Job search: Passion as a competitive advantage

This post is part of a collective Job Action Day effort to help people thrive in the face of the current economic turmoil. You can find a list of other participating blogs here.

If you’ve ever interviewed for a job, you know how important it is to be able to clearly, concisely answer the question, “Why should we pick you?” Now more than ever – as increasing numbers of job seekers pursue a dwindling supply of open positions – it’s vital to be able to position yourself competitively.

I hear people talk about skills and experience when it comes to their job search, but not so many talk about the potential for passion to be a competitive advantage. And that’s a shame, because it’s a great way to stand out from the crowd.

Differentiate yourself with passion

Picture this scenario. Two candidates are in the final running for a job. They’re both similarly qualified. They share a similar background and similar skills. But there’s one huge difference. Not only is one on fire about the job she’s interviewing for, but she is also able to convey why it lights her up. She can say, “This is what lights me up, and this is why I’m going to be on fire about this job.” She can give specific details, not just vague positive generalizations.

Which one would you pick? If you’re a hiring manager, the answer is a no-brainer. You want employees that are energized and engaged by their work. When they can convincingly articulate why they would be, your decision just got easier.

How important can this be? Very. I recently had a client who was trying to make a change in the large technology company he worked for. He wanted to move from a programming role to a marketing communications role, which was a much better fit. Because of the work we had done together, he was able to make a convincing case for why he was perfect for the job, and he was hired.

Find your Passion Factors: Ask what, then why

As a job candidate, having passion for the work you do is great. But if you want to fully leverage the potential of your passion, you have to be able to communicate it. You have to take it out of the abstract and show how it’s relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.

To take passion out of the abstract and into the real world, identify your “Passion Factors.” What are those? Your Passion Factors are the underlying reasons why you love what you love. They’re the underlying characteristics that tend to be in place when you feel energized and engaged.

To identify your Passion Factors, take a look at what you have loved doing over the course of your life – work or play – and then ask, “Why? Why is this so much fun? Why is it so interesting? What is it about this that is so compelling?”

What you love is only part of the equation. Whether you realize it or not, when you say, “I love _____,” what you really mean is, “I love _____ because of _____, _____, and _____.” You and I might love the exact same thing, but the reasons why we love it might be completely different. Those reasons why that are your Passion Factors.

Do you love writing code? Why? What is fun about that? Do you love marketing research, or writing a strategic plan? Why is that so appealing? As you explore multiple things you love, you’ll find similar themes start bubbling to the surface. Those are your Passion Factors.

Maybe you love piecing together puzzles. Or maybe a sense of exploration and discovery is always there when you’re feeling the juice. Maybe you delight in analysis, or getting lost in that creative flow.

Whatever they are, when your Passion Factors are in the picture, you are more likely to feel energized by what you’re doing. Knowing those Passion Factors takes the guesswork out of it.

“Here are these underlying characteristics that tend to be in place when I’m on fire about something,” you might think. “And here’s this job that is chock full of these underlying characteristics that tend to be in place when I’m on fire. What are the odds that I’m going to be on fire about that job?” They’re excellent!

Communicate your passion

Understanding your Passion Factors allows you to clearly articulate not just how your knowledge and skills make you a good fit, but also how the very nature of the job will actually give you energy – energy that you can then put back into optimal performance. In essence, you can say, “I’m perfect for this job because it’s going to fuel me. Here’s how, and here’s why.”

To help you communicate your passion story, try this. For each of the Passion Factors you identify, write one or more vignettes from your past work experience where that has come into play. Think of it as creating a cheat sheet to help you tell the passion story. Demonstrate where the energy comes from.

Next, identify elements of the job you’re interviewing for that tie into your passion factors. You can do this both ahead of time and by asking questions during the interview. For example, let’s say the job requires a strong degree of organization, and you love, Love, LOVE organizing and creating order. You can use those vignettes of your past experience as examples, then illustrate how those Passion Factors apply with the new job as well.

Ask questions to find alignment

Do you want a job you know won’t energize you? Probably not. Not just because it won’t be fun, but also because you are less likely to shine if the work is out of alignment with what makes you tick. When you understand your Passion Factors, you can ask questions in the interview to really understand if the job is a good fit for where you’ll be at your best.

Keep planning for passion

Finally, once you do land the job, remember to keep using those Passion Factors to help guide your path. Use them to evaluate opportunities that arise. Share them with your boss so he or she knows what makes you tick. Having a clear understanding of what energizes you makes it that much easier for him or her to guide you down a path where you can deliver on your highest potential.

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Comments

[Jeff Pontes]

Great post. Passion is also something that can be developed by having a clear view of what it is that you want to achieve with your career. Setting personal goals and working towards achieving them provides many reasons to be passionate about what you do.

[Yael K. Miller]

I enjoyed this post. I would add NEVER go into an interview for a job you really don't want. I made this mistake. I went to an interview just to appease someone. It was horrible. Interviewing was never my strong point (I bought tips for effective interviewing after this incident) and with my lack of interest, I more than fell on my face. I bombed so badly the interviewer told me I needed interview help. So, don't go into an interview without passion and know how to communicate that passion.

[Curt Roesngren]

Jeff: Absolutely. And the more those personal goals come from what naturally energizes you, the more power they have.

Yael: Seems like everyone has at least one painful job interview experience. Glad you took some valuable insights away from it.

[Leonard]

Passion, the greeks asked this of everyone man that died.....did he have passion? There are good jobs if you know where to look-

www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
www.indeed.com (aggregated job listings)
www.realmatch.com (matches you to the perfect job)

Good luck to all those searching for jobs.

[Curt Rosengren]

Thanks for the suggestions, Leonard.

[Jeremy Schultz]

Hey, I represent this post (I'm the one that Curt mentions "was hired")! Nicely captured Curt, I'll have to share this with my boss. ;) Cheers!