Why Passion Is Important to Your Career
Let’s start by exploring some of the general reasons why passion is important for your career:
- Personal investment. If you have a personal motivation for accomplishing great things in your career, you’ll be more willing to spend time and money on personal development, whether that means going back to school, working on your skills, or advancing within the company. That’s why roles within the medical community tend to fall to people who have a mission to help others; they’re more willing to put in the time and work.
- Productivity and results. Passionate people are also more productive in their jobs, getting more done per hour and seeing better results. Someone who cares about their organization and their role within it will be more willing to stay late and work harder to get more done than their counterparts.
- Satisfaction and stress. Stress is about more than a temporary feeling of anxiety and nervousness; over time, high-stress jobs can negatively affect your mood, mental health, and physical health. Being passionate about your work doesn’t guarantee you’ll be exempt from stress, but you’ll feel more satisfied at the end of the day, and you’ll find better coping strategies to deal with the stress that does arrive.
The HR Factor
But for human resources (HR) professionals, the need for passion goes beyond these benefits. Your responsibilities may vary, of course, depending on your exact role within an organization, but no matter where you are, you’re going to be working with people. You can’t fake your sincerity when having a one-on-one conversation with a distressed coworker the same way you can when completing a new spreadsheet or writing a book. You can’t force your motivation to follow up with people and genuinely invest in their success. Passion in HR gives you the extra sincerity and commitment you need to make a real impact.
Do You Have a True Passion for HR?
So how can you tell if you have a true passion for HR? The question is complicated, since it’s sometimes hard to tell whether you’re passionate about the work, or about your employer or some other environmental factor. But you can get closer to an answer by asking yourself these questions:
- How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? One of the hallmark signs of career burnout is waking up in the morning and dreading the idea of going to work. If you feel this way occasionally, such as before a big meeting or a tough project, that’s fine, but if you wake up every day feeling miserable, you probably no longer have passion in this field.
- Can you see yourself in an HR role somewhere else? How would you feel in an HR role outside this company, or in one where the pay was much lower? If you’re only in this job for the money, or because you feel like there’s nothing else, you probably aren’t passionate about the work.
- What are the most challenging elements of your job? What do you find to be most challenging, aggravating, or annoying about your line of work? If it’s the people you’re dealing with, HR probably isn’t right for you.
- When do you feel rewarded by your job? Conversely, what’s the most rewarding thing about your job? If it’s the people, you’re likely drive by true passion. If it’s the paycheck, it may be time to find other work.
- How do you feel at the end of the day? On average, how do you feel after a day’s work? Do you leave the office feeling satisfied or empty and exhausted?
What to Do If You Have No Passion
If, after introspecting and evaluating your current position and enthusiasm, you find that you don’t have a true passion for HR, you need to make a change. You owe it to yourself to find a career that you are passionate about, and you owe it to the people around you to make way for someone who’s genuinely excited to be in this field. That may mean transferring to a different role in the company, hybridizing your role to include other responsibilities, or leaving to pursue another field entirely.
