#interviewadvice #hiringtips #jobinterviews #workculture #recruitment
🚫 To hiring managers doing interviews. STOP ASKING “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?” 🚫
As a hiring manager, it’s important to ask the right questions during an interview in order to truly understand a candidate’s motivation, skills, and fit for the role. However, one of the most overused and often ineffective questions that is consistently asked during interviews is, “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?” While the intention behind this question is to gauge a candidate’s interest in the company, it often falls short in providing valuable insights into their qualifications and potential impact.
Let’s take a deeper look at why this question should be reconsidered in the interview process and explore more effective alternatives that can reveal valuable information about a candidate’s fit for the role and the company.
## The Problem with “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?”
When asking a candidate why they want to work for a specific company, there are several limitations and pitfalls to consider:
### 1. Predictable and rehearsed responses
– Candidates often anticipate this question and prepare generic responses that lack genuine insight into their motivation for the role.
– This can lead to the interview feeling scripted and lacking in authenticity.
### 2. Limited understanding of the company
– In many cases, candidates may not have a deep understanding of the company’s culture, values, and mission, making it challenging for them to provide a compelling and informed answer.
### 3. Missed opportunity to assess qualifications
– The question focuses solely on the candidate’s interest in the company, overlooking the opportunity to delve into their relevant skills, experiences, and potential contributions to the role.
## Alternatives to Consider
Instead of relying on the generic “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?” question, hiring managers can explore more effective alternatives that offer greater insights into a candidate’s suitability for the role and alignment with the company’s values and goals.
### 1. Ask about their understanding of the company
– “What specific aspects of our company’s culture and values resonate with you?”
– This allows candidates to demonstrate their awareness of the company’s identity and showcase their genuine interest.
### 2. Inquire about their career goals and aspirations
– “How do you see your career progressing within our company?”
– This question encourages candidates to articulate their long-term vision and assess their potential alignment with the company’s growth opportunities.
### 3. Discuss their motivations for the role
– “What excites you the most about the prospect of working in this role?”
– By focusing on the specifics of the role itself, hiring managers can gain a deeper understanding of a candidate’s motivations and suitability.
### 4. Explore their past experiences and achievements
– “Can you share a specific accomplishment from your previous role that you believe has prepared you for this position?”
– This approach allows candidates to showcase their relevant skills and experiences, providing tangible evidence of their potential impact in the new role.
## The Importance of Aspiring Talent
It’s crucial for hiring managers to recognize that candidates apply for positions for a multitude of reasons, and the question “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?” may not capture the intricacies of their motivations. Many candidates apply to multiple companies simultaneously and have diverse reasons for pursuing opportunities. As a result, the focus should shift towards understanding a candidate’s qualifications, potential contributions, and alignment with the company’s values and culture.
## Final Thoughts
In conclusion, while the question “Why do you want to work for (insert company name)?” may seem like a standard part of the interview process, its effectiveness in revealing a candidate’s true motivation and fit for the role is limited. By exploring alternative questions that delve into a candidate’s understanding of the company, career aspirations, motivations for the role, and past experiences, hiring managers can gain deeper insights and make more informed hiring decisions.
As hiring managers, it’s essential to approach interviews with a focus on uncovering a candidate’s unique strengths, qualifications, and potential impact, rather than relying on generic questions that may not fully capture their value. By creating a more insightful and engaging interview process, companies can attract and identify top talent that is genuinely aligned with their goals and culture.
So, next time you find yourself in the interviewer’s seat, consider the power of asking targeted and meaningful questions that go beyond the surface and truly reveal the potential of the candidates in front of you. Because after all, the goal is to find the best fit for the company, and that requires a deeper understanding of the individuals walking through the door.
Yep, I’ve had this thought myself
“Because you list (my job). Me, I *do* tasks of my job. Me want do my job here!* – is what I want to say…they want bullshit about their company and product. Taint-licking
“Why do I want to work here? A paycheck, motherfucker! I need a paycheck!”
This is a great question to set yourself apart. Takes little time and effort to use this question to your benefit.
“Because your receptionist is hot and I want a chance with her.”
You’d think if you gave (almost) any other reason than “to earn an income” they’d think you’re full of shit, but instead they only look for any other reason. What a twisted reality we live in lol
This is one of the easiest questions to answer. Spend 30 minutes on their website and give them their mission or core values back in your reply.
At my current job I gave them a couple short stories from my previous work that illustrated how I would approach the job I would do for them and incorporated their core values, very specifically, into my answers. It’s easy. Do you have integrity? Respect? A sense of duty? Those are in a ton of core values/mission statements. So tell them a story that illustrates that and sum up by saying something like, “when I was looking over your website I noticed your core values align very well with my own personal values and was interested in working at an organization that seems like it would be a good fit.”
