What are your Hobbies? Best Interview Answer [Samples and Tips]

“What are your hobbies?” is an interview question that is commonly asked across all job profiles. Your interviewer might also ask something like, “What are your favourite hobbies?”, “How would you describe your hobbies?” or “What do you like to do in your free time?”. While you may have a list of hobbies ready but selecting the right ones and presenting them intelligently can leave a positive impression on the interviewer.

Read this blog to know all about how to answer “What are your hobbies?”, explore example responses, and discover tips on writing about your hobbies effectively!

How to Answer “What are your hobbies?”

Finding the best answer to “What are your hobbies?” can be challenging, as you need to consider several factors before responding. Your hobbies reveal your personality and passions, so it’s essential to share them with enthusiasm and a compelling story. Aim to keep your explanations concise, connect your interests to your career, and avoid controversial topics to leave a positive impression during interviews.

Start by mentioning hobbies that genuinely interest you. These can go beyond popular activities like reading and watching Netflix to include unique pursuits such as playing a particular sport or collecting items like stamps or coins. Here’s how to effectively answer the question, “What are your hobbies?”:

1. Tell your hobbies with passion!
   Mention your favourite interests or pastimes with zeal and then add an anecdote or backstory to make it interesting.
   
2. Hobbies can be the key to your personality
   One of the important reasons why an interviewer asks you about your hobbies is to know you better and where your innate interests lie. This can represent your personality so choose the hobby wisely.
   
3. Keep your explanation short and crisp
   While talking about your hobby, make sure that you keep it short and concise. For instance, your hobby is reading, after mentioning the same, add any recent book you have read or how you got interested in reading by putting a backstory to it. This will spark the interviewer’s interest in your profile.
   
4. Connect your hobbies with your job
   This is another golden brownie point you can earn by connecting your interests with your career. For example, as a business development manager, you like volunteering, mention how volunteering with different NGOs has improved your interpersonal skills, helped you learn about people of various backgrounds and further keeps you on your feet.
   
5. Explain how your hobbies make you a better person
   While hobbies are more connected with rejuvenating and unwinding, you can always mention how a certain hobby adds to a particular skill in your life. For instance, reading can help you become a better writer and storyteller while playing sports teaches us about teamwork, the importance of fitness and so on.
   
6. Don’t mention anything political or controversial
   This is a big no for answering “What are your hobbies?” as political opinions are often different amongst people and organisations while anything controversial can further leave a bad impression on the interviewer. So, stay away from adding any political interests or controversial hobbies.
   
7. Never say you have no hobbies
   Saying that you have no hobbies will also leave a bad impression on your interviewer. Instead, you can mention something you are learning during that point of time or anything interest that you have got inclined to, from learning something as simple as cooking to watching psychological thrillers, you can mention even the simplest of interests with a striking story.
   

Related Read: Self Introduction in Interview: Tips, Samples, Steps

List of Common Hobbies Suitable for Interviews

To assist you in answering the question, “What are your hobbies?”, we have compiled a list of common hobbies and interests that you can include in your answer:

• Volunteering
• Painting/Sketching
• Blogging
• Photography
• Arts and crafts
• Journaling
• Playing any sport like Cricket, Football, Basketball, etc.
• Cooking/Baking
• Making your own DIY: Crafts, calligraphy, etc.
• Home Decor
• Reading
• Listening to a particular music genre like Rock, Pop, Indie, etc.
• Podcasting
• Dancing
• Travelling and outdoor activities
• Social work
• Gardening
• Learning a new language
• Playing music like guitar, violin, piano, etc.
• Yoga

Best Sample to Answers ‘What Are Your Hobbies?

In interviews, your response to “What are your hobbies?” can reveal much about your personality and passions. To help you make a memorable impression, here are some best sample or examples to answers of ‘what are your hobbies and interests’ that showcase your interests with confidence and enthusiasm.

Sample 1:
“My hobbies are reading books and working out. Along with this, I also like cooking. While researching the company, I got to know about the in-house gym. Having a gym in the workplace is a great idea as employees can get to know each other better on a casual level apart from their designated roles.“

Sample 2:
“I usually spend my leisure time reading books or playing badminton. I like reading new and trending novels and my favourite genres include suspense, horror and thriller novels. Being a voracious reader, I believe that I have a strong vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. My zeal for writing gets its flair from my passion for reading books.”

Sample 3:
“I have a pet dog named Cookie and spending time with him is one of my favourite things to do. I also love to travel and I often plan trips with my family. But solo travelling gives me the bliss that I crave. Every year I look forward to exploring new places and catching up on some lifetime memories.”

Sample 4:
“I like participating in volunteer activities especially teaching underprivileged kids. I have been associated with a few non-profit organisations since my college days and I like spending my weekends helping these NGOs with different activities from teaching to organising interesting games and activities to make learning fun for kids.”

Sample 5:
“I like learning new skills and recently I have been interested in exploring different languages as they help me explore new cultures around the world. I started learning Spanish online and I have already cleared the beginner level. I generally spend my weekends focusing on exploring new Spanish words and watching Spanish movies to strengthen my grasp over the language.“

Sample 6:
“I have played football since high school and I have also been the captain of my college team. I love playing football in my free time as it helps me unwind, and relax as well as boosts my creativity and analytical thinking skills.”

