Hiring managers often tell me they want employees who are passionate about their work… trouble is, they don’t know how to spot that characteristic in the applicants they interview. After all, it’s not like you can just ask an applicant if they’re passionate. I tell them to act passionately about the questions they’re asking; meaning lots of eye contact, facial expressions, and smiles, and lots of animated gesturing to let them know you’re really into the job at hand. Then sit back and see if they respond in kind: if an applicant can’t get excited and expressive about their answers in an interview, you can assume they’ll never act passionately about their work while on the job. Just because someone knows how to do something doesn’t always mean they’ll do it with the kind of gusto and passion that sets great employees apart from the rest. You’ll know it when you see it, so look for it, starting in the interview; and if they convince you there, remind them when you make the job offer that you saw it then and expect it every day they work. And then watch for it when you’re supervising, training, and coaching them. Anything less isn’t acceptable. That’s pretty clear direction. Don’t shy away from looking for and getting what you want and need to make your team stand out against the competition. That’ll make life interesting today.
Patrick Tillman Jr. (1976 – 2004); American professional football player who enlisted after 9/11 and was killed in action in Afghanistan
No comments:
Post a Comment