INTERVIEW TIPS - What to Say When Your Interviewer Asks “Why Do You Want This Job?”
Posted 4th April 2023 • Written by Lily Zhang on themuse.com • • • • •
So what do interviewers want to know when they ask “Why are you interested in this position”?
Basically, your answer to this question says a lot about all of the most important things an interviewer is evaluating: what skills you have, how interested you are in this job (and why), and what you’ll bring to this team or company.
And they want specifics. With “Why do you want this job?” interviewers aren’t asking, “Why do you want to be an accountant?” they’re asking, “Why do you want this accounting position at this organization?” They want to know what motivated you to apply and why this position makes sense for you (and, of course, why you make sense for the company).
3 steps to answer “Why do you want this job?”
Luckily, there’s actually a pretty simple way to go about answering this question effectively.
Step 1: Show off what you know and why you’re excited about the company
You can talk all day about how excited you’d be to join the team, but it will only sound genuine if you actually know a thing or two about the company. So spend some time homing in on a few key factors to incorporate into your pitch for why you’re interested in this job.
It’s always impressive when a candidate has done their homework, but especially with smaller companies. And the best thing about this is you rarely have to go beyond reviewing the company website or having a quick conversation with a current or past employee to learn enough to sound like you’ve been following the company for a while.
Step 2: Connect your skills and experiences to the job description
Next, you want to sell why, exactly, you’re right for the role. There are two ways you can do this: You can either focus more on your experiences (what you’ve done before that brings you to this point) or your skills (which is especially helpful if you’re pivoting positions or industries).
Try to pinpoint what the job is all about, plus a couple of the “required skills” from the job posting, and make sure you speak to that. Keep it short—you’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk about how you got your skills and share relevant stories throughout the interview. For this question, just focus on highlighting a couple key relevant abilities or experiences for the position.
Step 3: Talk about where this role sits on your career path
Finally, you want to show that the position makes sense for where you’re going in your career. Ideally, you won’t give the impression that you’re just using the position as a stepping stone. Your interviewer will feel more comfortable investing in you if they think you’ll be around for the long haul. Of course, you don’t have to state specifically that you see yourself in the position for a long time. Just show that you’ve given some thought to how the job makes sense for you right now and how it will continue to make sense for the foreseeable future.
4 mistakes you might make when answering “Why do you want this job?”
Here are four common mistakes you should avoid:
Not talking about the company: Think about it this way: You can bring your skills anywhere. The trick is explaining why you want to use them for this particular company.
Only saying what’s in it for you: Maybe this job would give you the chance to learn a lot about marketing, or it’s an opportunity to grow your quantitative analysis skills—that’s great, but your interviewer wants to know what’s in it for the company, too. So align your interests with and express enthusiasm for using your skills to contribute to the company’s greater goals.
Bringing up points that aren’t relevant: In the heat of an interview, it can be really tempting to mention that the office is actually quite close to your daughter’s school or that the company’s flexible hours policy would make it easier to carpool with your roommate, but don’t give in. These are nice perks, but (hopefully) they’re not the only reasons you find this position exciting.
Answering the wrong question: Have you ever gone on a date with someone who wouldn’t stop talking about their ex? Well, turns out this happens during job interviews, too. Don’t be that person who can’t shut up about why you need to leave your old job, stat. Even if the reason you’re job searching is directly related to your previous position, focus on the future.
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