How to answer the interview question: What are your hobbies and interests?

While graduate employers are interested in your skills and qualifications, they will also be keen to know that you’re a well-rounded and balanced individual.

No-one wants to hire a workaholic with no life outside of the office, and someone who has pursued passions and interests out of work or alongside their studies will be able to offer a number of transferable soft skills.

Whatever hobbies you choose to mention, the fact that you are able to discuss them will indicate that you are enthusiastic, dedicated, and adaptable.

These are skills that will be beneficial to any business. Take a look at these free courses for upskilling.

As well as demonstrating that you are a well-balanced individual, the hobbies and interests you choose to talk about will signify particular soft skills.

Make sure you discuss your hobbies and interests with enthusiasm.

It’s a great chance to prove to the employer that you are passionate about the opportunity.

Try to relate your interests and hobbies back to the job description by highlighting the transferable skills that you could apply to the job role you are applying for.

Often, employers will ask you about your hobbies to assess whether you would be a good culture fit for their company.

If, for example, a company is big on volunteering, hearing that you’ve been heavily involved in charity or community work would indicate to an employer that you would be a good match.

Likewise, if a team is heavily involved in outdoor activities, your involvement in similar pursuits would signify that you’d be a great cultural fit.

Check out our blog post on 10 things graduate employers find more impressive than your grades.

An employer will be able to tell straight away if you are lying about your interests.

Not only could this be a source of huge embarrassment (imagine if they have follow-up questions!), but being insincere about your life outside of work could be a red flag for any employer.

Lying about your hobbies could imply that you aren’t the kind of well-rounded individual an employer would want at their company

While this question is relatively informal, mentioning hobbies that aren’t work-appropriate is a big no-no.

Avoid hobbies that are related to taboo topics.

Telling an employer that you like drinking or gambling could, for obvious reasons, fail to give them a great first impression of you.

So, stick to mentioning interests that are relatively uncontroversial, and keep it professional!

On the flip side, giving answers that are too vague or generic can be equally detrimental.

If you say that you like music, for example (something the vast majority of people would claim to be interested in), an employer might be led to think that other candidates are more unique than you.

Make sure that your hobbies are things you actually take an active interest in.

Support your answers to hobby questions with events you have attended, groups you’re a part of, or activities you’ve partaken in.

You might have a long list of hobbies and interests that you enjoy in your spare time, but you don’t want the employer to lose interest.

Choose 1-3 hobbies that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.

And, instead of just listing them, talk in more depth about each one.

Mention the transferrable skills you have gained and what your personal goals are for the future.

Before you go into any graduate job interview, think about which of your interests will be most attractive to an employer.

Then, construct an answer that shows you’ll be an asset to their business.