Interests and hobbies, when put together can be meaningful pieces of a jigsaw. They draw a picture which sometimes can/cannot be described in words. But based on experience of HR executives, they will develop perception of a person and can expect a certain attitude and personality. And no matter how the candidates mislead the HR executives in some area, their interests and hobbies will tell the truth.
Our company is using interest and hobbies as self-development tools and medium. We use them to develop employees' vision by exposing them through many "enjoy life" activities. They enjoy taking part in these activities, which aim to train and develop employees' working and personal life. They will work more efficiently and learn to live with enjoyment. The following are some examples that demonstrate how we can read people through their interests and hobbies.

Music
Music is sophisticated and is a fundamental art. It comes from the environment that inspires human life. Vocal song is an easy type of self-expression. We have tendency to love songs that express our emotion or life. Listening or singing is the way to express one's attitude and philosophy. By the types of music that the candidates listen to, we have pieces of jigsaws to know how sophisticated those candidates are. For example; people who listen to pop song are more likely to be an average people. People who listen to rock music will be more aggressive in expressing self, more direct, and down to earth. Alternative songs will be more likely to attract contemporary and young generation people. People who listen to Jazz will be more sophisticated, calm and harmonious. People who listen to classical music are more likely to be very sophisticated ones. The classical music usually has no words to help express ideas. The beauty of the classical music is purely in its melody. The composition of notes, structure, pattern, rhythm etc. inspires the listener and the musician.
We have learned from our Classical Music Appreciation Course, taken by our employees. And learned from employees who play some musical instruments. And we even use music as a tool or medium to correct weakness and build up strength in our human resource development. The inspiration of a player will be deeper than the one who is just a listener. People who play music are more active and not passive. They tend to be calm, kind-hearted, doers, careful, and patient enough to wait as they play from note to note, etc. This can be the foundation of their vision and shape a person to be a good decision-maker in the future.
Type of musical instruments can also tell the character of a person. All types of instruments require a lot of hard-work and practice; however, they all have their unique way of practise.Types of music may fit into different types of instruments. For example; pop, rock, country music is usually for guitar. Saxophone is usually for Jazz. Piano and violin are mostly played by the classical musicians. In order to be more accurate in reading people, HR executives may have to make use of music and musicians. It is difficult to teach in theory but we have to learn it through experience.

Sport
We can predict right away that a person is healthy if he/she plays sports consistently. These people are health -conscious, competitive, active, alert, and often team- spirited etc. However, each sport shapes up the player differently. According to our unique enjoy life program, we try to use sport as one of the tools to develop self and increase individual's vision. The following are some examples of sports with which some HR executives may not be familiar. It can be seen that candidates who take some particular sport are interesting persons.

Golf
Nowadays, everyone in our company is able to play golf. And new employees have to learn to play golf in order to pass the probation. The concept behind this is to push employees to be alert and progress in their own lives. Employees' lifestyles has tremendous effect on the quality of their working performance. Golf is one of the world's famous management sport. Golf will teach us to know ourselves, know to control our temper, know how to make good decisions in the golf game, know how to control ourselves when losing , and get back to normal pace, etc. It is quite difficult to learn and play golf. Altogether, people will go through tough times in learning before it can increase their vision. Moreover, golf helps in making new friends and new social group, which will be benefit an employees' future business connection. Some people believe that golf is a mental game in which we play with ourselves. We will try to control ourselves to finish the 18 holes and make it as good a game as possible facing tough physical conditions under the hot sun in Thailand. Golf players are always result- oriented and like to take challenges.
Scuba Diving
The thrill of exploring the mysteries of the underwater world is very challenging and adventurous. Scuba diving can be a matter of life and death. The divers need to learn their physical and environmental limitations and manage them to discover the joys of diving. Proper instruction and training are important. The rewards of safe diving allow the diver to see and feel more than an average person can. People who can scuba dive are considered to be calm and stable, adventurous, and able to take risk. Most of them are nature lovers, people who think more than just self and share their love with species other than humans.
Sailing
People who can control external force will be more successful. Sailing is the use of such external forces as wind and sea to move a sail boat. It is not just a muscular activity but the courage inside the sailor that is vital. The reward of a good sailor is to be able to control and balance the force of nature, even under chaotic situations.
People who can sail are considered to be adventurous, patient, and can live harmoniously with nature. People who sail often can learn to be still when there is no wind. They can be patient enough to wait for the right moment to come. Because of the unpredictable nature and the adventure that they need to go through, they are trained to be brave in taking risk. Sometimes, courage is required in making good decisions in the business environment. The Internal force is easier to control and manage but external force is something that we have to learn to deal with. And people who can think and make use of macro-environment will have bigger vision and success. The sport will shape up the player through time and inculcate in their character, drive, talent and attitude.

Chess
People who play chess can gain the quality of a strategic thinker. We use chess as a medium to develop employees' strategic thinking skills. Chinese Chess, for example, composes of 16 units for each side. One movement will effect another 31 units. The person who plays chess will not take a one -side plan. They will consider the competitive move, and other detailed conditions. They think about counter action, see things as a big picture.
Other sports and outdoor activities
Above are just some examples of special sports that a few people play. Ordinary sport such as swimming, badminton, tennis, football, and volleyball etc. can be very meaningful. We check whether the candidates are good team players, or independent, or both, based on the sports they like to play. The future HR executives have to be open to as many interests and hobbies by themselves so that they can actual feel and read people.

Ranking favorite interests and hobbies
The more people are open to various hobbies, the more it shows how much they are open to life. However, in order to be able to know their precise personality, drive, talent, and attitude, the ranking of their favorite will provide a bigger picture. Test this with your close friends. You will know them more!