mention homebrewing during an interview?

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it is an interesting hobby and could make you stand out, on the other hand, it could make you stand out...... as an alcoholic. :cross:

HurricaneFloyd said:

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it is an interesting hobby and could make you stand out, on the other hand, it could make you stand out...... as an alcoholic. :cross:

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Personally, I wouldn't unless I was interviewing for a brewery position, then it could be a huge plus.

An alcoholic brings a keg to the interview, a hobbiest shares his interest.

I told the Pastor Nominating Committee I started a brewery and they hired me.

Brewpastor said:

An alcoholic brings a keg to the interview, a hobbiest shares his interest.

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Well, that may be true in your world.

Mine, I am afraid of getting in trouble with the mental health people if I say that I drink more than 1 beer a day. No kidding, it is actually a question on our yearly health exam. 1 beer a day? Come on.....

I believe you. What a strange time we live in, where some believe people can't be trusted to be responsible. Now drunk weathermen could be a real problem, but Dude, I think you can handle at least two beers a day.

The prudent thing is to say as little as possible I suppose.

Brewpastor said:

I told the Pastor Nominating Committee I started a brewery and they hired me.

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I want to move and be part of that congregation! I work at my church doing music, but homebrewing isn't something I necessarily advertise, but It's not a secret either.

I told my doctor I drank a pint or two a day & he plotzed! I then realized he was a GenX and was thinking hard liquors. I added, ALE not booze.

I never mentioned clubs or affiliations on my resume or during interviews, except for professional and profession-related organizations.

david_42 said:

I told my doctor I drank a pint or two a day & he plotzed! I then realized he was a GenX and was thinking hard liquors. I added, ALE not booze.

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I told my Doc I drank 32oz a day and he said go right ahead, it was good for you.

He also said that the dark porters snd stouts I like are really good for you.

I consider it a reccomendation.

Cheers,

knewshound

In Pakistan, the beating continues

that's pretty much what I thought. I just pictured them asking me what my hobbies are and just blurting out homebrewing......oh, the interview is over? Well, thank you for your.... :SLAM!:

You know I have a lot of interesting hobbies that I have done. High power rocketry, bread baking, quilting, hydroponics... the list goes on with very diffeernt things I have done in the past. At an interview I don't think homebrewing is something I would bring up. However.... and I can not explain why off the top of my head... but wine making I would feel more comfortable with bringing up.

There is something about beer and people.... I see it outside of interviews much less during an interview. We had a thread of this before... you mention you brew beer and what is the responce? Are the all positive? We certainly found out that many of the responces we got were negative. Negative by how much..... 30%... was it 40%. 30-40% is a WAY TO HIGH of a negative responce in an interview situation. You'll stand out.... but 30-40% of the time in a negative way. With the unfortunate stigmatism that alcohol has in American society (thank you drunk drivers) along with the cut-thoat job market we are in now, I would have to believe that there are several other hobbies that you can more safely bring up in an interview.

Yeah during the interview isn't such a good idea. Once you land the job, however, is a different story. I am still hounded by coworkers and foremen alike wanting me to bring in beer. the problem is my beer is amost never in bottles anymore.......

ablrbrau said:

Yeah during the interview isn't such a good idea. Once you land the job, however, is a different story. I am still hounded by coworkers and foremen alike wanting me to bring in beer. the problem is my beer is amost never in bottles anymore.......

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I've got the same problem. Every once in awhile I have to bring a growler or two for folks to sample.

Interesting thread. I was recently contacted about a position with another company and exchanged several e-mails/phone calls with them (all seemed to go very well). The last e-mail I sent I mentioned the home brewery and included the link... haven't heard from them since.

So I'm sitting here thinking about what I said concernnig wine making. What do you think? Is it different? I just asked my wife... her first off the top of her head responce was "well that's different." I was having a conversation with my immediate family at a dinner and both mother and father asked me why I dont make some wine instead of beer, which gives me this other impression that for some reason, it's different.

