Interests Section on a Resume: What to Include (and What to Skip)

Interests vs. Hobbies: What Is the Difference and Why It Matters

Most candidates and most guides treat "interests" and "hobbies" as identical terms. They are not, and the distinction has a subtle but real effect on how an ATS processes the section.

In practice, the section can be titled "Interests," "Hobbies & Interests," or "Activities." What matters is content selection and placement. When you include professional interest topics that echo language in the job posting, you squeeze marginal keyword value out of a section that most candidates treat as filler. When you list only generic hobbies, the section is purely a cultural fit signal with no ATS benefit.

The Decision Framework: When an Interests Section Helps vs. Hurts

The 79%/57% recruiter split is real and easy to misread. The correct interpretation is not "most recruiters skip it so it does not matter." It is "older recruiters skip it while Gen Z managers prioritize it, so company culture predicts the reaction more than industry alone."

The practical signal: if the company's LinkedIn page, Glassdoor reviews, or job posting language emphasizes culture, team fit, or "bring your whole self to work," the hiring team skews toward the 57%, not the 79%. If the posting is dense with technical requirements and says nothing about culture, skip the section or trim it to one line.

One practical step before submitting: look up the hiring manager or recruiter on LinkedIn. If they are under 35, their team likely values the section. If the company's "about" page is full of team photos and employee spotlights, include it. If the page reads like an annual report, leave it out.

ATS and Keyword Strategy for Your Interests Section

ATS systems do not have a dedicated hobbies or interests field. They parse the full document as plain text and run keyword matching across every field, including whatever section you label "Interests" or "Hobbies." This creates a genuine, underused opportunity: if you include professional interest topics that mirror language in the job description, those terms register as keyword matches and contribute to your overall match score.

The keyword contribution from this section is marginal, not decisive, because ATS systems weight matches in the experience and skills sections more heavily than matches in ancillary sections. But a marginal boost matters when you are close to the scoring threshold. Here is how to make the section work:

The two-column layout risk

This is the gap that no competitor covers: if your resume uses a two-column template and your interests section lands in the sidebar column, most ATS parsers will either skip it entirely or misparse the text. Single-column layout achieves 93% ATS parse accuracy; two-column drops to 86%, and sidebar content is the first casualty (Resumly, 2025). An interests section placed in a sidebar on a two-column resume contributes nothing, because the parser may never read it.

What ATS does not read from a hobbies section

• Bullet symbols, star icons, or emoji (rendered as blank characters in most parsers)
• Text embedded in graphics or images used as section headers
• Content inside table cells on many Workday and Greenhouse installations
• Text in the footer zone below a horizontal rule divider (some parsers stop reading at footer boundaries)

Use a plain-text heading ("INTERESTS" or "HOBBIES & INTERESTS") followed by a comma-separated line or a simple bulleted list using plain hyphens or dots. No icons. No bold symbols.

Industry-Specific Defensible Interests and ATS Keyword Value

"Defensible" means two things: the interest is authentic enough to discuss in an interview, and it signals a relevant skill or domain alignment. Below are curated lists organized by industry, with notes on ATS keyword value for each item.

Universal interests to avoid on any resume

Safe vs. Risky Hobbies: ATS Scoring Impact Comparison

The table below synthesizes the ATS parsing mechanics and recruiter reception data into a single reference. "ATS keyword potential" reflects whether a hobby term is likely to appear in job descriptions. "Recruiter reception" reflects how the activity reads to a human reviewer across industries.

How to Format Your Interests Section for Maximum Impact

Formatting decisions determine whether the section helps or wastes space. These are the rules that matter.

What the section should look like in plain text

HOBBIES & INTERESTS
Machine learning research (NLP, Kaggle Silver medalist), open-source contributor (Python CLI tools, 1.2K GitHub stars), trail running (completed 2025 NYC Half Marathon), amateur astrophotography

This example mixes two professional interest topics (machine learning, open source) with two personal hobbies (trail running, astrophotography). The ML and open-source entries carry ATS keyword potential. All four entries include at least one specific qualifier. The whole thing reads in under ten seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Decide whether to include the section using the decision matrix in this guide, then draft 3 to 5 items using the specificity formula: [Activity]: [one specific qualifier]. Mix professional interest topics that echo your target job description with personal activities that signal relevant soft skills. Keep the section in a single-column layout, always last on the resume. When your resume is ready, run it through our free ATS resume checker to confirm the parser is reading the section correctly and to see your overall keyword match score.

For related guidance on building a complete, ATS-optimized resume, see our guides on how to list skills on a resume, technical skills for a resume, what to put on a resume, and ideal resume length.