If you’re a graduate applying for digital marketing jobs in Cheltenham – or, indeed, any role in any part of Gloucestershire – including your hobbies and interests on your CV can have a huge impact on your chances for being selected for an interview! Find out why in this blog, and how registering with i2i Recruitment can push your chances even further…

The “hobbies and interests” section of a CV has a greater influence on hiring decisions than most graduates realise.

While your work experience and qualifications certainly have the upper hand in catching a potential employer’s interest, a whopping 51% of hiring managers select candidates for interview based on their hobbies and interests!

As a graduate, this is especially great news, as you may not have had many opportunities to build up your work experience yet in between studying.

But what role exactly do hobbies and interest play in your CV, why should you include them – and how? Read on to find out!

3 reasons to include hobbies and interests on your graduate CV:

1. It demonstrates another side of your skillset

You might not think it at the time, but by taking on a hobby or interest, you’re likely to build up a range of skills that can be transferred into the world of work that you may not have otherwise gained.

For example, if you participate in the performing arts, you’ll likely have learned some fantastic presentation and communication skills, which will put you in great stead for sales or HR roles.

Alternatively, if you like going to escape rooms with friends in your free time, this shows that you have an aptitude for teamwork, logic and problem-solving, which will be very attractive to accounting firms and public services departments.

Or, perhaps you run a movie screening club for people in your local area to attend every month? This will instantly position you as someone with leadership, organisational and time-management skills, all of which are a great fit for… well, almost any job!

The possibilities are practically endless, making this a powerful enough reason on its own to include your hobbies and interests on your CV!

2. It provides a window into your personality

Having a good personality fit is essential for employers if they want to create a happy and healthy company culture, and your hobbies and interests do a great job of revealing those important aspects about you!

For example, if you play sports in your spare time, this will tell an employer that you’re a team player, and therefore likely to work well together with others on your team to achieve specific goals.

Or, if you participate in open mic comedy nights, this will demonstrate that you have a good sense of humour, and will be able to keep office morale at a high.

In fact, according to research, people with regular hobbies tend to be happier and more positive than those who don’t, so simply including them on your CV will show you to be a positive individual – a highly desirable trait in any office environment!

3. It may just be what makes you stand out from other candidates

Of course, you’ll never be the only person applying for a single job, and in all likelihood (particularly as a graduate), you will have a similar set of skills and experience as other applicants.

This is where including your hobbies and skills in your CV can be a real game-changer, helping you to stand out from the crowd compared to those who don’t include them!

For example, if your hobbies include art and design or creative writing and you’re up against other candidates for digital marketing jobs in Cheltenham, you’ll be much more likely to be favoured over a candidate with the same experience as you, but who doesn’t have these hobbies.

This is because not only do said hobbies show that you have the transferrable skills required for the job (i.e., being able to create eye-catching designs and write enticing content), but the passion required for your work to be a success!

Top tips for including hobbies and interests on your CV:

• Make sure they are the last thing to appear on your CV document.
• Describe your hobbies/interests in short and sweet bullet points.
• Keep your list of hobbies to between three and five. If you have more than five, select the ones that best demonstrate your skillset and personality.
• See our advice articles on how to write the perfect CV and the biggest CV mistakes for further guidance!

Ready to get cracking on your CV?

When you register with i2i Recruitment, one of the first things we’ll do is meet with you so we can chat through your work experience, qualifications and hobbies and interests, so that we can help you make your CV sparkle and catch the eye of prospective employers – whether that’s for digital marketing jobs in Cheltenham, IT jobs in Stroud, or something else entirely!

But that’s only the beginning. Simply register with us below to get started on your career journey with i2i Recruitment and see where it takes you…