'I'm a manager – those who fail hobby test during interviews aren't hired'

Before heading to a job interview, candidates often spend countless hours preparing for commonly asked questions.

Despite feeling ready, there's always the chance of facing an unexpected question intended to catch you off guard or reveal your genuine personality. One manager, who conducts interviews at his IT company, claims this approach assists in selecting the best candidate for the job.

On Reddit, responding to 'Hiring Managers of Reddit, what "special tests" do you have for interviewees that you put them through without their knowing?

He shared: "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."

For instance, if someone mentioned they collect comic books, he might inquire, 'Have they come out with anything new since the X-Men?'. He's not genuinely curious about the hobby itself but is keen on observing their reaction to his question - looking for enthusiasm or perplexity.

He concluded: "Some people would make me feel stupid for not knowing something they knew. 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.

"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."

Another manager shared a different 'secret test' they employed to assess a candidate's attention, revealing: "I make them sit in a small room watching a video and leave then see if they gave the video their full attention or pulled out their phone by reviewing the recording."

Adding yet another dimension to