There is a misconception by some students that employers are only concerned about a candidate’s ability to do the job. They are surprised when interviewers ask them about their outside interests, which appear unrelated to their careers. A typical question is “What do you like to do for fun?” or “How do you relax?” There are several reasons for the hiring manager to engage in this line of questions: are you multi-dimensional so you don’t burn out on the job, are you an interesting person they want to work with 8 – 10 hours a day, or are you able to carry on a conversation and establish rapport?
Even if you enjoy golf, yoga, wine, running or cooking, use the opportunity to differentiate yourself from the crowd with unique hobbies and interests rather than answering with industry-conformist activities. For example, I collect and use fountain pens even though it is less convenient than pretty much every other writing instrument. However, I enjoy the ritual of filling the pens and the way the nib glides over the paper as I write. The goal is to make yourself sound interesting by adding depth and color to your stories.
Build on your personal brand with your hobbies. I have studied martial arts for 40 years and can say that it has helped develop my discipline, which is the safe and conventional answer. A more unique answer would be that over the years, I realized that there is no Japanese or Chinese or Korean physics – we all abide by the same laws of physics regardless of style or nationality. This epiphany has led me to always strip ideas of meaningless, artificial constructs and search for core principles. This example demonstrates a thought process which is more memorable than just saying I gained disciple from my hobby.
Demonstrate your intellectual curiosity with your interests; are you learning a foreign language just for the heck of it, are you taking an on-line course unrelated to your profession, or learning to play a musical instrument? How well you describe your interests can demonstrate your passion.
Other questions you should be prepared to answer are:
- What is your favorite song?
- What is the last book you read?
- What is your favorite movie?
Explain the mood your favorite song puts you into or how it energizes your before an important interview or meeting. My go-to song has always been “Born To Run” by The Boss (if this needs further explanation, the explanation won’t help).
The books you enjoy can also reinforce your brand; I list The Black Swan, Freakonomics, and Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics, as some of my favorites because I enjoy exploring unconventional and contrarian viewpoints. You will likely be asked about why you find the books interesting so prepare your responses in advance to provide a coherent story and again, demonstrate your thought processes.
Jerome Wong
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Enjoyed reading through this, very good stuff, thankyou .