Sample 7:
“My favourite hobby is travelling because I love discovering new cities and places around the world. I often save up for months to plan a trip every year. I love friends’ trips and family outings but solo travelling brings me the real adventure and thrill to venture into new places all by myself.”

Sample 8:
“I like spending time in nature and capturing all the wonderful moments of beauty with my camera. I have been doing nature photography since I was in school and is the best hobby I think I am truly proud of.”

Sample 9:
“My best hobby is meditating and spending my free time at meditation retreats. I think it has really helped me understand my mind and its complexities and in ensuring a better mental wellbeing.”

Sample :10
“Composing music and songwriting has been my favourite pastime since I was in high school. I have my own garage band with a few of my high school classmates and we spend our free weekends and holidays composing new tunes and performing at open clubs.”

How to Answer “What are your Hobbies?” for Cabin Crew Interview?

To answer the “What are your hobbies” question for the cabin crew interview, you must mention hobbies and interests that align with this job like volunteering (helping people), playing sports (teamwork), leading a certain club (leadership qualities), and similar hobbies.

Why do Interviewers Ask About Hobbies?

When an interviewer asks you the question “What are your hobbies or interests?”, it actually means that you have sparked their interest and they want to know more about you as a well-rounded individual that aligns with their company culture. Here are the key things an interview really wants to know and assess when asking about your hobbies and interests:

• To know what you are passionate about and your interests in other things outside of work.
• How do your interests and hobbies align with your work responsibilities;
• How you spend your pastime, whether on the same day-to-day activities learning something new or doing something creative.
• To discern a little bit about your personal life and the person you are outside of the work responsibilities.

Best Tips for Answering ‘What Are Your Hobbies?’

Let’s begin with discussing the best tips and tricks you can use while formulating your answer to the questions related to “What are your hobbies or interest?”

Ponder Upon your Skills or Qualities

Before you begin drafting your answer to “What are your hobbies?”, sit down and contemplate what excites you the most, what are your interests, and what do you like doing the most in your free time? Answering such questions will enable you to identify your hobbies, likes and dislikes.

Elaborate why you Like Pursuing a Particular Hobby

Give potential reasons for every interest or activity you mention for the question “What are your Hobbies?”. Connect a hobby to your childhood or elaborate on how you got interested in the particular activity and how it helps you blow off steam and enjoy your free time.

Judiciously Choose Your Hobbies

You might find interest in many activities that are unrelated to work but you must mention them wisely in a personal interview. The question ‘What are your hobbies?’ is generally put forward to lighten up the atmosphere but whilst answering it, you should not forget to keep it professional. Hence, you must carefully select your hobbies like travelling, any sport you like to play, reading, cooking, volunteering etc.

Highlight Work-life Balance

Whichever role you are applying for, you can easily find some points to relate to your current profile or the job you are interviewing for. Through this, you can easily build a connection between your skills, interests and hobbies. For example, If you are interviewing for a position of content writer, you can describe how you love reading books which have also helped boost your vocabulary and made you interested in creative writing.

What Not to Mention When Answering About Hobbies

No matter how well prepared we are, the choice of words also plays a key role in an interview. Hence, you must equally focus on what to say and what not to say. Take a look at the following tips on what not to mention when answering questions about hobbies:

• Avoid mentioning any controversial hobby.
• Do not explain too much about your personal life. Keep your answer concise and crisp.
• Make sure that the hobbies you speak about work in your favour and do not go against the job responsibilities.
• Never say ‘no’ as an answer as it can make a negative impression on the interviewer thus influencing their decision.

What To Say When You Have No Hobbies!

Some of the candidates get bewildered by this question especially when they do not have a hobby. In such cases, instead of panicking and awkwardly saying no as an answer, you should take your time and anticipate what you enjoy doing in your daily schedule. The interviewer basically wants to know what you enjoy doing and it would be simply anything that you like. During the time of the interview, you may be judged by your ability to answer the question rather than analysing what you like to do in your free time, thus, one shall never state no as an answer.

You may not be able to put something under the category of ‘hobby’ but there will be something that you enjoy doing apart from your daily tasks. It can be anything as simple as gardening, taking your pet for a walk, writing a journal, etc. Introspect and try thinking of something that gives you peace and happiness during the day. We are sure you will be able to gauge what you have been looking for.

How to Write about Your Hobbies?

Hobbies are often enlisted in a resume/CV and you can create a special section on Hobbies and Interests in your resume for the same. You can list up to 5-7 hobbies in your resume and even more, but wisely. Don’t mention very generic hobbies like listening to music or watching TV but go specific like what type of music you love or the type of TV shows and series you are interested in.

Related Read: Most Common Hobbies Vocabulary IELTS

What are your Hobbies Funny Answers

Now that we know the serious things to mention in the interview question for ‘What are your hobbies’, here are some fun answers and memes you shouldn’t take seriously!

Hopefully, this blog about how to answer ‘What are your hobbies?’ has given you ample information to draft your unique answer. Need help with crafting an impressive resume? Sign up for an e-meeting with our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you in resume restructuring and profiling and get you successfully selected for your dream job.