Manager strictly uses unique 'hobby test' during interviews and only those who pass it are hired

As much as finding the right job is challenging, recruiting the perfect candidate who fits the role is taxing too. Recruiters have to make some difficult choices over the candidate's expectations and the company's requirements which may not align all the time. So, most recruiters or hiring managers follow a specific approach to ease the screening process. When u/Not_Again_Reddit asked hiring managers on the platform about the secret "special test" they've used, some interesting responses came in. "Hobby test" was one among them and u/RocketSquid3D explained how it works out in choosing the right candidate. 

In the comments, the head hunter pointed out, "I would ask about hobbies and then ask an uninformed but hopefully not insulting question about their hobby, even if it was one I was into myself." This is not to test their knowledge about their hobby but to know how they answer the question. "For example, if someone said they collected comic books, I would ask, 'Have they come out with anything new since the X-Men?'" the manager said. Their objective in asking such curious questions is to test the communication skills of the candidate. "Some people would make me feel stupid for not knowing something they knew," the recruiter explained.

It's a sure shot fail if the candidate humiliates or sarcastically demeans the recruiter's lack of knowledge. But how would one pass this test? Simple. They just have to give a polite and intriguing answer. "Most would politely answer and maybe explain a thing or two. The really good ones would treat me like one of the lucky 10,000 and actually get me excited about their hobby," the recruiter explained. "Since I was hiring for internal IT that would be working with senior level staff, I had to find some way to guarantee that they weren't going to inadvertently insult the founder or CEO," they added.

Turns out, the hobby test is not actually that discreet. Another Reddit user shared how their interviewer used this test on them. "I'm not a hiring manager, but I had one ask me who my favorite comic book character was after mentioning that comics were one of my hobbies," the individual said. "I went with Batman and Captain America. They seemed like good choices. I figured if I said something like Joker or Thanos that might be a red flag," they added. However, the candidate didn't land the job and they wondered if saying the names of villains like Joker or Thanos would've worked out in their favor. Since recruiters have their own reasons for choosing or rejecting a candidate, it's quite hard to predict what actually went wrong during "special tests" like these.

On a similar note, employers are now using the 'reception test' to see if a candidate is a 'good fit' or not. An employee who goes by u/sawta2112 on Reddit tipped the users of this unique approach used by recruiters in their office. "Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building. He was dismissive to the receptionist. She greeted him and he barely made eye contact. She tried to engage him in conversation. Again, no eye contact, and no interest in speaking with her. What the candidate did not realize was that the 'receptionist' was actually the hiring manager," they explained. The candidate's indifferent demeanor wasn't well-suited for the client-facing position and so, he didn't get the job. 

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.