I’ve
interviewed a lot of people over the years. One of the issues I frequently see is
how people answer the question of “Why do you want to work for us?” Unfortunately, way too often, the answer isn’t
about the benefits of working for the given organization or what the
organization does specifically to help others, but about the interviewee. Here are some of the following answers I have
had given to me:
“I am
moving here to get away from the city.”
“My
parents are elderly and I need to move nearby to help take care of them.”
“The
company I work for doesn’t treat me well so I am looking for a change.”
Not one
of these answers tells me a reason to hire the individual, instead it shows me a
problem that the interviewee is having and also tells me that problem may
interfere with their work. Research the
company well before interviewing, and craft an answer ahead of the interview
that demonstrates a variety of reasons you want to work for that organization. Try including tasks you will be doing in the
job and why you like them, great things you have read about the company, and how
excited you are to work for them based on all of your research. Give real reasons that display genuine enthusiasm,
and express pertinent knowledge you possess about the company. To your job search success!
