What Do You Like to Do for Fun - Interview Question

Here's how to answer the interview question, "What do you like to do for fun?" During your interview, the hiring manager may ask you questions to see how your personality will fit in with the company's culture. What you like to do for pleasure is a typical question asked by interviewers. Learning how to correctly answer this question can help you create a good impression on the hiring manager.

Interview questions like this one can be hard to answer. They marry your free time and personal life with your professional life. They indicate whether you spend time working on a work-related subject matter (like a job-related skill). Or whether you're an interesting person in general.

Why do employers inquire about your hobbies?

Employers normally ask what you like to do for fun to get to know you as a person, but they also want to see whether any of your personal hobbies connect with the work tasks. Having interests outside of work that is related to job obligations may indicate to an employer that you are constantly practicing and developing skills that are relevant to the job.

The interviewer is also likely looking for character depth in you. They want to know whether you have any interests that promote a healthy work-life balance, since this can assist prevent burnout and added stress.

Because your coworkers will see and engage with you on a frequent basis, your hobbies outside of work are an excellent predictor of whether or not you'll get along with them. If you have the same interests as some of your possible team members, you are more likely to connect with them, which may boost your cooperation and overall effectiveness. Sharing hobbies and chatting about them at work in your spare time may also help to improve the environment.

You may also come across the following variants of this question:

• What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time?
• What are your interests?
• What do you do in your spare time?

How do you respond to the question, "What do you like to do for fun?"

Consider the following methods to create your answer to the question before to the interview:

• Make a list of your interests. Consider anything you love or find relaxing in your leisure time. Going to the gym, participating in sports or video games, or attending book club meetings might all be on your list. You might also include any volunteer activities you do on a regular basis, such as helping at a food bank or visiting senior homes.
• Determine which of your activities will make you seem the best as a prospect. Examine the job description for any essential tasks or abilities that the recruiting manager is looking for. Then, compare your list to the talents or duties you've identified. If any of your passions match, you can select one or two to discuss during the interview. For example, if problem-solving is one of the essential talents and one of your interests is playing brain-teaser games, you could wish to highlight that pastime.
• Consider how they distinguish you. In addition to discovering activities that make you a good candidate, you may want to consider interests that set you apart from the crowd. A unique pastime can help you stick out from the crowd, making you more memorable to the hiring manager. Live-action roleplaying, archery, and magic are some unusual hobbies. Consider how some of your intriguing activities help you develop certain talents or abilities that will help you deliver greater value in your response.
• Look for methods to connect your interest to your profession. Try to link your pastime directly to some of the tasks or abilities in your answer to demonstrate the immediate benefit they might provide to your work. For example, if you enjoy playing brain-teaser games, you may describe how this has improved your capacity to solve problems creatively.

Example answers to, "What do you like to do for fun?"

Here are some examples of responses with varied interests to help you create your own:

Example answer #1

"On weekends, I spend roughly three hours a day volunteering with a group at my local library. We read books to the children and provide them lunch. I enjoy doing this because I am enthusiastic about reading and providing children with structure and a secure place to spend their time when they are not in school. It's rewarding when a youngster thanks me for assisting them in learning something new or simply spending time with them."

Example answer #2

"I go to a local community center twice a week for yoga courses. It's a lot of fun for me since it keeps me in good physical shape. Yoga is also quite soothing and aids in the management of my stress levels. My favorite aspect of taking the classes is undoubtedly meeting new people and learning new things. I enjoy taking lessons to strengthen various skills, such as good breathing methods and mindfulness meditation."

Example answer #3

"In my leisure time, I enjoy keeping a journal. I believe it is critical for me to have my ideas sorted and written down at some point each day, and journaling provides me with a perfect avenue to do so. Every night, I attempt to devote at least a half-hour to write a new entry about my family, career, or ambitions. It gives me an extra opportunity to write on a daily basis, and it fosters excellent mental health.

I've also discovered that getting into the practice of writing and arranging my ideas assists me in doing the same for work. Every morning, I make a to-do list for work so I know precisely what I need to do."

Example answer #4

"When I'm at home, I enjoy playing video games, particularly puzzle games. I appreciate the fast-paced nature of video games, and I enjoy a little healthy rivalry among myself and my friends for greater scores. A little healthy competition helps me learn and grow so that I can be the best version of myself."

Common mistakes to avoid

You might believe it's difficult to get this typical interview question wrong. You're correct — even if you don't offer a spectacular response, this isn't a crucial aspect of the job interview.

However, a genuinely terrible answer will stand out in the memory of your interviewer and may lose you the job.

If you and another applicant have the same abilities and credentials, but she's just a more fascinating person to talk to, the hiring manager is more likely to hire her.

Avoid the following:

• Don't pretend you don't have any interests. Even if this is mainly accurate, it's not a good look, and there are many ways to phrase your hobbies to make them more accessible to others who are unfamiliar with them.
• Don't tell any lies. The best-case scenario is that you are employed just to find out later that you're not really like skiing, making you the office liar.
• Worst-case scenario, the hiring manager is a former Olympic athlete who realizes how little you truly know about it and terminates the interview on the spot.
• Don't say anything unlawful. Enough of it. Also, this isn't college, and your love of drinking and smoking isn't a pastime.
• Spending time with pals. This is tedious. Discuss what you and your buddies truly do. Rather than play video games or board games.

Tips for answering this interview question

• Begin vaguely, then gradually become more explicit. For example, before you start talking about your favorite Starcraft build orders, try talking about how much you enjoy video games in general to evaluate the hiring manager's interest.
• Be enthusiastic. When you start talking about your interests, make sure you demonstrate how essential they are to you. Speak with excitement, otherwise, the recruiter may mistrust your true interest in what you're discussing.
• Bring up beneficial hobbies. It's fine to discuss some of your less "interesting" activities, such as watching Netflix or going on long walks but be sure to balance them out by bringing up other positive pastimes as well.
• Bring up hobbies as a last resort. If you're having problems coming up with productive hobbies, try talking about your interests or hobbies that you've had in the past or would like to have in the future.
• Respond to the question directly. Don't try to escape the topic by talking about things you don't want to do. The hiring manager will be perplexed as to why you are attempting to avoid answering the question and will presume the worst.

Hiring managers want to know that you're passionate about what the job entails. And that you have a good work-life balance, too. This ensures that you'll be a beneficial addition to the company culture. It helps establish common ground between you and the other employees.

Hobbies to bring up

Here are hobbies that you may want to include in your response:

• Playing sports.
• Rock climbing.
• Having small talk with strangers.
• Volunteer work.
• Learning new musical instruments.
• Solving crossword puzzles.