Employers will ask plenty of questions to check for fit. When your interviewer asks, “what’s your greatest weakness?” they’re seeing if your flaws will affect your job performance. Another question, “why should we hire you?” assesses your skills, experience, and achievements.

But questions like “what are your hobbies?” seem to have nothing to do with your position at all.

Many candidates seem to agree, as they’re more likely to talk in length about their obsessions or newfound passions. After all, they’re just asking this question to get to know you, right?

While recruiters want to see if you’ll get along with their team, they’re more interested in how you use your free time. Our interests and hobbies say a lot about us and often impact how recruiters choose applicants. In fact, a relevant interest could set you apart from the rest.

When it comes to answering the “what are your hobbies?” question, there aren’t many wrong answers. However, some choices are smarter than others, so put some thought into your reply.

What Recruiters Look for When They Ask the “Hobbies” Question

The only way you can answer the “hobbies” question correctly is by understanding why they ask what your hobbies are in the first place.

Here’s why your recruiters care about your interests.

Recruiters Want to Check if You’re Well-Rounded

Good employers don’t want to hire workers that literally live to work. Workaholism and burnout go hand in hand, and someone who has nothing going on outside of work is likely anxious or unhappy. A person who’s engaged in an assortment of hobbies can manage stress better.

Although being diverse is essential, don’t list too many hobbies at once. Only mention one, two, or three interests that occupy your free time. If you go overboard, it could imply you’re indecisive, you don’t commit enough time to each hobby, or that you stretch yourself too thin.

Recruiters Want to See You’re Honing Your Skills

Continuous learning describes a self-motivated persistence to acquire new knowledge. If you’re someone who cares about learning, you’ll be more confident, absorb new perspectives, and remain relevant. Employers want to find someone who’ll grow with the company long-term.

Any hobby could fall into this category if you plan your answer. For example, if you like to draw or paint, you can talk about how much you’ve grown as an artist over the past year. Talk about how you’ve progressed and what you did to overcome challenges or difficult plateaus.

Recruiters Want to See if You Set and Stick to Goals

Goal-setting is essential if you want to be a productive member of society. If you set goals in your free time, you’ll likely reach important milestones at work. It could also indicate that you can break larger goals into smaller, less complicated parts, which makes them easier to reach.

You can set goals for any hobby, but try not to undercut yourself. For example, if you’re training for a marathon, don’t say you’re training for a 5K run when you’re actually training for 10K. It’s okay to brag a bit and sound proud of yourself when discussing your accomplishments.

Recruiters Want to Check if You’re Easily Distracted

Creating and setting goals will be considered a positive personality trait, unless your hobbies are entrepreneurial. If you’re trying to build a business in your spare time, stating this plainly or in a round-about way (i.e., you build websites in your free time) could be a red flag for employers.

The last thing you want your employer to feel is used, so don’t imply that you’re using this role as a jumping-off point. Even if you say your hobbies won’t impact your job performance or lead to anything major, you’re still suggesting that your job is temporary until you start your business.

Recruiters Want to Know You’re a Team Player

Most jobs involve a level of group interaction and support. Great things can be achieved if teams work together, build strong bonds, and utilize everyone’s unique skills, knowledge, and personality. Company-wide motivation relies on team synergy, trust, and formal feedback.

Any hobby that demonstrates you’re a team player will be well received by recruiters. For example, team sports require that you trust your team to make the right calls and offer feedback when plays go wrong. You can’t win games or complete projects if you don’t work as a team.

Recruiters Want to Check if You’re Passionate

Recruiters and interviewers will judge your body language when they ask this question. If you sit up, smile, and nod your head as you talk, they’ll think you love what you do. They’ll assume you’ll bring the same level of excitement, love, and passion to your job every single day.

If you’re able to connect your hobby with your job in some way, they’ll be even more interested in hiring you. For example, if you’re applying for a graphic arts position, you could say that you love to draw comics in your free time. This shows you’ll be committed to your new role.

Recruiters Want to Check You’re Not Too Passionate

While being passionate about your hobbies is a good thing, you could set off a few red flags if you aren’t careful. If you’re applying for an engineering position, but you go on and on about how much you love to design websites, your recruiter may think you’ll change your career.

If you’re worried you’ll cross the line, rehearse this question until you can quote it. Your answer should only be three to four sentences long. Discuss how your hobby will benefit the team and use an example of your hobby-learned skills in action, so your recruiter can paint a picture.

Recruiters Want to Know You’re a Strong Leader

All business owners have varying experiences and perspectives on what makes an effective leader, but they rarely underestimate their need. A strong leader who has faith in their beliefs, makes hard choices, and respects their team is really hard to find, keep, and effectively train.

If you lead a charitable event, club, or community activity, you should mention your involvement, even if your job doesn’t require leadership or management talent. If your employer values you, they’ll recognize your ability to lead a team, which will put you first in line for a promotion.

Recruiters Want to See if You’re Problematic

Recruiters aren’t just looking for positive answers; they’re also assessing if your hobbies could cause problems. Avoid mentioning any hobby that could reveal your political opinions, as it’s none of your employer’s business, and you could be considered controversial by your boss.

Don’t say you “don’t have any hobbies,” either, even if it’s true. Remember that your recruiter is judging your fit, so neglecting to answer a question could leave you out of the running. Finally, stick to commonly held hobbies to ensure you’re not misunderstood or perceived as abnormal.

In Conclusion…

Answering the “what are your hobbies” question can seem strange at first. It looks like a throwaway question, but in reality, it reveals important information that could put you in the recruiters’ good graces. A well-planned answer can set you apart from other candidates.