Hobby on your DAF is the best fodder for the examiner to ask you some unstructured and unexpected questions. Moreover, in the pursuit of civil services, most often the pursuit of the hobby is sidelined. Therefore, this is one area where the candidates lack conviction and confidence.
A big question thus arise is what should be done for choosing a hobby and developing it. Over the years, I had following observations.
Firstly, candidates who even leave the hobby section empty and are able to justify this in the interview board, manage to score good marks. So putting hobby is not essential.
Secondly, The best way to answer a hobby question is to pursue it. It is not you who answer in the board. It is your confidence which speaks. So either you must be an artist who can lie to the board without being caught or better pursue it in reality. Now, the first choice is too risky so better go for the Second. And the best practice is to make it part of your weekly or monthly routine. So that, you do not have to engage vigorously just after mains to gather some insights into it.
Third, Devote your time immediately after Mains for hobby related activities. So for example, if you have filled book reading then better read few books about which you can speak. Keep in mind the kind of question which board may ask, in case you happen to appear for the Interview. If you have filled meditation then better meditate to practically experience it. and if travelling then better go on some tour.
Fourth, Do not give unnecessary importance to the hobby. And do not really pursue just for the sake of exam. Rather, give an intense thought to the question, "What are the activities which I really like to pursue?" I am sure you'll have an answer. Everybody has some or other activity which they like to pursue apart from studies or their routine things.
For those who are still not able to find a credible answer and who are not daring enough to leave the section empty Meditation, Net surfing, Solving puzzles, Debating, Watching movies are some safe hobbies. One can gather the titbits of these in a short time.
Fifth, Prepare the answer to the question "How would you use your hobby in the administration?"
Another noticeable thing is there is a difference between hobby and activity. Though one does not need to put too much energy on this subtle difference because for most of the candidates, it is one and the same thing. We use them interchangeably. However, Interviewer may raise a flag on this. So be prepared.
That's it. Nothing much on this. There are lots of other scattered things like find like-minded people who pursue a similar hobby, find questionnaire on the Internet, watch youtube infotainment videos on the subject, and read any one book on the subject for your own feel good thing. But a smart candidate can always manage without this superfluous effort.
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