“Hobbies” Interview Questions
Answer Guide

‘What do you like to do for fun?’

Why are recruiters asking this?

When you’re asked this question, it may be because the interviewer wants to know you as a person better, to understand your passions and your personality.

Usually a cover letter and resume are formal, so this kind of question can be an opportunity to find commonality, or to test your cultural fit.

If you’ve researched the person you’re interviewing with, and you see they’ve Tweeted often about football, then go ahead and your love for the Champions League.

Or, you can just be true to yourself and talk about your hobbies regardless of ensuring a perfect match.

Should the interviewer veer toward unprofessional behavior in the context of this question, (“Like, oh we should grab a drink sometime to talk about that.”) you can and should remain professional (e.g. “I would be happy to discuss with you and the rest of the team, in a professional setting.”)

Checklist for a great answer 

• Be real, let your personality show
• Stay professional (even if they don’t)
• Be human, people can’t work without fun!

Examples

Other similar questions

• What are your hobbies?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• What are some of your hobbies?

How do I get better at these questions?

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! 

The illustrious economist and statistician EF Schumacher once said: “An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory.” We at Mockmate strongly believe in exactly this, which is why we created our AI-powered job interview simulator.  Now is the time to stop reading blog posts and watching YouTube videos, and begin to perfect your interview skills by actually doing it! Start getting an edge over your competition here!