What if someone's passion is arduino or soccer? Do you disqualify the candidate if they're a good software engineer even if they have another overriding passion?
Software/“the job being interviewed for” is rarely the candidate’s passion. The question is meant to examine how someone expresses their passion.
If it’s soccer, do they organize a group to play or watch matches? Do they coach or volunteer at a soccer related organization? Usually people have a good answer, because it’s their passion.
However, you do get people who say the equivalent of “soccer is my passion,” and then if you ask basic follow ups about the last time they played or even watched a match, they don’t have an answer or they’re not remotely excited. When someone can’t communicate anything about their “passion,” they likely either lack communication skills or have very little drive
Ah got it. This made me think of a time I met a passionate interview candidate. There was a dev we interviewed a couple years back who wrote novels in his spare time and self-published them on Amazon. He pitched his latest book and tried to sell each person on the interview loop a copy. 😂 During the hiring committee meeting afterward, we all realized that he had done this for everybody—all five people! We had to admit that the guy had passion ... but we also declined on the very same basis. Most people felt it was inappropriate and used up interviewing time. 🤷
“What’s your passion?”
It’s more of a disqualifying question because you’ll eliminate people who don’t have drive
What if someone's passion is arduino or soccer? Do you disqualify the candidate if they're a good software engineer even if they have another overriding passion?
Software/“the job being interviewed for” is rarely the candidate’s passion. The question is meant to examine how someone expresses their passion.
If it’s soccer, do they organize a group to play or watch matches? Do they coach or volunteer at a soccer related organization? Usually people have a good answer, because it’s their passion.
However, you do get people who say the equivalent of “soccer is my passion,” and then if you ask basic follow ups about the last time they played or even watched a match, they don’t have an answer or they’re not remotely excited. When someone can’t communicate anything about their “passion,” they likely either lack communication skills or have very little drive
Ah got it. This made me think of a time I met a passionate interview candidate. There was a dev we interviewed a couple years back who wrote novels in his spare time and self-published them on Amazon. He pitched his latest book and tried to sell each person on the interview loop a copy. 😂 During the hiring committee meeting afterward, we all realized that he had done this for everybody—all five people! We had to admit that the guy had passion ... but we also declined on the very same basis. Most people felt it was inappropriate and used up interviewing time. 🤷
Lol I'm glad they care about their book, but I can't imagine trying to sell a book to an interviewer 🤣