Why Do You Want This Job?

Interview Preparation Technology
#1

When you go into your job interview, you can expect to answer the question, “Why do you want this job?” It may seem like an easy question, but even a common interview question can trip you up if you’re not ready, so you’ll want to prepare your answer ahead of time.
When answering this question, you want to show that you have researched the company and can prove that you are a good fit for the job.
What the Interviewer Wants to Know
Upon first hearing this question (especially if you are unprepared for it), you might think that the hiring manager wants to learn more about what you want in your next job. To some extent, this is true; the employer definitely has to ascertain whether your career goals are aligned with the organization’s needs.
However, this question is actually more about gauging how much you know about the company, its mission, and its operations. It’s basically just a different way of asking, “Why do you want to work here?” The interviewer wants to know if you have taken the initiative to learn about the company and to think about what attracts you to working for them.
How to Answer, "Why Do You Want This Job?”
Use this question as an opportunity to “sell” yourself to the employer. In thinking about your answer, first focus upon and list the employer’s strengths (which you will know if you have researched the company): what training and growth opportunities do they provide for someone in your career field? Why do other candidates want to work for them instead of for their competitors? How has the employer contributed to their industry or to their community?
After establishing the context for your answer—the desirability of the employer—you should then highlight what you can bring to the table that will fulfill their needs.
A good way to brainstorm this question is to fill in the following blanks: “Working for you would give me the opportunity to build upon my experience and skills in ___, ___, and ___ as part of what I know would be a really inspiring and rewarding environment, based upon what I’ve heard about your company.”
Once you’ve customized your answer to this question, be sure to practice saying it out loud. It may help to have a friend or family member pretend to be the interviewer who asks you the question