Have you ever attended an interview and been asked about your hobbies and interests?
You are attending an interview for a job, so why would you be asked a question about your hobbies and interests? Many people under-estimate the importance hobbies and interests outside of work can have to a future employer.
Remember this question can give clues as to how you might fit in with other work colleagues and an insight into your personality.
For most organisations, the interview is the last part of the hiring process. That means you have probably filled out an application form or sent in your CV / resume.
You may have had a telephone interview or attended a group interview before being invited to a final interview. At some point in this process you are likely to have been asked what are your hobbies and interests.
This popular job interview question is obviously asked to try and ascertain what you are like outside of your working environment. So how do you answer the question without ruining your chances of getting the job?
As stated before, you have probably been asked this information before. It may have been on the application form. Have you included it on the hobbies and interests section of your CV / resume? Therefore don’t lie.
If you don’t like football or snooker don’t say that you do, just provide honest answers. There is nothing worse than saying you follow a sport and then it turning out that the interviewer is mad about the subject, starts asking you questions you can’t answer! You will look a fool and your honesty will be under scrutiny right away.
Be Wary of Mentioning Dangerous Hobbies and Interests
We always recommend being open in an interview. That being said, if you’re genuinely an ‘adrenaline junkie’ or your hobby could be seen as dangerous; you may want to consider how you introduce that information.
For example you could assure the interviewer by showing that you have not been injured or taken time off sick due to your hobbies and interests.
