Crack The Question, “What Are Your Hobbies And Interests?”

You may expect direct and professional questions in your interview, but that does not always happen. Yes, sometimes, hiring managers may ask you personal questions. Personal questions do not mean “a sort of everything personal,” but they are interrelated to your professional mannerism. So, how to deal with them?

In this article, we will discuss the interview question, “what are your hobbies and interests?” and how you can incorporate your response into the best practice to make a breakthrough impression on your recruiters.

Curating your response is not the ultimate goal, but you need to be precise and sound confident. Don’t worry! Our tips are on the way.

So, let’s gear up to explore!

Hobbies and interests seem like lighter tone topics when asked in the interviews. There is no one correct answer, and you don’t have to be right, no? Just be yourself! You can be as creative as possible.

The Big Reason

But, foremost, you must know why they ask this question. It will help you in various aspects, from understanding their mindset and point of view. You can customize your answer accordingly.

You certainly don’t know what’s going on in their minds, but following speculations, you can easily predict the most fundamental reasons.

1. To know your personality a little more: The interview procedure is full of professional questions, but the people sitting on the other side of the desk are looking for a sincere candidate, so how shall they determine the same? By asking about your hobbies and interest, no?
   
2. To check whether you’re passionate and willing to learn: Yeah, it may be a probability that they may want to check your passion for your work, and asking these questions helps them a lot.
3. To see if you orient yourself with the company’s work culture: The assessor may be looking for a candidate who can fit well with the company’s workspace, and asking about your hobbies and interests can give them an insight into your thoughts.

Well, let’s not stick to the pointers mentioned above only. We are only discussing the assumptions, whereas the reality can be slightly different too.

Graham Coxon says, “My hobby is my job. It’s a hobby!”

Indeed, it is exciting but not an obligatory case for everyone. Your job and hobby can be completely different. All you have to do is to frame the situation smartly

Know Yourself

Can you speak to others confidently while lacking confidence in yourself? Of course not! This will not work this way. You must be completely aware of your personal and professional self to flaunt in front of others. You know, a predominant factor!

So, we say it is imperative to know and get confident about your hobbies and interests. Think of what you like and what’s your primary area of interest. It is not mandatory or obvious but works well if your hobbies and interests align or at least contribute to your job in any way. It’s cool, even if it is not!

Here’s what you can do to understand your hobbies and interests:

1. Recall your childhood interests. It is indeed a good idea to start from scratch if you find it hard to demonstrate or determine your real hobby.
2. Does it burden you? When you’re reading a book and don’t want to stop, you have developed the utter sense and emotion of interest. It can be described as a hobby.
   
3. You can rely on career assessment tests on the internet. Yes, it can be the objective way, but it works subjectively to spot your hobbies and interests.
   Pro tip: Make sure to opt for the quality-driven test, don’t rely on anything available on the internet.
4. Experiment! Yes, experimenting can be the right way to get yourself and identify your likes and dislikes accurately. Try experimenting with three-four things you love for a little longer and check what sticks!

What hobbies/interests can you mention during your interview?

Merriam-Webster defines a hobby as “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.”

How do you define a hobby? Think!

While you’re the only person who can define your hobbies and choices for yourself, we can point out a few popular ones in case you’re looking for some suggestions or options.

• Traveling
• Gardening
• Podcasting
• Crafting
• Volunteering
• Photography
• Sculpting
• Reading
• Foreign Languages

A tip time: Don’t try to please the hiring managers by faking your hobby. You certainly don’t have to prove your intellect with this question. You are real work every time. Instead, try convincing them with facts that align with your life situations.

The answering process can be a “quantum leap” for your interview session. You can change your personality’s first impression or pre-assumption through your reply. And that’s why we keep emphasizing “playing smart” and not losing the essence in this personal question.

So, how to assemble the information into a definitive answer given above to make your response apt? This is what we call “answering the right way.”

Yes, we are dividing the skills or areas of general interest into the top three categories.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Hard skills
• Workplace Fit

You must provide them with the response that impacts them without compromising your reality.

Let’s commence!

