Answering Interview Questions: Tell Us about Your Reading Habits

Interview Question ReadingAside from being curious about how effective you are at performing daily tasks and how well you work with people (e.g., coworkers, employers, clients), your interviewer is also interested in your hobbies and other talents. Sometimes, they will even ask about personal things such as dreams, long-term goals, childhood experiences, hobbies, habits, or whatever else they want to ask.

 

One question that they sometimes ask pertains to your reading habits. They want to know what kind of reading you do on a daily basis. You might wonder: Why would they be interested in that? Here are some possibilities:

  • Your interviewer might want to know if you’re keeping yourself updated on recent news in your field.
  • Your interviewer may want to know what kinds of reading material you read and if it has any relation to your job.
  • Your interviewer might be interested in the things you’re concerned about.
  • Your interviewer may be concerned about your willingness to learn, since reading is typically a way to learn new things.

How will you respond to the question? If you love reading, it’s simple. Tell the interviewer about your reading habits. Tell them what is it about reading makes you want to do it. You should be to answer this question with no difficulty.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who is not really fond of reading, don’t worry, because you can still provide an answer to your interviewer. Here are some guidelines:

  • Blogs, Newspapers, Magazines. Even if you don’t read as a hobby, you can tell your interviewer that you spend time keeping up to date with the latest trends in your field and that you use industry-related blogs/newspapers/magazines to learn new skills.
  • Calm down. If you get asked this question, you might be tempted to panic if you’re not an avid reader. You need to understand that they’re really not looking for someone who can finish a novel quickly; they just want to find out if you keep yourself up to date and are willing to put in the time to learn.

The best advice of all is to start reading. It helps you learn how to focus while giving you information and ideas you can’t get elsewhere. It’s a habit that is developed over time. There is no need to worry if you’re not a natural bookworm. Knowing that reading is an essential part of a successful career is enough.

Read 16943 times Last modified on Tuesday, 08 March 2016 18:57
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.