What's the difference between "hobbies" and "leisure time interests"?

A hobby is narrower and more specific in terms of activities: birdwatching, building model airplanes.

A leisure time interest could be reading, bike riding.

I think “leisure-time interests” is a much broader category, and includes both. They are asking you to separate out hobbies.

One of my leisure-time interests is going to the opera. Another is reading. I would not consider either of those a hobby. I would not call working out a hobby, nor volunteering at an animal shelter.

I would regard as a hobby any class or category of activity that you do regularly for pleasure and that has some sort of a developing or cumulative aspect to it; a collection, for instance, that grows over time, or a project such as woodworking or sewing or gourmet cooking in which you gain skill.

Although playing a musical instrument or dancing does not seem like a hobby to me, it would probably fit their intention with this question.

If it is a hobby, you are actually doing something. A leisure time interest could be something you just like to hear or read about.

They are both the same thing.

The difference is “a basic application” vs. “a high-falutin’ and ‘impressive’ application”. They’ll also ask for your “gender” instead of your “sex”, for example.

I always put “Yes” in the blank space after “Sex”

Thanks everyone for the answers…I just read the first three over and over again, and think I now have a vague idea of the difference. This is for a science job… I’m kinda surprised by the “high-falutin’” word distinctions here.

Weren’t word distinctions what you asked for?

Sorry I was not clear. Yes, I gave you a GA, I was referring to the application itself. I’ve never seen anyone make this distinction on an app before. Most people in my field can barely write a sentence.

Hobbies cost more.

I hate ambiguous questions on applications…..Recently they’ve started requesting references, but say you’re not to use previous employers. Say WHAT? I finally asked, and they said it means, like if you worked for a corporation, don’t refer them to HR, but you can use previous direct supervisors and stuff. I wish they’d explain that on the app.

@Val123 I hope whatever references you put down know what they can and can’t say to someone asking about your previous job. They could open themselves up to quite the lawsuit. Usually the reason for referring to HR in the first place.

A hobby would be a passion or interest you invest time, effort and often money into in a regular constructive activity in deliberate way. Leisure time would be your free time outside of work, other responsibilities including your hobby that you engaged in other recreational or leisurely type activities.

@mrentropy actually, you can say whatever you like about someone when called as a reference… except that if the company you work for discovers what you’ve said and either a) doesn’t like it and it violates “company guidelines about acceptable responses to reference requests” or b) decides that it just violates those guidelines, and they don’t care one way or another about the content… then you can be in trouble with your employer. And the reason for that is that the employer can be on the hook if you give a reference in an official capacity as a representative of the employer.

No one can have a say about your references as a private citizen (unless in your position as “private citizen” you have such celebrity status that you are already well identified as the face of the company anyway).

The problems arise because of civil liabilities; there are zero criminal penalties (unless you lie or misrepresent yourself… normal legal stuff).

@mrentropy Well, what other kinds of references can you give, if not your previous employer, coworker, or supervisor. Aunt Milly? Could I refer them to Fluther. :)

@CyanoticWasp I see. The way it was explained to me was that a company could verify your work history there, but not much else. Hence, if Company A that I applied for called Company B who I worked for and Company B said I did work there and I was a lousy so-and-so and thank goodness I got fired, then I’d have reason for a lawsuit. Not that it ever happened.

@Val123 I’m sure we’d only have glowing things to say about you :)

I think I spend more time on my hobbies and when I’m not collecting foreign currency, sea shells, or different types of rocks. That is when I do leisure activities like sodoku, needle points and reading up on a new hair style to try out on my little sister.

I am guessing watching tv is leisure, and knitting is a hobby. One is passive and the other is active.

I’m guessing that leisure time activities require more specific answers, whereas the other is a broader, more general answer.

You might make time for a hobby. Leisure time is more when you don’t have anything you particularly need to be doing.

By the way,Do you find that the questions are not going up to the list of “new activity” any longer whenever there is new response?

@mrentropy Why, thank you but you really shouldn’t lie to people! :)

@flo I’m still getting them….did you accidentally quit following?

a hobby is done because there is a commitment behind it, a bigger satisfaction in doing it therefore willing to be done repeatedly while leisure is done just for a while.

@Val123 Okay so you have to click “following” thing in order to have them up in “new activity”? I never clicked it and my questions went up to “new activity” whenever there was a new response. So I will go ahead and click it. Thanks.

@flo When you respond to a question, it automatically marks you as following it. Sometimes you can accidentally click “unfollow” by accident when you still wanted to follow it. I’ve done it. That’s probably what happened.