around It
If this has you rethinking not just your hobbies section but your CV as a whole — good. That's the point.
At EasyCV.AI, we built the platform specifically to help people like the person who messaged me last week: competent professionals who just needed their CV to reflect how good they actually are. The AI helps you write stronger bullet points, optimise for ATS, and yes — even helps you frame your hobbies and interests in a way that works for the role you're targeting. It's not magic, but from what I've seen, the difference between a CV built with intention and one thrown together in 20 minutes is very, very real.
Final Thought
The hobbies and interests section is the smallest part of your CV. But it's often the most human part. And sometimes — especially when everything else looks similar — that's exactly what gets you the interview.
Don't overthink it. But don't ignore it either.
Be specific. Be honest. Be a person.
That's always going to stand out.