Passion in the workplace

micahel: "The design/coding question is the second most important part of the screening. The most important part isn't a particular question but rather your overall attitude."

Amen.

Ability is important, of course it is, but ability without commitment, enjoyment or enthusiasm is just going to go to waste. If you regard what you have to do as a chore, just a task to be slogged through as if you were flipping burgers, then the question of your ability becomes moot, because you'll never develop or grow, and worse still you'll likely poison the atmosphere with your lack of interest. I don't want you in my workplace.

Where you can get away without passion is as a contractor. Contractors are the burger-flippers of our industry: we don't expect them to do any more than use their abilities to fulfil the narrow confines of the contract. So skill is everything and passion, while still obviously desirable, is much less relevant when I'm going to toss you in the recycling bin in three months' time.

Oh, and apologies to anyone who thought this was going to be about steamy romps in the stationary cupboard. I'd love to recruit for people with that kind of passion, but for some reason I never seem to be able to make the business case stand up.