I have a high IQ, and when I am asked what my hobbies are, or what I do in my spare time,...?

Question

I find that I sometimes just get this look of astonishment...

I don't want to dumb-down my answers, but I am learning that there are a lot of DUMB people in the world.

My hobbies are Photography, Egyptology, studying Haiku's, Reading, working on models, Sculpture, and I collect Hatori's and Obi's.

(the egyptology thing always freaks them out and so does the haiku's, and the obvious question of what are hatori's and obi's).

-it actually gives me a chance to explain some of my life to them when I explain what these things are... I kind of like that little break- and it makes MY INTERVIEW a little more personal. I was also told to make an impression that they will remember...

should i just start saying something like "shopping, family and friends"?

once i get the job, won't they know about me anyways?

i think it is important to be honest, I also think that it is important to sound smart.

I don't think that these make me sound all that over- the -edge, do you ???

i'm not trying to say that I am a brainchild. these are my actual hobbies. I thought that they made me sound well-rounded, but I ended up giving a different impression.

I just really want this job, and wanted to see how they sounded, and get some advice before i had the interview.

thank you for your POLITE answers!!!

Answer 1

The best piece of advice I ever recieved was the following:

"The easiest way to turn people off is to use words that make them stop and think. We live in a fast paced world and no one wants to slow down to grab a dictionary."

You have to ask yourself how your hobbies relate to a job. Reading... ability to communicate. Photography, working on models, sculpting... attention to detail. Egyptology... unless you're applying for a job a museum, it doesn't relate. BUt if like one person above suggested, relay it as the fine arts, then it not only is it relating better, it doesn't make you sound pompous or weird. And even though a job offer is based on skill, a good portion of it is based on personality.

Your ranting on here makes you sound over-the-edge, so if you have the same arrogance in an interview, it would hinder your getting hired. Most companies don't want to deal with an employee with a superiority complex.

Managers and HR personell don't normally have the time for a long interview that includes explanation for every hobby. You are wasting their time by assuming they want to see how intelligent you are by explaining your unique hobbies. The interview should focus on your skills and what you can do for the company.

People have a tendancy to try to hard to sound smart. Another potential downfall is that they may pass because they are afraid you will get bored. Companies do not take risks on employees that will leave in the first year. My advice is to get the job and then show them how intelligent you are by the work you do.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, you will have to dumb it down. Their are a LOT of dumb *** people in America's work force. And the sad thing is most of them graduated college (graduating college doesn't hold as much weight if you don't know how to apply what you learned).......Anyway, your hobbies are not the typical hobbies expressed during job interviews (I say this without knowing your age). What people don't understand tends to scare them, it's human nature. The reading, working on models (as long as they are not obscene), photography and sculpting is fine to mention. Try replacing Haiku with poetry. Replace Egyptology with expressing an interest in history, particularly ancient. I have no idea what Hatori's and Obi's are so I wouldn't mention it.

Also, I would keep it to three, no more than four, things that you want to mention as hobbies.

Interviewing for a job is a game that both parties participate in. Your goal is to make a good impression through conversation and appearnce. Tell them what they want to hear but don't be so obvious that your doing it. Be well groomed and dressed to kill. You sound like a really smart guy though so you should be fine

Answer 3

I don't think your interests make you sound over the edge. In fact, I'd think any smart employer would be pretty impressed by them.

The one concern I have is that some of the activities might confuse people. For instance, I have no idea what "Hatori's and Obi's" are. And I'm not sure what you mean by "working on models," though I'm sure you'd clarify if I asked.

Confusion can be dangerous in a job interview because, when people get confused, they sometimes get defensive. And this could lead the interviewer to think you are a bit odd (for lack of a better term) and that you might not be a good fit for the work environment of the company in question.

That said, I definitely don't think you should dumb down your answer or lie. You should just use your intelligence as a selling point without being too arrogant about it.

Answer 4

Interviews are about "selling", i.e."social IQ", in this case you would be selling yourself, your personality, your aptitude, skills, knowledge and other abilities.

When selling something you need to build rapport, rapport generally requires finding commonality between you and the potential buyer.

