Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had two interviews that asked what I do for fun. It strikes me as such a bizarre question. Are they trying to look for weaknesses, like if someone says they like to dance and go out they interpret that as the person is undependable and has a drinking problem?
I answered traveling, and it turns out I just visited the manager's favorite place in the US. I got the job. Coincidence?
huh, never had that asked to me before and I've never asked that before. I have had candidates from out of town ask what there is to do in our town/city and that turns into a discussion about what interests they have, but only to help them make a decision on whether or not the area would be a good fit for them. It's never been more than a discussion, certainly not a deciding factor at all.
In my experience (especially when I worked in psych research) it's a Rorshach test.
Some examples:
"Spend time with friends" = very social
"Watch movies" = passive
"Play chess" = competitive, analytical thinker
"Work out at gym"= will bring a lot of energy to a project
"Learning conversational Greek" = enjoys challenges, high achiever
They look for patterns as well. Do you like solitary tasks or team activities? Passive or active hobbies? Etc.
I actually had one woman write all of my answers down and study them while nodding for almost a minute.
She had been stressing the whole time how the person needed to be "outgoing." Seemed incongruent w a research assistant job. I don't even remember what I answered.
I ask this question each time I conduct an interview. I like to do this because I normally get an answer that doesn't sound scripted. I can actually learn about the person I am talking with. Also, I like to see if they are a compatible match as our office is a smaller office with 5 full time employees.
I work in live music, another question I'll ask is to describe their favorite concert or event they've attended and why. I can really gauge how passionate they are with their answer.
I had two interviews that asked what I do for fun. It strikes me as such a bizarre question. Are they trying to look for weaknesses, like if someone says they like to dance and go out they interpret that as the person is undependable and has a drinking problem?
?
They want to hear that you are sociable, enjoy social gatherings and sporting events. Be prepared to say who your favorite sports team is (and even if you don't have one, lie). Best answers are to pretend you are a huge football fan and play golf. If you say your hobbies are reading, yoga and going for walks, they peg you as an introvert and won't hire you. I know this because an HR manager told me this.
I ask the question to see if the interviewee has some semblance of life balance. People with no interests other than their work tend to have emotional baggage we don't need in the workplace.
Probably some truth to that. I know this is anecdotal, but I worked with a man who had no life outside of work. And he was a huge troublemaker.
And just from a personal perspective, if people can't talk about anything outside of their job, to me they are boring.
You also have to have some sense of appropriateness. If you raise rattlesnakes for a hobby, I'm not sure I would bring that up. When I was asked about my hobbies in the past, be sure I didn't say anything about raising mice, building dollhouses, or showing model horses. I kept to gardening and volunteering for SAR.
If it's the hiring manager...I never ran across a hiring manager that would ask me such an unimportant question.
The question came, both times, from the direct supervisor. Both times it was asked at the end of the interview, so it couldn't be an ice-breaker. That's why I think there has to be something ulterior to it, like a last-ditch 'why *shouldn't* I hire you?'
they want to know if you lie as well as post drunk orgy pics on facebook.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.