When interviewing job candidates, personnel managers not only evaluate a candidate’s work experience and educational background but also inquire about hobbies. Personnel managers try to justify these inquiries by noting that the enthusiasm someone shows for a hobby may well carry over to enthusiasm for a job. But such enthusiasm may also indicate that the candidate is less concerned with work than with play. Therefore personnel managers should not inquire about a candidate’s hobbies.
The argument is flawed because it overlooks each of the following possibilities EXCEPT:
(A) A candidate’s involvement in particular hobbies may indicate a capacity to make longterm commitments.
(B) Candidates who have no hobbies may pretend that they have one when asked in an interview.
(C) Inquiries about a hobby may put candidates at ease, eliciting more honest responses about important questions.
(D) Having certain kinds of hobbies may indicate that a candidate has good organizational skills.
(E) Personnel managers may make better choices among candidates if they are not restricted from asking particular types of questions.