Story Telling and Software Recruitment – Character Development Part 1

Author Steve Brennen

There are 3 things I look for in any candidate for any job. They are symbiotic, forming a self-fueling engine of greatness. So first things first let’s start with the egg, or the chicken or whatever.

Let’s talk about the passion!

Now I know what you’re saying, isn’t passion just dog whistle for “I want you to kill yourself for pennies”. Let’s not be negative nancy, let’s take it at face value. 

In a practical sense, I define passion as someone who seems to care about something intrinsically. That is you don’t have to pay or convince them to care, they just do. Let’s be clear you do have to pay them, and if you’re smart pay them well. Passion isn’t a commodity you can replicate by a process. Nurture it, cherish and reward it.

Probably the easiest example I can think of are UX Designers, these are some serious witch-burners. It’s more in the journey than the destination. Watch the path they take to get their results, every decision is justified by fire , they argue , study and discern.

There is a bit of a paradox. It’s difficult, sometimes impossible, to separate what makes someone good at what they do from the passion that makes them good at it in the first place. This can frustrate those who depend on  the results of a given discipline caring nothing about its workings.

Passion walks the line between madness and genius, and like a good sword must be tempered with an alloy that makes it usable,  practicality. Demonstrate your passion, but show the wisdom to not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

Next on Story Telling and Software Recruitment – Character Development Part 2 we will take a look at the fruit of our passion.