The perfect CV has landed on your desk. Previous experience is perfect, there are no spelling mistakes, and two referees are lined up.

But what about the candidate’s hobbies and interests? Should they be allowed to mention the swinging parties and the eel collections? Or should they play safe and put down ‘socialising and reading’?

New research by the recruitment agency Reed suggests that trying too hard to sound interesting on a CV can backfire. And eight out of 10 employers say these ‘other interests’ influence their decisions.

An outside activity that creates a favourable impression with an employer could mean their name is added to the shortlist to be interviewed. But if their other interests include stalking celebrities or a long treatise on ferret racing, their CV could end up in the bin. And it’s your job to advise your candidate what the best course of action is, says Katy Nicholson, marketing director at Reed.

Some people simply get away with it because their reputation precedes them, says Paul Armstrong, managing consultant at Penna Consulting. “I can think of one trader in the City who put down that he was an ‘artificial insemination donor’. But everyone knew him because he was very outgoing and this was the kind of thing they had come to expect from him.”

But this approach works in only 1% of cases, he warns. “Everything you put on your CV carries an element of risk. It is all about analysing that risk and making the right decision.”

Some people may consider playing in a band to be a hobby that demonstrates leadership skills. But some bosses may worry that the hobby may mean a candidate will not be committed to their job.

Mark Ingram, managing director of Spring Personnel, has come across employers looking for people with hobbies like fishing and cycling who could handle being on their own because much of the work was abroad.

But whatever candidates put, they must never lie. Rachel Hanna, associate director at Parker Bridge, points to one candidate who boasted that they liked Italian cooking – but could not name a single pasta sauce.

If in doubt, it’s probably best for candidates simply not to mention those little trips to the sperm bank.

•Playing bagpipes loudly and badly in public places

•Representing the UK at the world frisbee championships

•Collecting porcelain pigs

•Enlisting for the Klingon Space Navy

•Sheep

•Samurai sword collecting

•An avid interest in guns

•Trainspotting

•Medieval battle re-enactments

•“Pleasing my boyfriend between the sheets”