As a recruiter, business owner, or HR professional, you know that interviewing job candidates involves more than merely looking at their job background, education, and skills.
These are important, of course, but don’t forget to take a look at candidates’ hobbies because doing so can help you assess their personality, their work ethic, and how they might fit into your company’s culture.
Hobbies offer a peek at someone’s interests and how they choose to spend their free time.
Understand their “off-hours” life and you can get a more overall picture of who they are as a person (even how they see themselves) and how they potentially could contribute to your company or department.
Some examples:
- A candidate who enjoys team sports could have strong communication and collaboration skills. They’re no doubt used to working towards common goals. They support their teammates. They adapt to ever-changing circumstances. And so on. Such qualities could be useful in a team-oriented and/or fast-paced environment.
- Candidates who prefer more solitary hobbies such as painting, writing, programming, gardening, etc. probably have a good deal of self-motivation, self-discipline, creativity, and even problem-solving skills. They often work well alone (and may even prefer it). They probably find it easy to take initiative and aren’t afraid to experiment (“try it and find out if it works”).
- Runners, surfers, kayakers, etc. probably have developed mental and physical toughness. They’re disciplined and have a knack of hanging in there when things get hard. These traits can be valuable in a workplace dealing with deadlines, high-pressure situations, and setbacks.
Talking about hobbies during the interview.
Consider asking candidates questions about their hobbies and interests and ask them to talk about them when interviewing. Ask them how these hobbies have helped them develop as people, as employees. What skills do they believe they have honed as a result of these hobbies and after-hour activities? How will these skills help them in the job for which they’re interviewing?
You certainly wouldn’t use hobbies as a make-or-break issue when interviewing candidates.
But looking past their professional experience and considering their after-hours interests and skills can provide you with a fuller understanding of their potential with your team.
The recruiters and staffing managers here at Debbie’s Staffing hope you will consider putting us on your team when you’re looking for great talent.
Learn more about our staffing and recruiting services.
