Job Vacancies And Jobs Search In Malaysia : Allyhunt

If you think this question is irrelevant, think again! Though it is not a question that falls under the “Top 10 most common interview questions” category, it is sometimes asked during interviews. Many candidates questioned the essence of such question as it projects no relevance to the job being interviewed. That’s where most people got it wrong.

As a recruiter, I like to ask this question during the final five minutes of the interview. This is the time whereby candidates are feeling more relaxed and communication is slightly unguarded.

From the answer, an interviewer can derive a number of things such as:-

1. His/her preference - working alone or in a team
2. His/her method of “unwind” from work
3. His/her long term plans or career goals
4. His/her values

His/her preference – working alone or in a team

At work place, how an employee work is more or less structured and determined by the management. Employees have no say. It is different with interests and non-work activities because we choose on purpose the things that we want to do with our spare time. We only CHOOSE the things that we enjoy and love. For example, I love to spend time with my dog. When I reached home, the first thing I do is to greet and play with her even though I got dinner waiting for me to prepare. Can you determine the type of person from the two different answers as follows?

Answer 1: I enjoy surfing the net to check out the latest gadgets and news.

Answer 2: I am a member of a charity club. The members come together during weekends to raise funds and help the poor.

It is obvious the candidate with answer (1) prefers loner activities whereas the one with answer (2) prefers to interact with people. A word of caution - that does not mean that the candidate with answer (1) cannot work with people. Therefore, the reply to this question should not be taken in isolation. An experienced interviewer should probe further to establish the candidate’s true preference.

His/her method of “unwind” from work

Any employer desires to have employees that know how to “unwind”. The activities chosen indicate whether he/she leads a well-rounded life or not. It tells you whether he/she knows how not to get “burnout”.

His/her long term plans or career goals

If a candidate is holding a part-time job and that’s what occupies his/her spare time, that tells a lot about the candidate’s long term plans. For example, a Software Developer that spends most of his/her time “blogging” and doing some “part-time” development work on his/her own may not fit the bill of a position that requires some overtime to be done. Is self-employment the long term goal of this candidate?

His/her values

A person spends time doing what he/she believed most. An answer such as, “I enjoy fishing with my daughter” tells you that quality time with family is very important to him/her.

With so much to tell from one “not relevant” question, shouldn’t job seekers pay a bit more attention to the answer given? All questions should not be underestimated after all..:)