You may have faced a number of job interviews or it may be your first job interview. ‘Why do you want to work for us’ is yet another one of the most frequently asked interview question. The immediate response to this basic question is because I need a job and you have a vacancy. It may sound as a logical answer to this question but that’s not what they want to know. The answer to this question seem so evident that it may seem to offend you.
The bottom line is that job seekers want a job. Recruiters are interested in knowing your interest in the position and in the company. They want to know if you’re selective or you’re going to accept any job offered to you because interviewers understand for a fact that job seekers apply for several jobs while job hunting.
Understanding the question:Interview questions are generally tricky. Interviewers get answers to a number of questions from one single question. Basically, the interviewer wants to two things from this question:
- Why are you
applying for this job position?
- Why do you
want to work for our company?
Furthermore this question also discloses:
- If you have
done any research work
- Your interest
towards the related industry
- Your
personality
- How to answer
‘Why do you want to work for us?’
Research about the company: Your first destination is the company’s website. Become aware about its products and services, clients and other information provided in the website rather than just reading their ‘about us’ page. You can skim their gallery to know about their work environment. Take a look at the blog section, if the website has one. Apart from that, explore the internet for any press release. Follow the company on social media platforms like Facebook, twitter,etc to know about their recent activities.
Research about the position: The next step is researching about the job position. Be prepared to confidently answer why you think you are a good fit for this position. Thoroughly read the job description and list down your skills that match the requirement. Access internet to know more about the responsibilities of the job profile. Apart the mentioned attributes, list your unique skills that can be advantageous for the profession.
Here are some sample answers to help you construct your answer:
Fiat is one of the largest and prestigious automobile manufacturing company in the world. Apart from its reputation, I’m a car fanatic. I have 2 years of reputation in this industry. I’m interested in this position because I have the understanding of functionality of an automobile. Plus, this is a great opportunity for my career. Apart from all this, the company’s punch line, ‘driven by passion’ motivates me to be more passionate towards my work.
When I came across the photographer position in the Reader’s Digest, I was thrilled. I am a subscriber of the Reader’s Digest and I love photography, particularly, portrait and landscape photography. The fact that the role is photographer in my favourite magazine, has swayed me over. To be part of such a big organisation, where my work will get worldwide exposure seems so rewarding. I believe my passion will help me do justice to this role.
