How To Answer: ‘Why Do You Want to Work Here?”
Whether it’s on an application form or at an interview, you’re very likely to encounter the question: “Why do you want to work here?” This is because it is important for employers to know that you really want to work for them; a new employee who is enthusiastic about their company is more likely to work harder, be more productive and ultimately stay longer.
Although the questions itself is harmless – it can be a difficult one to answer. Your answer can be too short, too generic, not specific enough, etc. So here are some pointers to help your answer stand out from the crowd:
- Research
As with a lot of aspects within job hunting and interviews, the key to success lies in thorough research.
The company’s homepage is a great place to start – however, in order to really impress, you will need to beyond basic facts and figures.
Look for news articles about the company – what recent successes and challenges have they faced? Has there been anything in the news about the industry they are in? Search to see if the company as its own YouTube channel; if so watch some of their recent videos to see if you can extract more information.
In the interview, or application, avoid just relaying all the information you have read. They will want to know that you have taken the time to research their organisation and gone on to digest and understood your findings.
- Topics to Talk About and Ones to Avoid
There are five main topics that you can talk about when answering the question: “Why do you want to work here?”:
- What the organisation actually does – the products/services it provides and what interests you about it
- The organisation’s culture – what it’s really like to work there
- The organisation’s recent successes and the challenges they face
- The philosophy and mission behind the organisation
- The training and development their offer
So rather than just reeling off every possible reason you can think of for wanting to work there; focus on just two or three topics and go into more detail.
The things to avoid would be:
- Salary
- Commission
- Holiday Entitlement
- Benefits
- Hours
- Taking Your Answer from Average to Outstanding
Once you have solid answers to why you want to work at the company, it’s time to add reasoning. Giving reasons adds credibility to your answers and is an excellent chance to show off (in a subtle way) how much of a great candidate you are.
Always remember that your application and interview are personal sales pitches – you must weave into every answer why the potential employer should choose you.
So – rather than just simply saying that you admire a company because of how it does things, or because of its facts and figures, you should talk about how your skills or preferences match their philosophy.
It’s this reflection on what you’ve research and your ability to match up to the company’s needs and ideals to your own skills and preferences that will truly impress.
Source: jobs.theguardian.com