You can sell the idea of these "exotic hobbies" but under what "frame". Frame of mind that is.

If you seem obvious at gloating about your high IQ then a potential interviewer might see that as a major personality weakness. Humbleness is something that is often in high demand especially when others can see that you clearly don't need to be humble. They may feel that the person has a low social IQ that may result in future internal personality conflicts etc. In some cases raw intellectual brain power is all they are looking for but that is often NOT the case.

This thing about not hiding who you are bla bla bla come on we are talking about an interview and no one will ever get to know exactly who you are in one or two hours, so we are left with importance of first impressions.

You should be working on finding common ground between you and the interviewer "building rapport" <<< it's a "social IQ" thing, so that you earn the right to continue to show how your personality and skills match well with what the job requires. How you will be a TEAM player as apposed to some primadona.

My answer in not meant to be polite it is meant to be "REAL", deal with it!

Usually someone with a very low social IQ will have emotional instabilities that will prevent them from having common sense no matter how high their intellectual IQ is.

So don't be rude calling others dumb because they have average IQs and/or don't know about your exotic hobbies. I am sure we can find very bright people who don't know much about your hobbies, doesn't automatically make them dumb.

Answer 5

This isn't really about dumbing-down it is about being honest while gearing your interview toward the position that you are applying for. Think about why they would ask about your hobbies in an interview. If the job entails working with people, most often they ask that question to see how and when you interact with people. Listing hobbies that are not common would not gain points in that area.
The best advice I can give about sucessful interviews is to think about what they are trying to get at with each question. Your intelligence will shine through in the way that you answer the questions, regardless of whether the hobbies that you list require a lot of intelligence.

Answer 6

If you are seeking a job, it is important to come across as friendly and professional. Talking down to the interviewer or making that person uncomfortable with strange terms and hobbies is not going to make that possible. I don't think you should lie, but you can easily be less specific. I have the same problem as you and I generally say that I enjoy the outdoors, do-it-yourself projects, and reading. Those are pretty safe and won't arouse the suspicion that you are more than a little taken with yourself.

Answer 7

The problem is, your list sounds like you're trying too hard to impress them. You might as well say "I enjoy metallurgical experiments, deriving calculus equations and pondering existential dillemas while solving Rubik's cubes with my eyes closed."

Maybe only list 2 or 3 of them, not the whole list. I could list off probably 20 hobbies that I participate in with varying frequency, but if someone asks me in an interview, I don't want to sound pretentious. Try saying "I'm very into photography and collecting traditional Japanese kimonos" (most people will know what that is and it's close enough, really).

Then don't go into some long monologue about your terribly intellectual hobbies (is there anything more boring than listening to someone talk about poetry that you don't care about?). Only elaborate if they ask you to, and say "I shoot a lot of black and white film, landscapes mostly, and develop them in my home dark room," or whatever.

If your IQ is so high, why do you use an apostrophy to pluralize nouns?

Answer 8

Been there, done that!! LOL! Sorry, but it's SO true. However, such an over-display will often intimidate people. I'd pick three of them (your top 3 favorites), only one of which is "edgy", and NOT one that prompts questions like the obis and hatoris (nice! I do oriental myself, but mostly dresses I can wear someplace.).

Don't ever make the mistake of causing an interviewer to reveal that they don't know something -- this sets a bad impression. Let them get to know you slowly, so they can adjust. You want them to remember you, but NOT think you are too oddball to fit in there. And you are there to answer their questions that pertain to the job, not your personal interests.

This doesn't mean to be dishonest -- just judicious in the extent of your honesty!

Answer 9

If you are concerned, then you might want to just stick with "Photography, Sculpting, working on models and reading." This gives an accurate description of your hobbies without overdoing it by listing some things that some people may find odd to have as a hobby. Good luck in your interviews.

Answer 10

Just tell them, you can keep the terms general and common though, so they can follow it. You don't want to come across as confusing to listen to. Mainly they are looking to see if you have any. By having specific hobbies it shows them a few things, mainly that you are well rounded and can think about a variety of things, but, most importantly, you have a method of stress relief. That is really what they need to know, do you have a way to unwind after the job and come back refreshed the next day.