Enthusiasm and passion are valuable traits for any position, and these traits may not be easy to recognize in a formal interview setting. You need to hire individuals who are ready to do a good job day in, day out, without much prompting. Those who are truly excited about this opportunity will bring passion and dedication to their work and will likely turn into your high-value employees. Candidates who don’t really seem to care much or show a lack of enthusiasm will not be a good fit for your organization.

Here are some ways to determine whether an individual is enthusiastic about their line of work:

Ask About Their Favorite Job or Role

It can be difficult for some candidates to share excitement about the position they are applying for since they don’t know what to expect yet. Ask them to elaborate on any positions or roles they were a great match for and truly excited about. See how they light up when talking about this position and let them explain what they liked about the role.

Ask Them What Motivates Them

Enthusiastic and passionate individuals will have long list of things to share with you when you ask them what motivates them. They will share several things that inspire them, encourage them to do better, or even share who their mentors are or have been. Start this type of dialogue so you can see if they have what it takes to maintain a high level of enthusiasm with their role.

Discuss Future Career Goals

Those who are committed to their careers will have some sort of game plan to determine what they expect to achieve in the future and how they will get there. Those with a high level of motivation will naturally be passionate about their industry and more than willing to share their goals. See how open and excited the individual is about their future career.

Evaluating candidates based on their level of enthusiasm shouldn’t be your only indicator of a strong candidate, yet it is still an important one. If you need help finding high-quality candidates to fill open positions, consider working with a reputable staffing firm. Morris Bixby Group can connect you with top-quality talent in the area.