What a person chooses to do in his/her free time tells a lot about the person and their hobbies. That is why an employer asks this question to get to know the candidate well. Different candidates have different ways of using their spare time. Some of them schedule their free times, some of them go with the flow. Things that a person can do to enjoy in their spare time have a wider scope from hanging out with friends to reading a book or even volunteering for a charity or a project.
How to Answer “What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?”
Well, a candidate could never give a wrong answer to such a question, below listed are some points that one can know to give a smart answer to this question.
Relate your answer to the job requirements
Your answer could give the employer an insight into what kind of person you would be like to work with and whether or not you are a perfect fit for the company’s work environment. Therefore, as per the job requirements, you should put a little thought into your answer.
Showcase your personality
This is your chance you show what you are apart from your work life. Are you a fun person who likes hanging out with friends? Or are you a nerd who likes to read in their spare time? Your answer to this question will determine how you will be with your co-workers; will you be a person who will take time to get along with the fellow workers? Or will you be a team person from the start? The employer will get a clear picture of your personality.
Do not lie and Do not overshare
Do not forget that you are still a part of an interview and the answer to this question can increase your chances of being hired. Sharing your whole life story and history is strictly prohibited for answering such questions. Give the answer in brief, avoid going into many details. Be extremely honest with your answers and the interviewers are experts in spotting lies and made-up answers because they are sitting on the other side of the table for a reason.
Things to emphasize
- Your hobbies throw a positive light on your personality, so emphasize the good ones.
- Explain why you enjoy spending your spare time doing those activities and what changes does that make to your life.
- Share your favorite past-time activities that you enjoy and show enthusiasm in your answer. The employer should get optimistic energy from your answer.
- Mention some of the productive past-times that are related to your work like attending seminars, webinars, work exhibitions, etc.
- If you write blogs or have a writing hobby like maintaining a journal, mention that as well because reading and writing skills appeal to most potential employers.
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
Let us now read some examples of the answers to the question, “What Do You Enjoy Doing in Your Spare Time?”
Sample Interview Answers
Sample Answer 1
“In my spare time, I like to spend time with my family as I hardly get time to spend with them in this 9-5 routine. I am very particular about my health as well, so if I have 1 to 2 hours of spare time left after spending time with my family, I try to hit the gym or exercise at home for an hour or two. In the spare time I have in the morning I read newspapers and magazines as I feel it is really important to be aware of the current affairs around the globe.
Sample Answer 2
“I am a nature-lover, so I go hiking or some green place for fun in the free time I get from my work. Nature is like an escape to me, so mostly on weekends, I like to go for a mini-vacation anywhere near town. I also volunteer for some nature-related programs such as with organizations working for sustainable development or farmer welfare committees. I also am active on social media, mostly my posts are pictures of the places I go in the spare time and spreading awareness to save mother nature.”
This answer will show the employer that you have a voice. You like directing people and you have a sense of awareness which will surely add up to the benefit of the company that you have applied for.
Sample answer 3
“I like to spend most of my spare time writing. I have my own blogging website and I write on niche self-help and lifestyle. Whenever I face writer’s block, I switch to reading travelogues, or blogs by other famous lifestyle influencers. I also am part of a bloggers group where we share out ideas and stories that helps us become a better writer; my goal is to write 50 blog posts in a year. Through my blogs, I aim at spreading knowledge and positivity among people about how they can transform their lifestyle into a healthy one.”
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
This answer will show the employer that you like networking and you have writing skills that can help the company in some other ways.
Sample Answer 4
“Most of my free time I like writing poems. I have been writing them since I was in 10th grade. Writing poems helps me be more innovative and creative. I also spend some of my spare time hanging out with my friends and I enjoy this part the most. I like listening to podcasts as well, currently, I am listening to podcasts by Michelle Obama and Jay Shetty.”
Sample Answer 5
“I am a social person. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family in the spare time. I also like interacting with new people apart from the people from work. I and my friends always try to plan a day or two out once every two months as we all love traveling. Going on a long vacation is quite not possible as I am at my foundational career stage, so I try to devote most of my time building the career by doing work.
Sample Answer 6
“Most of my spare time is spent listening to songs from different artists and playing guitar. I am not really good at it but I am learning. One of my friends is himself a musician, so whenever our free schedule matches, he comes to teach me how to play different instruments. Music really does gives me positive energy to work better.”
Sample Answer 7
“I like scheduling my spare time. I start my spare time by journaling everything that I have on my mind, then after I do some yoga and practice meditation to maintain my calm. I cook really well, so I spend my spare time making new dishes as I really enjoy cooking. I am planning to start my own food blog really soon as well.”
Sample Answer 8
“I do a lot of work that involves physical efforts. Being on the field all day stresses me out. So, to be honest I enjoy spending my spare time lying on the couch, watching some documentaries on Netflix or other platforms. I also try to spend my weekends with my parents as I moved out from the home due to the long travel time to my previous workplace.”
Sample Answer 9
“My job involves staring at the screen for hours without moving from a sitting position. I try to stay away from my cell phone as much as possible, I try to receive only important calls. Considering how much time I spend sitting at my work, I like to go for a run in my spare time. I spend at least half-hour running or doing cardio exercises. I enjoy spending my time working on my health and fitness.”
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
Sample Answer 10
“I am working on a book. So, in my spare time, I try to write as many pages as I could as my goal is to get that book published before the year ends. So, I hardly get time to do any other activities but writing is like therapy for me, so I enjoy writing in most of my spare time. The book I am working on self-help genre and also includes a bit of knowledge about personal finance. After finishing it, I will surely get you a copy of it, I would really appreciate the feedback.”
These were examples of 10 answers for the question.
Conclusion
However, your answer will surely differ from these answers up to an extent but these answers will give you a fair idea of how you can answer such a question. Remember to be honest with your answer as there is nothing to lie about in this question. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Comment below your views on this article and share them with your friends and co-workers.
References
- https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/epajrnl1§ion=45
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1764873.1764884
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.