Have a green thumb? Love the gym? Enjoy sewing? Here's how your personal interests, hobbies and talents can help you prepare for your future career

By Ann Duff, Careers Manager

Back when I was at school, I had a great little side hustle going: making formal dresses for the sixth year prom. It was great—they bought the material and pattern, and I made the dress. I got paid and got to keep the pattern.

When I went to university, the first thing I bought with my grant cheque (when everyone else was buying a laptop) was a sewing machine which I still sew on to this day.

I sewed for people all through university, and it was the perfect job—I could do it in my own time. I was my own boss. I could charge what was reasonable. Had sewing machine, definitely could travel!

When I left university, I got into postgraduate courses in Careers Guidance and Textile Design—my two great loves: talking and fashion. There’s a sliding doors moment right there, and whilst I have never regretted becoming a Careers Adviser, I have never stopped sewing either.

Sometimes, our interests, hobbies and talents define us in our careers and other times they are there creeping in at the edges—influencing, directing and making us stand out.

Here are three ways you could use your interests, hobbies and talents in your career:

You could actually make a career out of it

Had I gone on and studied Textile Design, I have no doubt that I'd be working in fashion, in some shape or form. In order to monetise your interest, you need to go all in; this needs to be the thing you are focussed on. Think about doing a postgraduate course, get experience in the field and above all, be persistent and determined. Making a career out of your talent takes tenacity and just a teeny bit of luck.

Look at the job family in which it sits

I might not have made it as a fashion designer, but I would have been prepared to look at everything that sat within that industry: fashion buying, retail, stylist, visual merchandiser, media and events. No job ever sits in isolation; it’s always part of a job family. You can build your knowledge around sectors by using the industry guides on Prospects.

Immerse yourself in the industry—follow socials, use Prospects' job profiles to identify the industry specific websites and always join the professional organisation or association linked to the job or sector which is usually free or affordable for students. Joining a professional body gives you access to the community, events and jobs you might not see advertised elsewhere.????

Think adjacentally

What have you learned about yourself as a result of your interest that you could move sideways into?

For example, I learned that I liked to be in control of my workload and that, although I was actually quite entrepreneurial, I probably preferred working with a team rather than on my own.

Whatever your interests, hobbies and talents are, when you're doing them, you're probably feeling happy and energised because you are tapping into your strengths. You could use 16 Personalities to help you surface these strengths. Then, when you are looking at jobs, make sure you are selecting those that encompass the transferable skills you have identified as a result of your hobby.

One final piece of advice: Everything you do has a value, and this includes your hobbies, interests and talents. For the first few years of my career, I used my sewing business as a piece of evidence on my CV and in interviews. When I went for my first job as a Careers Adviser, I remember talking about it as an example of how I could show initiative.

So, there you are—the day that sewing and careers guidance threaded together to create the career that I have worn happily for all these years.

Other resources

The major value of personality when looking to and preparing for your future: Read this Careers Insight article to understand how your personality fits into career preparation.

What to put in the further interests section of a graduate CV: Read this article if you're ready to articulate your skills, knowledge and experience to employers.

3 science-backed reasons having a hobby will help your career: Read this article to learn how having hobbies outside of work will help your career and other parts of your life.