Interview Question: Why do you want to work here?

It is one of the common interview questions asked by the interviewer. The interview question is asked to understand the seriousness of the candidate about joining the organization. The interviewer is interested to know if the organization is one of the many which candidate may be applying just for the sake of getting a new job or the candidate has reasons and is really interested in joining this organization.

The candidate’s answer will tell the interviewer about the preparedness of the candidate and if the candidate has enough understanding of the job role and the organization. The answer will show the depth of the candidate’s seriousness.

Normally, the job interview candidates go through the company website and take a broad overview of it. However, we suggest our trainees dig deep. We advise them to check the latest advertisements, social media posts, any news coverage, reviews, promoters, competition, market share, mission, revenue, growth etc., and know about the organization thoroughly. If the candidate has to shine amongst many candidates, he/she has to differentiate him/herself wherever possible, and knowledge about the organization can be one of the many ways. The candidate’s knowledge about the company doesn’t go unnoticed, provided the candidate gets a chance to share the same. In our mock interview training, we suggest to candidates how to find opportunities to share their knowledge.

To one of our trainees, who was preparing for a specific job interview, we suggested he refers to important points about the HR policies from the career page of the organization. During one of the rounds, this question came up and he mentioned these points along with others while answering this question. The candidate got selected and later the interviewer complimented the candidate on his thorough preparation.

The interviewer plans to hire someone to get a particular job done. The candidate’s answer must include how he/she can contribute in an effective manner for a specific job role based upon her/his experience, knowledge, skill, and interest. Linking this step of joining the job role, with moving towards the candidate’s long-term goal also convinces the interviewer that the candidate has clarity and vision about his personal growth which will be reflected in the work too.

The candidate must know about the direction, growth, or future plans of the organization and must be able to clearly articulate the reasons using any of these or other facts. If the candidate has enough knowledge, she/he may be able to compare the organization with its competitors and clearly state her/his reasons. The candidate may also discuss a specific product, skill, a field in which she/he wants to work and develop her/himself. While answering this question, the candidate later may also mention some specific HR policies which have also influenced her/him to apply for this organization.

If the candidate is a fresher, we suggest her/him mention something like that they would like to build their career in a particular field and this is one of the best companies to learn and grow in this field ( the answer may vary depending upon the company and context).

We recommend not to mention that they are joining because the package is good or the designation is better. However, getting growth in terms of a responsibility jump may be one of the main reasons. While mentioning this aspect, adding other aspects such as organization, its growth, sound position, HR policies, etc will show the maturity of the candidate.

Organizations are looking for genuine candidates with the required skills, who are committed to their work. A little extra effort and preparedness results in Impactful Interview performance.

We help candidates prepare well for their interviews with mock interviews, mentorship, content, and techniques. Check out our site https://www.impactfulinterviews.com

Wishing candidates all the best for their interviews.