Having hobbies and interests allow you to explore your passions and become a well rounded person. Interviewers often ask what you like to do for fun and how you prefer to spend your weekends. Here, we shall help you determine your applicable hobbies and relate them with your job interview. This is an article explaining how we believe you should answer the interview question: What are your hobbies and interests?
Planning your answer to this Question
Take time and evaluate your hobbies and understand what potential value and interest they might hold for your potential employer. Here are some tips to help you plan your answer.
Select applicable hobbies
While you may have a variety of hobbies and interests, it is advisable to discuss only those that can be related to your new job position. Some activities that are widely mentioned in interviews are-
- Travelling
- Volunteering at Local shelters, old age homes.
- Sports
- Creative arts, including writing, music, painting
- Cooking
Identify your skills
You can select the most applicable activity to share in your interview by determining what skill that activity has taught you. Make a list of all your hobbies and write down the skills you have developed while pursuing them. Some examples-
- Planning skills
- Leadership skills
- Communication skills
- Teamwork
- Determination
- Creative thinking
- Patience
- Adaptability
Find a connection between your extracurricular activity and your new job
You can compare the job description with your list of hobbies. This will allow you to make a connection between your skills and the skills required for the job. Your activity should demonstrate your passion for the industry you work in.
To prepare your answer-
- Review the job description. Most job descriptions list the skills and character traits that the company is looking for. Identify the qualities that your employer requires and then compare them to your hobbies.
- Research the company. The website of your potential company can provide you information about their culture and values. Check their mission statement, history and various awards received by them. You can check their social media pages and media coverage to get an insight into their values. Compare their company values to the values in your activities to include in your answer.
How to answer: What are your hobbies and interests?
Once you have made a list of your hobbies and skills, you can prepare your response to this question by following the following tips-:
- Identify the activity you will mention.
Name one or two hobbies. If you only provide one hobby, you can keep your answer short but discussing two or three will showcase the variety of your activities. Be sure to keep the description of each hobby brief unless the interviewer asks you to elaborate.
- Highlight your skills.
The next part of your answer should include a brief list of your activities. Discuss the activities that have trained you for tasks in the work place.
- Relate the hobby to the company.
Compare your hobby to the company’s passions and make it clear how that makes you a good fit for the company.
“What Are Your Hobbies and Interests?”
Click here to see a list interview questions.
Journey Recruitment hopes you have a great day.