Want Your Dream Job? Get Creative

Although I'm a full-time programmer, the best and worst job I ever had was as a bookseller at a major bookstore chain. When I first got there, my coworkers were passionate about books--it was something the store manager looked for when she hired. It was a fantastic place and time to be there. When the store manager was promoted out of the position, she was replaced by a more corporate type who had different hiring criteria. In a little over a year, she turned the place into just another job because she hired people that had no passion. The ones that did left. It became another 9 to 5, and I think the store suffered because of it.

Yes, it reads that way, but if you're just reading the words, you're missing the point. It demonstrated passion for the product, attention to detail, and the ability to get something cool done. Those are things I would hire for.