The Passion Question

Three and a half weeks. With less than a month left of my college career, I have yet to solidify a real plan for after May 26. Right now, I’m set to live the post-grad dream on my couch with my newly printed diploma in Columbus, Ohio. Having always had a plan of action, I am growing increasingly concerned about the next few months.

While I obviously have some career goals for the next few years, I am frustrated by the game I must play to snag that first job. Over the course of the semester, a common theme has emerged that seems to me to be the key to finding a “real” job — passion.

Over numerous phone conversations with Middlebury alumni and potential employers, I have yet to figure out the right way to answer the “passion” question. And it’s not like I don’t know it’s coming. Inevitably, a lull in the conversation turns the focus to me. The person on the other end then asks a question like “so what do you really want to do” or “tell me something you’re passionate about.”

We all know the job search is a huge front. It’s all about emphasizing your strengths and successes while minimizing your weaknesses. We practice and prepare so that when it comes time for the important interview we present the best possible version of ourselves, not the true version. With that said, what’s my incentive to tell the truth with this particular question?

I wish I could tell the truth, but I know that it is not very satisfying answer. The truth is I don’t know.

In a recent online article published by CNN Money, Alexa Hamill, a recruiter at PriceWaterhouseCooper, notes the importance of passion in a new graduate when looking for a job. “We’re really looking for people who are well-rounded, and who have a passion that they have stuck with and developed that is outside of ‘book learning.’”

And my personal experiences definitely reiterate this importance. In my most recent phone interview, I was told that I need to “take some time to think about what you’re most passionate about.” Needless to say, the interview didn’t go well.

This passion stuff is all fine and good, but my question is how do I go about cultivating this all-important employee personality trait? My thought is that I need some real work experience to discover what it is I truly want to do. But this isn’t what anyone wants to hear. The passion is supposed to come first.

My real frustration is this: after years of hard work at a prestigious liberal arts school, the ultimate factor in my employment comes down to something that I cannot really control or work towards. Believe me, I wish I could set my mind to it and find my passion in the same way that one could learn a new skill, but employers’ definition of passion is something that is spontaneous, something that cannot be learned.

Does this make me a less desirable candidate? Maybe. I’m sure passion comes across as very convincing in an interview, but as I mentioned before, that’s not exactly a great indicator of who a person really is or will be everyday on the job. I refuse to accept that I am less qualified or able just because a strong emotion doesn’t emit from me when I’m interviewing for an entry-level position. After all, it’s all about what we’re working towards, right?

Four years ago, I decided upon Middlebury because I loved the idea of the liberal arts education. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in the future; so being a well-rounded person seemed to be the best way to figure that out. Today, I still don’t know exactly want it is I want to do, but I do know that just like my peers, I am interested and engaged in many different topics and areas of study.

Ultimately, I think having the ability to see the larger picture makes us better prepared for the job force. So what’s better: a narrow and focused field of vision or a widescreen view? I think the latter.