During an interview, I usually ask the question: what are your hobbies? By asking this question, I'm hoping to get a passionate long winded answer, but this isn't typically the response that I get. In my field Engineering, I never get hunting or fishing as an answer. Typically, the answerfalls between work and watching movies; never is the answer archery. Well, I interviewed a candidate today that answered archery and carried on with a few stories. At this point, I developed rapport with the guy like I knew him since HS. Is it wrong to send out the offer letter at this point in the conversation???

Well it depends.

If you want to hire the guy for his "personality" then go for it.

As a manager, owner, HS, or whatever...you are trying to find the best canidate for the position. This includes qualifications, past performance, recomindations...all sorts of things.

The most "likeable" guy might not be the best for the job from a money stand point.

How well are his work ethics? I mean yeh a passionate bowhunter can usually mean a decent minded person. but will his passion come before his work? Im only 19 so take it with a grain of salt, but i wouldnt hire somebody because they love archery...

There is alot recent organizational behavior research that suggests hiring on personality is more prudent than hiring on pure credentials.

You could ask him one of the questions I was asked at my interview.

"If you have a femalewho you know has a two year old child that is dieing and may only live a few more days try to climb the fence. Would you hesitate to shoot her?"

Depends on how much land he has access too![8D]

Now there's a thought!

I think that this would largely be based on the kind of work/job.

Would you want someone who wore their heart on their sleve and got teary eyed at everything wearing a badge and "protecting" you?

This is how the interview/hiring process happens, I told my friends years ago when we were all graduating college, that the guy who could carry on the conversation, talk about the cubs, bears, is going to look the best. They all were worried about the best grades, qualifications, as long as you know your job/trade/skill and can answer a few general questions, which most candidates can, the ones that can't get tossed away, the others, it's going to be the guy who you want to work with, talk to at work etc...

Funny this should come up.I recentlywas sitting in an interview skills workshop with a recruiterthat does a lot of interviews for some pretty important positions. His #1 tip? Make the interview seem like a conversation, not an 'interview.' His point was that the traits that employers seek - work ethic, energy, interaction with clients - are demonstrated by someone's ability to find common ground and strike up a conversation. And of course their body language. Finally, he notedthat manypeople can do the work in any given job. That's the easy part.What makes them stand-out relative to the competition is their personality.