To ensure that you enjoy the work environment of your next position, be careful in your answer to the question What are your interests?” In this article, Regina Borsellino explains how this question can help you determine whether or not the job is right for you. Some jobs can be truly hated. And it’s not just the boring ones or the ones with repetitive tasks. We’re talking about those jobs where every morning,g you wake up dreaming of quitting and checking your bank account to calculate how long you could last with the current balance before finding a new job.
Sometimes, the problem was a lack of understanding among co-workers. Other times, the problem was that the job you were hired to do was less exciting than watching the paint dry. Let’s just say that neither of these situations was ideal for employees, co-workers, or employers, and it often resulted in short tenure. There is one interview question that can help you, such as “What are your interests?” to try to determine how committed you will be to your role and your team. So when you answer this question, be honest. Pay attention: How does the hiring manager react? Do they seem engaged when you talk about something that matters to you? Here’s how to give an answer that sounds good and will help you avoid jumping straight into work you won’t enjoy.
Step 1: Understand why you are being asked this question
There are two different reasons why a recruiter might ask, “What are your interests?”:
- To discover what aspects of your job or career you’re most passionate about. Are you a marketing executive who loves creating campaigns for healthcare clients? Are you an IT professional who’s interested in all things cybersecurity? Or do you simply love any opportunity to learn more, solve a problem, or come up with creative ideas?
- To learn more about who you are as a person beyond work. Hiring managers want to see what value you would add to the existing team and may be wondering if you are “someone they would want to spend some of their time with at work,” says career coach Leto Papadopoulos. What would your conversations be like? What can they learn from you?
“If this question is asked at the beginning or end of a job interview, it’s a chance to share interests you’d talk about at a dinner party,” like passions outside of work, says Matthew, a career coach. But “if it’s a question asked in the middle of the interview, it’s probably more about what you feel driven to do in your career.”
And if you’re still not sure what the intention behind the question is, ask. For example, ask, “Do you mean outside of work, or are you asking about my professional interests?” and answer accordingly.
Step 2 Choose a real interest.
Regardless of why the interviewer is asking about your interests, you should be honest about what they are. “Be yourself,” Papadopouloss says. It’s best to find a work environment that works for you so you can answer honestly.
If you are talking about your job-focused interests
Go back to the job description or think back to what you’ve already learned about the position and the company during your research. What excites you most about the job? Why did you apply?
Choose something that you are genuinely interested in and can talk about with some emotion. If you say you are interested in Excel spreadsheets but can’t back it up with an explanation or a single bit of enthusiasm, you will come across as somewhat dishonest – which is not very attractive to colleagues.
This doesn’t mean you can’t be passionate about Excel spreadsheets. It all depends on what you bring to the rest of your answer. You could explain that you love Excel “because it’s a powerful tool that most people only scratch the surface of. I’ve been able to streamline so many calculations by finding the right formula or function, and it’s so satisfying to be able to solve a problem or realize that I’ve just turned a five-step process into a one-step process. Plus, I love when I can teach my coworkers how to do something new with it.”
With this answer, you’ll come across less like an automaton and more like someone who wants to learn more, solve problems, and help your colleagues with something they may find boring or confusing.
If you talk about your interests outside of work
In this case, “What are your interests?” is very similar to “What are your hobbies?”.
If you have a hobby that is directly related to the job or you know that people at the company share it, you can bring it up. For example, if you’re interviewing for a cosmetics company and you like to try new makeup looks, mention it. If you know that the company has bi-monthly karaoke nights and you like to sing, bring it up.
Choosing a genuine interest that you can talk about passionately will help you build a stronger connection and find the right environment. If I say I love spending time with my dog and the recruiter says, “We’re a pet-friendly office, and our Slack channels are full of dog pictures,” great!
Avoid discussing any interests that might not be appropriate for the workplace. Avoid religion and politics unless you already know that the organization is open to these discussions, or it is important for you to find out.
Step 3 Structure your response
There’s no set structure for answering the question, “What are your interests?” So think about what you want the interviewer to know about you, Papadopoulos says, and let that guide you. No matter what type of hobby you’re talking about, you should always include:
- What is your interest, and how do you actively interact with it (a brief description)
- Why you are interested in this
- What you get from it: It can help you learn or improve a skill and be exposed to new people or ideas…
If you are talking about a work-related interest, make sure it makes you feel valued in the workplace. If you are talking about a personal interest, you can mention some of the skills it has given you, but you don’t need to directly relate it to the job at hand.
When answering this question, remember that talking about interests, whether shared or not, is a great way to build rapport. So be prepared to answer any follow-up questions the interviewer might have about your hobby and let it flow like a conversation. For example, if you mention your interest in art and the interviewer starts talking about his love of Frida Kahlo, you could mention the exhibit you recently saw that featured personal artifacts alongside his work and ask if he’s been there, too. See how it goes from there. You’re always more likely to get hired if the interviewer leaves feeling like he had a good time talking to you.
