Even though I’m sort of an interview geek, I still learn new stuff about interviewing every day.  For example, I never thought too much about finding a common thread with an interviewer until I heard the story of my friend’s med school interview then published a guest post about it.  I was so impressed while he described how his interviewer perked up when they realized they knew some of the same people.  After that, I knew I needed to make sure to incorporate this technique the next chance I got.

Remember, during an interview you are trying to set yourself apart from the other candidates.  One great way to do that is to find something in common with the interviewer.  This can be knowing the same people, or even sharing the same hobby, which I learned in my own job interview this week.

Towards the end of my very intense interview on Tuesday, the hiring manager asked me about hobbies.  When I told her that I loved to garden and was even starting a community garden in my area, her face lit up.  “My son is starting a community garden, too!” she said.  The remainder of the interview was a breeze because we were both much more relaxed after discussing this common interest that is not at all related to the job.

Even though job interviews are primarily about demonstrating that you have the appropriate skills for the job, it is also about demonstrating that you’d be a good fit for the organization.  Sometimes this is as simple as finding a common thread with the hiring manager.  We are all human and we all like to talk to people who we share interests with.  So don’t be afraid to talk about your hobbies because you may be surprised to learn that the hiring manager like to spend their spare time doing the same things that you do.   

These days managers are getting more and more creative about the questions they ask candidates during job interviews.  Don’t be surprised if you get asked “what do you do for fun” or “what’s the last book you read”.

For the most part these questions are easy to answer and work in the favor of the candidate.

The ”what do you do for fun” question: 

The hiring manager is most likely asking this because they may feel that having a hobby makes the candidate well-rounded and interesting.  The hobby itself can also be very telling.  If you have some strange fetish, keep that to yourself!

I’d answer this question by saying that I love to write, I’m obsessed with gardening and I’m a Chicago Bulls season ticket holder.  How does this help me, the candidate?  Well, it tells the manager that I may be able to help craft company documents, I like to be outside and that, during basketball season, I may need to rush out by 5:30 on home game nights.

The book question:

This is fairly straight forward.  Reading is great.  It keeps the mind sharp and exposes the reader to new words and ideas.  And I have no real proof of this but I’m going out on a limb to say that people who read leisurely are probably a little smarter than those who don’t.  It doesn’t matter if you prefer novels, biographies or science fiction - you can’t go wrong with reading.

I’m currently reading Food Not Lawns.  What do you think that book says about me?

Have you been on an interview recently where you were asked a non-traditional question?  How did you answer it?