At some point, during you career, you will be required to complete a job interview. It is hard to imagine going through one without your nerves getting the best of you. And sometimes, you may find yourself thinking about irrelevant details. During this time, it is easy to lose focus.
As such, it is always best to go in prepared. You can achieve this by reviewing and preparing for those questions, which are commonly asked by interviewers. Some of these questions include asking about your skills, abilities, talents and values, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.
There are those interviewers, who will be curious about your ambitions for the future.
Some questions, however, might be trickier than you thought. If you are not careful, you might fall into one of those interview traps, which eliminates you from being among the top contenders for the job.
But luckily, there are several online resources designed to help you to prepare for your job interview. It would be to your benefit to use them to prepare for a variety of questions that will be asked by any potential interviewer. One very popular question that is often misunderstood is, “why do you want to work here?”
What Not to Do When Answering This Question
While this may seem like a simple enough question, many persons are not aware that it has layers. If you do not think about it carefully, you will interpret it simply and provide the wrong answer. Your interpretation could mean the difference between landing the job or being excluded from the final stages.
This question usually goes deeper to mean, “why do you want to work for this company?” or “why do you want this particular job?” If you do not understand this unasked aspect of the question, you could hamper yourself from getting the position.
The pointers included in this article will highlight some “dos and don’ts” when answering this question at a job interview.
Do Not Be Sarcastic
Do not assume that an interviewer is being coy. No question that is asked is a stupid question. Therefore, never answer a question sarcastically. Refrain from asking the interviewer if they were serious. This could be considered equally as bad as replying with, “I need the job,” “I don’t know,” or “I simply saw the advert.”
No interview question is as simple as it might sound. It is imperative that you stop, think and carefully choose a reply, before responding.
Avoid Being Too Honest
Honesty may be the best policy, but it will not always get you the job. For example, you might have been unemployed for a year, but you do not need to share your desperation for a job. Try to think about a creative way to let the interviewer know you want to work at that specific company.
After all, that same position is available in multiple other organizations.
You do not have to lie and embellish your replies. What you should do is be respectfully direct. Take time to research the company before attending the interview or even before submitting your application.
This is where your preparation will pay off.
Aim to be Interesting, Not Apathetic
No one wants to hire a bore. While your answers should not be too over the top, it should also spark some amount of interest. Look directly into the interviewer’s eyes and exude confidence. Your main goal is to convince your potential employer that you are perfect for the job.
You will not earn their respect by being indifferent.
Try to avoid sounding too simple-minded or cause the person not to take you seriously. Do not provide answers such as, “I wanted a job close to home so I can sleep longer.” If you are nonchalant in your response, while you may feel good about it, you will not earn any points this way.
Do Not Try to Be Funny
The interview is neither the time nor place to be overly humorous. With that said, you should try to avoid making inappropriate or funny remarks to the questions asked of you. “Because you need me” followed by “just kidding” does not erase the former statement.
You run the risk of not being taken seriously and lose the opportunity to impress the panel.
This is not to say that a sense of humor is a negative thing. If the interviewer laughs, then that might be a plus for you. But, you do not want to run the risk of things going wrong.
The key is to remain focused and answer intelligently without being rude or inappropriately funny.
How to Ace This Question in an Interview
There is a right way and a wrong way to answer any question. There are times when the answer is spot on, but how you approach answering a question, can make all the difference. You should have already prepared an answer to such questions.
Here are a few pointers that will set you on the right course to success, in a job interview.
Peel Back the Layers of the Question
First and foremost, try to think about all that the interviewer is not saying out loud to you. “Why do you want to work here” could essentially be asking:
- “What will you bring to the table” or
- “What value will you add to the company?”
You would have done some research before the interview. So that would be the time to use this newfound knowledge of the company and explain how you could be an asset to the existing processes. Inform the interviewer of the interesting things you know about the company.
Then, you can top it off by incorporating how your skills fit into the company’s goals. Remember, all industries are different, so you will have to answer with great specificity.
Tailor Your Answer to the Company
When answering an interview question, avoid providing a generic answer. Interviewers can sometimes tell when you do this.
“It is a great company to work because it provides good services to the public” could be referring to any company. Ensure that your response is specific, because it shows that you did some research. This also could come off as you being interested in working with your potential employers.
If this were a company, where you really wanted to work, then it would have met some of your career goals and expectations. Focus on answers along this wavelength to answer this question adequately.
Prepare before the Actual Interview
When answering an interview question, avoid providing a generic answer. Interviewers can sometimes tell when you do this.
“It is a great company to work because it provides good services to the public” could be referring to any company. Ensure that your response is specific, because it shows that you did some research. This also could come off as you being interested in working with your potential employers.
If this were a company, where you really wanted to work, then it would have met some of your career goals and expectations. Focus on answers along this wavelength to answer this question adequately.
Apply to a Company that you Actually Want to Work With
Many persons send out blanket applications, as if they are fishing. Sooner or later, they will get a call for an interview, but their indifference towards the company will show during the actual interview.
One of the first steps to answering this question correctly is by actually wanting to work with the company. If the company aligns with your future goals, does great community service or feeds your passion, then you can confidently provide good responses.
If you do not know why you would want to work for the company, then maybe you should forego the interview.
You will not need to scramble for answers if the company is the right fit for you.
There is No Single Perfect Answer
Keep in mind that you do not need to have that perfect answer. The interviewer is searching for someone who would fit well with the organization’s needs and goals. Once you can demonstrate that, then you would have satisfied the interviewer.
Why Do You Want to Work Here?
Showing up to a job interview is one thing but being prepared is always the best choice. You cannot leave it to chance. You should ensure that you do your homework, and while you should be honest, do not be overly talkative.
There are many ways to answer this question in a job interview, and several have been mentioned here.
You must research the company, become intimate with its goals and policies and then tailor your answers to match. If the company’s goals automatically align with yours, then you will not need to recite your responses. It is therefore important that you apply to companies that adequately appeal to your career goals.
However, if you do get called in by a different company, then you can still ace the interview by being prepared.
Focus Keyword(s): why do you want to work here