Hobbies: Chess, long-distance running, reading Indian history
Resume guide
Hobbies in resume
Hobbies in a resume are two to four activities you do outside study or work, listed near the end in one line. They help most when you are a fresher with little experience. Choose hobbies that are specific and say something useful about you, such as "competitive chess" or "running a food blog", not "watching movies".
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Hobbies examples for resume
Any fresher
Hobbies and Interests
- Chess: rated 1650 on Lichess; play weekend rapid tournaments
- Running: completed my first half marathon (21 km) in Pune, 2025
- Reading: about two books a month, mostly business and history
Interests: Teaching maths to Class 8 students at a local NGO on Sundays; trekking in the Sahyadris; cooking regional dishes
IT, data and engineering
Interests: Building small Android apps, competitive programming on Codeforces, contributing to open-source documentation
Interests: Analysing IPL match data for fun, Sudoku and logic puzzles, writing short posts on LinkedIn about data I find
Interests: Repairing and restoring old bikes, building Arduino projects, model making
Commerce, sales and marketing
Interests: Following the stock market and reading annual reports, chess, cricket (college team)
Interests: Organising college events, debating (inter-college finalist), playing football
Interests: Running an Instagram page on street food in Lucknow, photography, editing short videos
Creative and people roles
Interests: Writing a personal blog on travel in the North-East, reading Hindi and English fiction, poetry open mics
Interests: Mentoring juniors in my college placement cell, classical dance (Bharatanatyam, 6 years), reading psychology books
Interests: Sketching urban scenes, designing posters for college clubs, visiting museums
Do's and don'ts
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| List two to four hobbies, in one or two lines. | Write "watching movies", "listening to music" or "sleeping". |
| Be specific: "cricket (college team)" instead of "sports". | List a hobby you cannot talk about for two minutes in an interview. |
| Pick hobbies that show a useful trait: discipline, curiosity, teamwork or creativity. | Add hobbies that may put off an employer, such as gambling or extreme political activity. |
| Keep the section near the end, after projects and certifications. | Let hobbies take more space than your skills or projects. |
How to write hobbies in a resume
Write down everything you do regularly outside class or work.
Cross out anything passive or vague, such as "browsing the internet".
Keep the two to four that show discipline, curiosity, teamwork or a skill linked to the job.
Add one specific detail to each: a level, a team, a result or how long you have done it.
Put them in one line or a short list near the end of your resume, headed "Hobbies" or "Interests".
Common mistakes
- A list of seven or eight hobbies that fills a third of the page.
- Hobbies copied from a template that you do not actually do.
- Adding a hobby section to a resume that is already over one page.
Should you put hobbies in a resume?
Yes, if you are a fresher and have space on one page. Hobbies give an interviewer an easy first question and show something your marks cannot, such as discipline (a sport), curiosity (reading, puzzles) or initiative (a blog, a club).
Once you have two or three years of work experience, drop the section unless a hobby is directly linked to the job.
Which hobbies are best for a resume?
The best hobbies are specific, active and easy to talk about. This is what common ones tell a recruiter:
- Team sports (cricket, football, kabaddi): teamwork and fitness
- Chess, Sudoku, coding contests: problem-solving and patience
- Running, cycling, trekking: discipline and stamina
- Blogging, photography, video editing: communication and creativity
- Volunteering and teaching: responsibility and people skills
- Reading (name the kind): curiosity and focus
Hobbies or interests: which heading should you use?
Either works. "Hobbies" fits activities you do, such as playing chess or cooking. "Interests" fits subjects you follow, such as space research or the stock market. Many freshers use "Hobbies and Interests" for one short combined section.
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Questions freshers ask
Two to four. That is enough to show who you are without taking space from your skills, projects and education.
Yes, if you say what you read, such as "business biographies" or "Indian history". Be ready to name a recent book you liked and say why.
Near the end, after education, skills, projects, internships and certifications, and before the declaration if you have one.
Vague or passive hobbies such as "watching TV" waste space, and controversial ones can put an employer off. Hobbies you cannot talk about in the interview also hurt, because the interviewer will ask.