You know I think this is part a media problem. Think about it..... your watching a movie and people are drinking beer... typically they are abusing it. You hear about the parties at a college dorm ... you never hear about the abuse of wine right.... they are downing beer and lots of it. Then again you see the media play on wine and what do you see.... upscale people... sipping wine... slowly. Sophisitcated conversation perhaps.... man does that SUCK of what.

It's all in the delivery. Are you a fat guy who looks like a heart-attack in waiting? Probably not best to mention brewing.

However, once you get the job it's safe to mention it. A lot of times businesses will ask you for some personal facts so they can intro you to the company or department. Then you can say "Well, I brew my own beer".

However, if you're fat, it's best to say "I just started riding my bike an hour a day". Especially if you have.

Well you have to admit. Nate's delivery was impressive! That is just one incredibly beutiful system you got there Nate. Anyone can see how much time, skill and effort you put in it, both technical and creative. Not to mention the website shows you are very skilled at computers. I certainly hope that was not the reason things stoped dead in thier tracks... but if it was..... and they did not see the skill.... your better off.

In most cases, unless you do some homework about the company/interviewer's attitudes and values, I think it's best not to discuss alcohol, religion, etc. just to be safe.

Unfortunately, I think there is a stereotype difference between "I make wine" and "I make beer" - what about "I have a home distillery" lol!

Beer Snob said:

Well you have to admit. Nate's delivery was impressive! That is just one incredibly beutiful system you got there Nate. Anyone can see how much time, skill and effort you put in it, both technical and creative. Not to mention the website shows you are very skilled at computers. I certainly hope that was not the reason things stoped dead in thier tracks... but if it was..... and they did not see the skill.... your better off.

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Appreciate the kind words. Really the only reason I mentioned it to the potential employer was because this company is in the ethanol business and has done a little brewery work. I should know in a couple weeks if they're still interested. It may just be coincidence that their communication stopped after the brewery e-mail... time will tell.

I agree with everyone though that wine making seems to be viewed differently than brewing beer. Sounds like we all have some PR work to do...

I think the only answer to the initial question is "it depends." It depends on where the conversation goes, how the interview is going, what kind of job you're interviewing for, etc.

In my line of work, interviews are gruelling 1-2 day affairs, and the search committee and the candidate typically spend quite a bit of time together, both formally and meals, etc. I can see where the conversation could easily get around to hobbies and whatnot. You don't want to share too much information, but you don't want to appear to be holding back, either.

Also, in high-stress, high burnout careers, having a hobby you are passionate about could be considered a real plus: keeps you balanced, helps you cope, etc.

There are a lot of variables but I would agree it's probably something I wouldn't mention unless I had some specific reason to think it's a good idea.

I posted a link a few weeks back where a Big Wig at Metra Rail (the train service in Chicago) was talking about homebrewing. The issue had a focus on B-schools, but they did a section on alternative schooling. This cat went to Siebels for brew training, so the entire interview was about homebrew.

Better off to mention that stuff afterwards, or based on how you hit it off with the hiring manager. HR might object, but if you sit down with the hiring manager and he mentions beer a few times, you can slowly lead him down the path to see if he's a micro drinker. If so, mention that you "just made an IPA that's (in my opinion) a little better than Sierra Nevada...just a hobby of mine..."

I had a guy coming out to bid on finishing my basement. After measuring, he came up and said "I see you brew. So do I. If I get the job, maybe we can swap a few." We didn't hire him, but that's just because we decided to not finish the basement.

This is ind of off topic but it's mine anyway, right? Anyway....

If the office you are going to is business casual, do you wear a suit to the interview or just a shirt/tie/khakis?

HurricaneFloyd said:

This is ind of off topic but it's mine anyway, right? Anyway....

If the office you are going to is business casual, do you wear a suit to the interview or just a shirt/tie/khakis?

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Assuming the suit isn't sky blue or yellow wear the suit. You spent a lot of money on it right If this isn't the time to impress the hell out of them, when is it?

HurricaneFloyd said:

This is ind of off topic but it's mine anyway, right? Anyway....

If the office you are going to is business casual, do you wear a suit to the interview or just a shirt/tie/khakis?

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You always wear a suit on an interview. No leeway on this. You're there to impress and put your best foot forward. Never consider not wearing a suit on an interview OR I'LL FREAKIN' KILL YOU!!!

