I is for… Interests

I is for… “What are your Interests outside of work?”

Other similar questions include what are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Interviewers are also interested in finding out more about you and will want to ensure that you are a well-rounded candidate with a bit of personality. Asking questions about your free time or hobbies is a great way to do this. It can also lead to having things in common or confirming your ability to participate in a corporate team or club.

Of course these answers don’t have to be limited to sports, other options could include professional organisations, personal development such as taking language classes or volunteer work.

• Remember to make sure that whatever you pick is a genuine hobby – not something you think sounds good, read that the interviewer enjoyed or haven’t done since university (unless you are a very recent graduate).
• Remember to pick a positive interest.
• Remember to show a range of varied interests.
• Be enthusiastic about your interests.

Write a list of your interests and consider whether they are genuine interests and what you know or like about them. If you can write about them properly – then you will be able to use them in an Interview context.

Using your career journal will help you find inspiration for Interview Questions and help you prepare, practice and review your answers. This can be a great technique which is why I have chosen to use the A to Z of Interview Questions Posts as Journal Prompts. If you don’t already have a career journal this is the perfect excuse to get started.