Corporate Passion

I don’t care what company or industry you are interviewing with. We need to show passion. We need to show why we are interested in working for the company.  Showing a slight interest isn’t enough. Companies appreciate an unwavering passion for something the company does, builds, services, or stands for.

If you are interviewing at McDonald’s, then you have a passion for Big Macs, have been eating them since you were a kid, and can say, “2 all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” in less than 5 seconds. You Super Size everything, and to you, the documentary movie is just a conspiracy theory and hearsay.

Everyone says the same stuff, for every position

Just saying, “I believe in your mission statement,” isn’t enough. Just saying, “I find what you guys are doing super interesting,” isn’t enough.  Everyone says this shit. The best approach is to share specific examples of why this mission statement means something to you personally. EVERYONE tells me they can relate to our mission statement, appreciate our core values, or want to be a part of a great team. This is not enough people!!  I need to know WHY! What specific example can you give me that proves this statement means something to you?

A few years ago, we were hiring a benefits person. I asked all candidates the same question. “Why are you interested in benefits?” I then explained that the benefits are not very interesting to me. To me, benefits are straightforward and entail a lot of paperwork. Employees don’t bang down the door to say, “You guys are doing great with the benefits plan!” It is usually the opposite.  

Real-life HR interview

After interviewing several duds, we met a soft-spoken candidate. I asked my usual question, “Why benefits?” and provided my perspective. I was expecting the same uninteresting answer. This candidate sat up, leaned forward, and accused me of my question. “Are you kidding me?!!!  Benefits are the first question people ask when considering a new company and one of the biggest factors in recruiting. Benefit plans retain employees and will leave if you change it too much.”  This candidate CLEARLY had a lot of passion for benefits. Yes, we hired her; she was a rock star. She eventually moved on to lead a worldwide benefits department for a very large company. Passion.

I think P Diddy said it best in a scene from “Get Him to the Greek” with Jonah Hill. P Diddy found the song African Child personally offensive, but he knew how to play the game and coached his young protégé with the following:

If he asks me if I love “African Child,” I love that shit!  I play that shit in my fucking sleep, I wake up to it, I brush my teeth to it.  I love “African Child!!!”

So, we might alter the language in an interview, but you get the idea. Don’t just tell me, “I like your music, Mr. Snow.”

If you are interviewing for a company with a product, beg, borrow, or steal that product! You use it, taste it, smell it, poop it!  If the product isn’t within reach, then research the crap out of that company and that product. You will do the same amount of research on the product that a 13-year-old girl will conduct on Justin Bieber! Candidates should go into Stalker Mode. Posters are in your bedroom, and the shrine is in locker mode. Give the interviewer the visual that you are passionate about the company, product, or industry.

I probably won’t get the job!

I can hear it already. Nasty, you want me to do all this research for a job I am probably not going to get? Yes, absolutely, because the person who IS going to get the job IS passionate about the product and the company. Their cover letter conveys this message. Their body language conveys their passion. If you are not passionate, you need to generate passion. Fake it. More than likely, the company you are interviewing with has something of interest to you, or you wouldn’t be answering that ad.  Get Nasty.

Here are a few examples of how I would “begin” to show interest in a few companies.  They all have specific examples.

Starbucks Barista

“I love coffee.  I fell in love with Espresso when I went to Italy for the first time and saw the steam rising out of a 4 group Marzocco Espresso Machine.  The bustle of the shop and the fashionable people all seemed to know each other at the corner café.  The old men sat at a table, sipping espresso and smoking cigarettes, and the young girls giggled. The people behind the counter created that atmosphere with enthusiastic greetings and big smiles. I want to be a part of that!”  Passion!

Apple Genius

“I love Apple products.  I have three iPods and have upgraded every iPhone that I have owned.  Within my circle of friends, I am known as Mr. Apple. They come to me if they have ANY problems with their Apple products. My best friend’s father had just bought the new iPhone, and my buddy brought his father over to me because he knew I could explain how it worked to his father in layman’s terms. My blog stevejobsismyhero.com revolves around Mac Products.”  Passion!

Any position at Ferarri

I have always loved Ferrari. The name, to me, epitomizes the combination of sculpture and technology. When I was in high school my friend’s father had a 1984 308 GTB and I just wanted to be around it so much, I would offer to wash it for him for free. I washed it, vacuumed it, and treated the leather. He didn’t trust me to wax it, but I loved being around that car.  He let me take it to prom, and I was “the man.” 

The walls of my room were filled with Ferrari posters. I obviously can’t afford one right now, but I love cars. I probably get a different car every 18 to 24 months, and they have all been sports cars that I have tuned up and fixed over the years. Right now, I am driving an Acura Integra. My first Ferrari is probably an early 80s vintage because it is affordable. It just isn’t practical for me right now to have my only car a Ferrari living in the Pacific Northwest but someday I will.”  Passion!

What do employers want?

The above may sound hokey on paper, but these stories, aka “passion,” will make you stand out. Every business owner wants to fill their company with passionate employees about their industry and product. Employees whose side projects and their hobbies blend into their work.

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

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