Oh and HurricaneFloyd, it sounds like you might have an important interview comming up so I wanted to mention it cause you might not ask... yeah you send a thank you note... at this time, their time is worth more then yours And if you are going on an interview, good luck!

Some tips for an interview
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These are some things I've picked up along the way.

1. Always wear your best suit. Try it on well in advance to make sure it still fits.

2. Unless you're interviewing at an extemely conservative company, don't wear a white shirt. Too ordinary. Get a shirt with a nice color to it. It'll help you stand out. I have an extremely blue shirt that looks great with a black jacket, pants and tie.

3. Always wear a plain white t-shirt under your shirt. Pitting out is not winning you any jobs.

4. Call the day before the interview to confirm.

5. Show up no more and no less than 15-20 minutes early.

6. As soon as you show up, turn off your cell-phone.

7. If you're being interviewed by a woman, try to focus your eyes on her lips. Woman can feel intimidated by direct eye contact. BE VERY CONSCIOUS OF WHERE YOUR EYES ARE. My wife tells me stories every now and then where she interviews a guy who stares at her boobs. Stand up when she enters the room and when she leaves. Treat her like your mother.

8. If you're being interviewed by a guy, make sure you give him a solid thumb-webbing-to-thumb-webbing handshake. Look him in the eyes when you talk to him. Show no fear, show no doubt.

9. Command the interview. It's a sales pitch, and you need to be in charge. Stand up and walk around while telling a story. Use your hands to talk. Be big. Let them know you're energetic and passionate about your topics.

10. Always be conscious of your body language. Don't let your legs kick, your shoulders slump, your hands fretter nervously.

Finally, remember that 90% of the purpose of the interview is to make sure you'll fit in with their culture. Your resume shows that you have the education and skills, so what they're looking for is someone who fits in with the department. Be the buddy, not the nervous, twitchy guy.

...unless the position you're applying for is "Wanted nervous twitchy guy, preferably shut-in, to annoy fellow employees. Poor hygiene a plus."

Of course you wear a suit, even I know that.

thanks for the tips.

What if I am the nervous twitchy guy?

　鯰　 said:

...unless the position you're applying for is "Wanted nervous twitchy guy, preferably shut-in, to annoy fellow employees. Poor hygiene a plus."

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Yeah, I forgot to mention a very important part that your hygiene comment reminded me about:

DON'T SMOKE BEFORE AN INTERVIEW. Don't smell like smoke. Drive with your windows open if your car wreaks of smoke. Chew some gum just before the interview and freshen up with a light amount of nice cologne at least 10 minutes before the interview.

HurricaneFloyd said:

thanks for the tips.

What if I am the nervous twitchy guy?

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What if your a nervous twitchy guy..... (clearing throat)..... you can always have sex before the interview

Seriously though, one thing that helped me when I was in college and this is going to sound as dreadfull as it was. I actually had a career prep class and they video taped interviews all quarter. You were given a job description and had to come one day to an interview.... and they video taped it. They then spend a few classes showing video tapes and gettign suggestions from the class of what could be improved. Talk about pressure!

Remember the one question they are asking in thier head. There is pretty much just one. Why should I hire you? Screw the resume, like Cheesefood said... they know your education and experience.... its on the paper. What are you going to bring here to this company that is different then the last guy I just interviewed or the 40 more guys I have yet to interview today.

Don't forget the Thank you note buddy. I dont know if anyone else can commend on this but I have had like "Interviewer sessions"... an interviewer from some big company comes and talks to us about interviewing. Every one of these people said the same thing in the end.... Thank you notes are seldom sent.... and it impresses the hell out of them when they get them.

I've been nervous about this since I found out about it on Wednesday. I haven't had a real in-person interview in almost 6 years. I have what basically boils down to a stress-induced stutter so situations like these are avoided as much as possible. The good new is that after this afternoon I will go back to having normal bowel movements!

HurricaneFloyd said:

The good new is that after this afternoon I will go back to having normal bowel movements!

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Hey man... some of us are eating breakfast here!!




Good luck on your interview though.

- magno