From the Ask Tom mailbag.
Question:
You talk about the importance of Interest, or passion in the workplace and that we should interview for it. How does this play into job fit?
Response:
Elliott Jaques (Requisite Organization) talked about four specific criteria for success in any role.
- Time Span Capability
- Skills
- Interest
- Reasonable Behavior
While most of my workshops focus on Time Span Capability, the other three are as critical to success. I may possess the Time Span Capability for a role, and I may possess the necessary Skills to perform in that role, but if I lack Interest in that work, it is not likely that I will perform to a high level.
So, what is it, that we are interested in? What is it, that we have passion for? Especially in the workplace?
We have interest and passion for that work on which we place a high value. So when you include questions about values in your interviews (or managerial conversations), you seek to discover the interest and passion of the candidate for the work at hand.
While you may be able to beat me into short-term compliance for a specific task, long-term effectiveness in a role requires this Interest.
I have seen many examples of just this. A lot of my friends got degrees in fields outside of what they were actually interested in. For most of them, their first jobs were their last in that profession. Specifically, accounting seems to be one of those careers that has a high bounce rate.