Ive made a career of pursuing potential. As a recruitment specialist I am always on the lookout for the best talent. Most of it is not based on skills, or their raw expertise or knowledge in the field. More so, it is their personality. I am always looking for that little spark inside of someone, and when I find it, I know I have struck gold.

 
Many years ago I was on the other side of the table, being judged as an applicant and nervously trying to present my skills and assets in the best way. I was failing quite massively in school, not willing to finish my master degree. Having an enormous gap in my resume as my mother had died some years back and I needed to take a couple of years to adress my grief. Let’s just say the picture -resume wise- wasn’t that appealing. Then something unexpected happened- the recruiter across the table started asking about me. No, not my hobbies or how I like to spend my time…. it was a deeper question in all. What drives me? What engages me? What do I have to offer? I know – standard questions perhaps for an insight interview, but my interviewer released something within me that ignited my true self.

So…I told her. I told her about the glorious wish for being an astronaut, the sense of well-being I get from dancing and why I choose this partical style of dance. She also asked me about the future and how I saw my assets best used. Never in one moment did I think about the fact that all of this- cosmonauts and dancing- had anything to do with a career path. I paused. Then I realized in a brief moment what my true self, my true character was. I was a helper, a communicator and I loved greatness and great things. I loved the audience when dancing – I loved people. We parted on that vague answer.

I never knew this at the time and I never could have realized, but showing myself in this way was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. As my interviewer had ignited something in me, so did I make an impact on her: she had seen my spark, and had told her colleagues about me. This resulted in a phonecall offering me my current job – at the recruitment agency itself- and it has turned around my life for the better.

I still do the same with my applicants today. I review their work, their knowledge and expertise, but I also try to find their true self. This is what will tell me, not what you are now, but what you could eventually become. Not what you do now- but the added value and what you could do for a company in the future. That is the true definition of potential isn’t it? An invisible energy or asset that is still reserved or locked up, waiting to be released.