Picking up our series on answering job interview questions, today we’ll look at how to answer a very common one properly: Why do you want to work for our company? It’s a textbook question, so if you have an interview coming up, it will almost certainly come up.
Let me take this opportunity to remind you that in a job interview you can play with many factors beyond the answer itself, so an answer may work better or worse depending on the atmosphere you’ve built up beforehand.
Before getting to the answers a recruiter expects in principle, let’s ask ourselves whether it pays to be completely honest or not. Let me explain.
How I answered this question successfully in a job interview
It’s often said that a job interview is a conversation between two liars. The candidate tries to make the other person believe they’re the best, and the recruiter avoids mentioning all the negative things about the company and the job in question. In between sits the interview itself, full of questions that in many cases not even the interviewer knows how to make the most of.
I’ve never liked the song and dance that surrounds an interview, but the truth is that I’ve personally never been bad at getting through one. And I’ve done it with complete honesty, while always hinting that I know how they expect me to answer.
The first time I came across this question was at a time when the company where I worked as a sales team leader had closed down and still owed us our last month’s pay, so I urgently needed to find a job or I would struggle to pay the rent in two months’ time.
So I sent my CV to every company that had a sales or sales management vacancy. This was a time when people didn’t look for jobs online (because the internet as such didn’t exist yet).
Then the interviewer asked me: Why do you want to work for our company?
Given that his company was neither Berkshire Hathaway nor Coca-Cola (in fact, it was an unknown company), the question made no sense in the first place, but anyway. My answer, practically word for word, was:
“To be honest, I’ve sent my CV to practically every company looking for salespeople or sales managers, because what I want is to work in sales. As long as the company is reputable and it’s a sales job, which is what I’m good at, I don’t mind whether I work here or for your competitors. That said, if you’re happy with me and I’m happy with you, we could have a hundred-year relationship. I hope so. That would be a good sign.”
Hired!
It looks like a simple answer, but bear in mind that, in a good atmosphere built up beforehand, it’s a powerful answer that says a lot:
- You have a completely honest person in front of you.
- You’re looking for a salesperson, and here is a salesperson who doesn’t mind selling anything.
- My CV is with many companies, and that spark that lit up in you, the recruiter, when you heard me, is very likely to light up in another interviewer too. Are you going to let me get away?
How does the interviewer expect you to answer?
When they ask this question, interviewers are trying to find out whether the candidate shares the company’s values and principles. They even try to see how much effort you’ve put into getting to know the company.
If it’s a company that already has a certain name and prestige, or an innovative product or service that can change lives, and you really feel that way, then yes, you can answer openly:
“Ever since I got to know you I’ve wanted to work here, because I think you do essential work, and I want to be part of the team and grow professionally at this company. It would be a real honour for me.”
However, if you’re applying for a job behind the counter at McDonald’s, it’s clear that however nice that answer sounds, the recruiter isn’t an idiot and knows deep down that frying potatoes or making burgers isn’t most people’s dream come true.
But yes, many recruiters expect you to respond to this question by showing strong enthusiasm, in one way or another, for being part of the company.
See also: This is what the perfect CV looks like
Align your skills and experience with the job
You can focus on your work experience and the skills you’ve acquired, especially if those skills are what the interviewing company is looking for, to show that you want the job because you believe you could do a lot for the company in that role.
Remember that however much song and dance companies give you, if you manage to show the company that hiring you will earn them a lot more euros, you’re as good as hired.
Never let it look like “just passing through”
Let’s be realistic within the bounds of honesty. Even when you marry the love of your life you know there’s a chance of divorce, but that’s not something you say on your wedding day. It’s the same here. You probably won’t retire at that company, but no interviewer likes to hear:
“I want to work here to try something new, or until something better comes along.”
Show them that either the company or the job itself is something that really appeals to you and where you feel you can grow professionally.
That way you’re laying the groundwork for when they ask you: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Featured image: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
