What book have you recently read

Of all the questions that came up during the interview, the one that took me by surprise – a little – was this: What book are you reading now?

It reminded me of an anecdote I heard in a resume writing workshop. The instructor told us that a female interviewee was once asked the same question, or something similar. The young lady hesitated for a while before giving this reply: "Her World."

Some in the room chuckled, no doubt amused by the seemingly embarrassing answer. For one thing, Her World is a magazine and not a book. Even if one were to overlook that fact, surely it doesn’t say much of someone who decides on the choice of a light-hearted female magazine in a corporate interview, does it?

I don’t know if that anecdote was fabricated or was it based on a real account. Whatever the case is, it is true that in some interviews people do ask about the books you read. I guess this could be as innocuous a question as, say, What are your hobbies? It’s just the kind of questions people would ask to find out more about someone’s likes and dislikes. By knowing what kind of books a person read, one is also able to, in an intuitive sense, get a feel of the quality of a person’s mind. Thus, reading a leaden economics-related book or an eighteenth century philosophical writing may point towards the direction of one’s intellectual inclinations.

But of course, so much about this is guess work. Many of us, I am sure, read very normal stuff like modern-day novels, travel writing or fantasy books (I don’t), among others. (Her World is also very normal stuff, except that it belongs to the sister category of books - magazines.) It is in my opinion perfectly fine to tell an interviewer what kind of book you are reading (if you are reading one at all), even if it’s some frivolous, unheard-of novels. The important thing is not the book, but how well you can intelligently engage the interviewer with your response. Say something about why you are reading the book (which my interviewer asked) and show that you’re interested in the subject. After all, I am sure not every person conducting interviews is fabulously well-read to know each and every available title. That should give you the confidence to speak freely and engagingly. Just don’t get carried away.