Emotional Intelligence

You can try mentioning hobbies to describe your emotional intelligence. It is the right approach, indeed. Whatever the question is, they’re looking for an employee with solid and soft skills, so why not mention them through your hobbies?

Emotional intelligence or soft skills help in:

• Building positive relationships with colleagues
• Making you able to change complex situations into easier ones at work
• Developing delegation and communication abilities

Example: Volunteering

I rely upon volunteering when it comes to spending my leisure time as it gives me the ultimate peace and freshens up my mind. Spending time with struggling yet winning women allows me to learn a lot. I have learned patience, endurance, and hard work. This skill has allowed me to support a community and grasp some intense human lessons that I can use in real-life situations, including in my workplace. In addition, I got to lead a team to achieve short and long-term goals. I have used those skills in my workplace several times and got positive results.

Example: podcasting

When it comes to spending my spare time, I like podcasting. The practice of recording and editing binds me like no other thing. This hobby has helped me develop my communication skills and increase my confidence. Also, as a sales executive, podcasting allows me to learn how to catch the audience’s attention by finding new and exciting topics in their welfare. It is amusing to me!

Hard skills

If you have a hobby that compliments hard skills, we recommend you broach and explain it. They provide integrity to your CV and interview.

Hard skills provide,

• Improved efficiency
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Effective productivity and time management

So, how do you answer flaunting your hard skills with your areas of interest? Keep reading!

Example: Gardening

I am an environment enthusiast who loves to take care of my plants. It gives me immense pleasure and keeps me occupied mentally. I have a free space on the rooftop, which I converted into a beautiful terrace garden. This hobby has taught me the importance of consistency and management. Sometimes, when I get a work-from-home opportunity from my workplace, I prefer my terrace garden to work. Gardening has upscaled my respect and care for nature, and at the same time, it has grown my understanding of hard work and patience.

Example: Photography

Photography is my prime area of interest. I am a passionate photographer and love capturing nature and everything else around me. This hobby complements my career as a graphic designer in astounding aspects. It is honing my editing skills and increasing my analytical thinking abilities. My vision has improved and got widen only after adopting photo-capturing skills as my hobby. I aim to create something unusual and unique by integrating my photography and graphic design skills.

Workplace Fit

Do you want to mention a hobby that aligns precisely with the company’s work culture? Well, you need applause for having this positive and smart thought in your mind. Congratulations! You’re going well!

But, it needs a pre-requisite. Yes, if you need to give a well-fitted response, a good amount of research work is required.

But how? Have a look through the bullets below:

• Learn about the company through its website
• Read the job description exceptionally well
• Visit social media accounts

Now, after jotting down the main pointers, you are good to go with answering.

Example: Meditation

I meditate a lot, and I am extravagantly thankful for this hobby. When I was going through your company’s web page, I learned that employees’ health and wellness matter a lot to you. I was thoroughly impressed with the yoga and meditation sessions you conduct through well workshops. Meditation allows me to explore the best within myself by keeping me healthy, specifically mentally, so I can perform better at work. I consider it of utmost importance to strike a perfect balance between my work and life.

Example: Amatur Dramatics

After trying my hand at a few things, I got to find my interest in amateur dramatics. For me, performing arts is therapeutic and a beautiful way to express myself and dedicate a little amount of self-love. While going through the

gallery on the company’s social media pages, I noted that you promote creativity. It gives me immense happiness that employees can be creative and productive as possible here. I will try to light up the team’s performance by adding a bit of expressiveness and patience that I use during my performances. 

We are pinning our hopes that the examples mentioned above are helpful for your answering procedure in an interview. So now, “what are your hobbies and interests?” is no more a problematic question.

Tips

A pinch of toppings is never a bad idea. Stay connected!

• Say no to intellectuality! This answer is not the proper chance to express your intellect. Be yourself and honest.
• Don’t lose track. Losing the track can be a possibility when you’re describing something personal, but NO, this is not allowed! 
• Mix and match? We don’t think so! Mixing the two hobbies together is not a great idea, though it is negotiable. You can mention two things, but that can make you lose focus. 
• Don’t burden yourself with a sense of responsibility. Yes, this question is mostly being asked on a lighter note. Take it easy, and you’ll pass!