Careers clinic: what should I put in my CV for hobbies and interests?

Putting your CV together appropriately for a new job can be tricky business. Careers expert Eoghan McDermott deals with filling in 'Hobbies & Interests' this week.

By Eoghan McDermott

People put the strangest things under the 'Hobbies & Interests' CV heading on the assumption that it makes them seem like rounded individuals. Or because they believe it is expected to be there.

Keep that bit simple and short. Too many outside interests make it look like you spend your entire life playing football and hurling, visiting the cinema and theatre and reading Tolstoy, working out, gardening, fire-eating, amateur dramatics, feeding the homeless and on and on.

Some are just bizarre things you shouldn’t put there – cocialising, for example, is neither a hobby nor an interest. It’s drinking dressed up as a pastime.

If you do put stuff there try to think about how it feeds into the skillset for the job you are after. For example, if you are going for a position as a PR Account Executive, a genuine interest in current affairs is a must.

Finally, make sure you worked out the answers to the blindingly obvious questions that will stem from your interests– what was the best book you’ve read (American Psycho is rarely a good answer even if it is a modern classic), and know that Mary Coughlan is the Minister for Education and Science.

If you have a question about your job or career that Eoghan could help you with, why not email JOE at [email protected]?

Eoghan McDermott is Head of The Careers Clinic in The Communications Clinic and is the author of The Career Doctor- How to Get and Keep the Job You Want.

Contact Eoghan at [email protected]