Employers sometimes ask people applying for jobs for personal information such as their hobbies and interests and whether they are married or single. Some people say this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Some companies want to know certain personal details about the applicants like their hobbies and

interests

, whether they’re married or not etc. In my opinion, the company tries to identify the person’s stability and workability through these details. While an argument can be raised against collecting

such

information, I feel companies are not wrong, and these markers are relevant for the organization.

To begin

with, an important aspect of screening potential employees includes their marital status. It gives the firm a remote idea of how long they will continue the job.

Further

, their marital status can show their inclination towards accepting transfers and new projects because it is possible that the applicant will not want to uproot his family to settle down in a new surrounding.

On the other hand

, hobbies and

interests

allow for gauging the person’s personality,

thus

throwing some light on whether he is a team player or a good addition to the team, and so on. These pointers showcase whether the applicant possesses the capability to handle the situation. On the flip side, it can be argued that these pointers never give a detailed outline. Numerous human resource executives stress the importance of an interview and how a live interaction gives them a better perspective of the applicant. They believe that selection must be based on a person’s knowledge and experience for the particular job and that one’s hobbies and

interests

should not be given excess importance while he is screened. One might even argue that

such

pointers seem redundant and outdated.

Furthermore

, one can choose to contribute more working hours to the company even if he’s married.

Thus

, the selection criteria for the job should be from the knowledge and experience of the person. To summarise, some employers consider personal information unimportant and may think of it as a mere formality.

In contrast

, others feel being aware of one’s abilities and

interests

will improve their performance and aids the selection process. Having these pieces of information is always beneficial for a company as it gives a greater peek into a potential employee.