Usually asking someone what they love about what they do provokes shrugs of “I don’t know”. Sometimes it is easier to know what you hate than to figure out what you love about your job.
When I used to interview people, I loved to ask why the person got into the line of work they did. I listened to see if the answer made sense, if the answer meant the person was living their passion. For example, what if an engineer answered, “My dad is an engineer so it seemed like the right thing to do”? I wonder if that person is living their personal passion or living out what society or his / her family thinks is the right thing to do.
On the other hand, what if the engineer answered, “As a kid I used to take apart all the kitchen appliances to see how they work. In high school someone told me that engineers get to take apart and build things so I decided to become an engineer”? This kind of answer displays that the person chose a line of work that reflects his or her passion. That is exactly what I want to see.
It is hard to come directly at this question. In this video Katherine explores a good way to understand what you hate as a good way to understand what you love. She likes to ask herself,
“I would rather pick up dog poop in the front yard than do ____________________.” Fill in the blank with the things you would really rather not do.
I would rather pick up dog poop in the front yard than be an accountant stuck adding up columns of numbers. I would rather pick up dog poop in the front yard than clean my office right now.