Common Interview Question – Do You Have Any Hobbies and Why?
There are a lot of personal questions that employers are not allowed to ask you at the job interview. For example, they cannot ask you if you are trying to have a baby, or if you are enrolled with any organizations (because these organizations may have a religious affiliation), or how old you are, etc. These are all illegal interview questions.
Yet not all personal questions are illegal. One question that employers are allowed to ask is whether or not you have any hobbies and why you chose to do those hobbies.
How to Answer
Essentially, you have to think of the hobbies you engage in that may, at the very least, not weird out the interviewer. In addition, you need to make sure you have a good justification for those hobbies. Employers simply like to see that you put thought into your actions.
Bad Answer
“My hobbies include fashion blogging. My girlfriends and I decided it would be fun to make a fashion blog, where we critique the outfits of celebrities at major social events. We do it for fun, you know.”
Good Answer
“In my spare time I like to go golfing, since the calmness of the course is a great way to relax after a long week of work. I also have been trying my hand at fiction writing. The self-expression present in fiction keeps my creativity flowing and my mind active.”
Very few hobbies sound smart. Maybe if you engage in Scrabble championships or attend MENSA meetings. Regardless, the key to getting out of this question alive is to choose something that doesn’t appear childish and give a great justification for why you engage in the activity.
Take Away Interview Tips
- Focus on more “adult” hobbies.
- Justify why you engage in them in an intelligent, thoughtful way.