During job interviews, one common question is, “What are your hobbies and interests?” or “What are your interests?”
Many people feel embarrassed or surprised by this question, but it is important for the interviewer to understand more about you as a person.
While the interviewer’s main goal is to evaluate your competencies for the job, your hobbies and interests can give them a broader perspective about your life outside of work.
Do these questions ring a bell?
How Your Hobbies and Interests Can Impact Your Job Interview
It is undoubtedly one of the most common questions asked during interviews.
No matter what industry or field of study you are in, or which job you are applying for, the likelihood of being asked this question is incredibly high.
But have you ever wondered why interviewers consider this question so important?
Learning More About Your Personal Life
The interviewer asks about your hobbies and interests to learn more about you.
The interviewer is trying to determine several things by asking about your hobbies or interests –
Firstly, they want to know if you have assessed your interests and know yourself well.
Secondly, they wish to know if your interests align with the job requirements or if they are completely unrelated. Your interests provide insight into your psyche, which may be crucial for the interviewer.
Why the answer to ‘what are your hobbies and interests?’ matters more than you think?
Your life outside of work can tell a lot about you, and sharing impressive interests and hobbies can make you stand out as a candidate.
How to Make Your Hobbies and Interests Work for You in a Job Interview
When describing your hobbies and interests, it is important to select activities that add value to the job in consideration.
For example –
- If you are applying for a sales job, you could talk about your involvement in your favorite sports team, which would demonstrate your focus on achieving targets.
- If you are applying for a managerial position, you could talk about your involvement in community service or social organizations, which would demonstrate your ability to manage and initiate projects.
When answering the question, there are three important aspects to consider:
1.) Knowing Your Interests
Before heading to the interview, it is crucial to introspect and determine what really interests you.
Are you interested in the task itself, or do you find the add-ons that come with it more appealing?
2.) Relevance of Interests
The second most important aspect is the relevance of your interests or hobbies to the job under consideration.
For example, playing baseball may interest you, but it may not be relevant to a research and development job. Therefore, it is essential to pick and showcase only those interests that fit the job requirements.
3.) Describing your interests and hobbies
This is the most challenging part. How you describe your skills in relation to the job requirements is critical. You can manipulate your answer so that seemingly irrelevant interests sound completely appropriate in relation to the job.
For example: Interviewer: “What are your interests?”
Interviewee: “I like to play baseball or any other game that involves teams. Therefore, I can confidently say that I am a team player who is driven by targets. Further, I am pretty aggressive in achieving results within a team.”
In this example, the interviewee has manipulated their interests to win over the interviewer’s interest.
What to Avoid
It is important to avoid making general statements about your hobbies, such as “listening to music” or “watching television.”
These statements do not provide any useful information and can distract the interviewer’s attention from you.
Instead, try to balance individual hobbies with group activities and be honest about your interests.
If you have an unusual hobby, such as birding (bird watching), you should frame it in a positive way that generates interest. For example, you could say that you are actively involved in birding preservation.
Finally, always back up whatever you say about your hobbies with examples or interesting stories. Being straightforward and honest is always the best way of answering this question.
In conclusion,
What your hobbies and interests say about you in a job interview?
The interviewer wants to learn about your interests to assess your suitability for the job.
Knowing your interests, their relevance, and how to describe them accurately can significantly influence the outcome of the interview.