There is one thing every employer wants to know about you when you interview for a job. Sometimes they will straight-out ask it, while at other times it will lurk in the background of the conversation. Either way, you should go into any interview prepared to answer the question: “Why do you want to work here?”
Only candidates who appear to be well-qualified, at least on paper, are likely to get an interview invitation in the first place. Regardless of how well you believe your background fits the job description, all your serious competition is likely to be, more or less, as well-qualified as you.
[See: 7 Ways to Crush a Phone Interview.]
While interviews can often sort out the truth behind resume claims of competency, the employer’s task then becomes to look for distinguishing factors that have nothing to do with specific skills or experience between candidates. Issues of personality, attitude and overall profile come into play. Ultimately, it’s likely to be something seemingly small that, in the end, will tip the balance between the top candidate and the first and second runners-up.
And among the things employers consider is what motivates a candidate to want to work at their company. This question can be an indicator if a candidate will be a job hopper if another offer comes along or how a candidate sees himself or herself fitting into the team they hope to join.
If one candidate seems only mildly interested, he or she loses. Or, if he or she plays “hard-to-get” and puts the onus on the company to answer why this workplace is better than others, they had better be a true rock star in their field for their candidacy to survive.
If you are asked outright, here are some other answers that should never leave your lips:
“I’ve heard your company pays well.”
“I need a job and this is as good as any other.”
“I just saw your ad, and I’m applying to anything and everything.”
[See: 7 Excellent Sales and Marketing Jobs for 2017.]
Preparation is the key. In order to demonstrate your motivation, the most obvious thing you need to do is to show that you know a lot about the company. Become very familiar with its website, products, services and how it stacks up against its competitors. An easy way to acquire this knowledge is through Google Finance and Google News.
You’ll then be armed with information so that you can say something like any of the following:
“I was impressed to read the reviews of your product line. Your company is clearly more innovative than your competitors and I want to be on the cutting edge.”
“I see that your company has targeted growth in such-and-such area. That’s something I know a good deal about, and I believe that I may be able to make a significant contribution by doing A, B and C.”
Identify with the company’s mission and values. Virtually every company’s “About Us” page on its website will say something about its mission and what it strives for. You may learn about its founders and why they began the company, or how its products or services make life better, improve society or have some other positive impact on the world.
Then, find a way to show how your values line up with the company. Perhaps you’ve had a history working on some of the same larger issues, or possess some other hook or link that can demonstrate a common mindset that you share.
Get inspired by social media. Part of your preparation should include reviewing the company’s social media presence, including its LinkedIn company page and Facebook presence. “Like” it on Facebook and “Follow” it on LinkedIn. Then, when you are in your interview you can talk about how you have been following the company and was impressed by this or that article or post it made, or other things you’ve picked up.
[See: 8 Important Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer — And Yourself.]
Compare yourself to the people who already work there. Conduct a LinkedIn search for people who currently work at the company, and then scan through several of the employees. Look for areas of commonality with them, and even better, search out hiring trends that you fit. For example, many companies favor hiring from certain former companies or schools.
Maybe you’ll be able to comment on the fact that you saw that many alumni from your college or former workplace appear to be successful there, and it might bode well for you, too.
Perhaps you can say you are already connected to X number of people at the company, and you already feel like you are “part of the team.”
Talk about the company’s employer brand. Companies spend a huge amount of time and money not only to brand their products, but to brand themselves as “the” place to work.
Make sure you understand how the company sees itself, and play into that. You can learn a lot by reading reviews of the company on Glassdoor, and play back to the company some of the comments you’ve read about what a great employer it is!
Be sure to stay away from the salary scale, however, and focus on the corporate culture, management style and other things that keep it about the company, rather than about what the company can do specifically for you.
Happy hunting!
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How to Answer ‘Why Do You Want to Work Here?’ in Interviews originally appeared on usnews.com
