Interview tips: What do you do for fun?

During job interviews the question “what do you do for fun?” often comes up, but how do you answer this? Here, at Paramount Personnel, we have compiled a list of things to say and not say to appropriately respond to this.

Interviewers ask what you do for fun to help decipher whether you’re a good fit for their company. Your answer will help them to see whether you’ll fit in with the workforce, have a healthy work-life balance, and how dedicated you’ll be to the role. It’s important to employers that you have interests outside of work, this shows how you unwind and balance stress. Your answer also indicates what sort of personality you have – and personality is important when fitting in with a team.

What to say?

Do you have any hobbies that you regularly enjoy partaking in e.g. fishing, baking, or playing sports? By listing your hobbies not only are you telling your prospective employers what keeps you occupied but can also be an indication as to what skills you have. For example, fishing takes patience, playing sports takes teamwork etc.

Be honest - if socialising with your friends is something that you do on a weekend, it's important to the employer that you have a support network. Avoid mentioning anything that will affect your work performance e.g. employers will not want to hear how much you enjoy a good party! Remain professional when thinking up a perfect answer.

It’s also important not to fabricate answers, and word your responses thoughtfully rather than making things up. For example, if you say fishing is a hobby and they ask leading questions you can’t answer, you will come across as dishonest and untrustworthy.

A great example on how to answer this could be:

"I enjoy playing 5-a side football once a week with my friends at our local sports hall."?This response shows you are a sociable person, are physically fit and is somebody works well in a team.

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