This tells them you are capable of researching the company, interested enough to actually do it, smart enough to integrate information and showcase your talents, and that you are looking for a solid organization to work for, not just a job, so you may be willing to seek other roles instead of getting bored and leaving.
Because i need the fucking money and im considering finding your address and coming in
Employees who care about their work beyond the paycheck produce better results, so no one has any incentive to stop asking this. I don’t see a reason to be so triggered by it, it’s a freaking interview lol
“There is this thing called money. I need it to live. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
But in all seriousness, I too hate when they ask this question. It’s fine for the hiring manager to understand why a candidate might choose this job over another, but asking the question directly mostly tests if people are good at lying and know how to interview.
I’ve interviewed too many people who are joining for all the wrong reasons that aren’t about the money. A few I’ve encountered
– Tired of process and rules. Uh, we’ve got that here too
– Want to get in early at a startup. Uh, this place has 5k employees and has been around for 10 years
– Your recruiter convinced me to apply. Why should I work here? This wasn’t a “wrong” reason at all but as a hiring manager this is helpful in how I sell the role. I need to spend more time telling the candidate about what’s good about this job.
“There is this thing called money. I need it to live. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
But in all seriousness, I too hate when they ask this question. It’s fine for the hiring manager to understand why a candidate might choose this job over another, but asking the question directly mostly tests if people are good at lying and know how to interview.
I’ve interviewed too many people who are joining for all the wrong reasons that aren’t about the money. A few I’ve encountered
– Tired of process and rules. Uh, we’ve got that here too
– Want to get in early at a startup. Uh, this place has 5k employees and has been around for 10 years
– I want to do hardcore distributed systems work. Uh, this job uses simple tech with the hard part being dealing with customers and stakeholders
– Your recruiter convinced me to apply. Why should I work here? This wasn’t a “wrong” reason at all but as a hiring manager this is helpful in how I sell the role. I need to spend more time telling the candidate about what’s good about this job.
I do interviews for healthcare, some positions are entry level and attract all sorts. If you don’t actually want to be working with clients and helping people, you do not belong at the company. If you just want to show up and get a paycheck, there are a lot of other industries that are better for you.
So I personally love this question. The people who are passionate and knowledgeable will usually stand out. People with your attitude dont last long at the company anyway, theres a lot of places you can make $19 an hour without helping old men go to the bathroom.
This is how to answer the why do you want to work here question? You nail it every time if you follow this method.
First job out of college, I worked a fall at a fast food place (wouldve worked longer had they not reduced my weekly hours to 0 and passivly let me go without letting me go). Most of the staff and managers that I worked with were still in high school. I dont remember what bs answer I gave to that question, but the real one is always “money”. Who wants to work anywhere without expecting payment?
Tbh some roles you apply for because company or role EXCITES you. So why not ask?
No question is filled with more bullshit, on both sides, than this one.
If you say “Because I need a job and you’re hiring.” You don’t get the job
If you say “Because I love this company and want to help it succeed” you don’t get the job
If you say “I’ve been a loyal customer of this company for many years and would enjoy the opportunity to participate in its future ” you don’t get the job
Absolutely HATE this bullshit, useless, what the fuck is the point, question.
“Money. The answer is that I need money because we live in a capitalistic society, and every year, the goal post gets moved for how much my pay can support me. Ideally, I’d like to buy a home, but I need to make 100k to afford a middle-class home, but you’re not offering me that. So I’ll take what I can get in this hellhole economy.”
This is a question I like to ask. I literally just want to know if you’ve taken the time to google the company.
The question is to weed out people like you OP, whether you like it or not.
Too hard?
How about, what do you bring to the table?
“Because I have the bad habit of eating three times a day.”
Lol I know it’s a dumb question they always ask . I always go to the company website and search the mission or culture and choose something you believe in or follow and say thats why I applied and add that you see your a good fit for the job based on the job requirements that were posted on the ad
“because I’m passionate about paying bills”
YES!!!!! I fucking hate that question.
I hate that question, but know how to deal with it.
Yeara ago, interviewed to be a busboy at Red Lobster. The manager was my age, huge chip on his shoulder.
“Where do you see your future with us?” he asked.
I want to be a BUS BOY till I go back to school.
I didn’t get the job. He told me I had the wrong attitude.
Absolutely love that in the app. Kinda lets me know a whole lotta bullshit happens there if I were to get hired.
It’s a reasonable question, if you assume the interviewee could make broadly equivalent money in any of a number of jobs, but has limited time available to apply for them. They can guess why you want to work at all. But you’ve made the choice to apply *here* (and therefore not some other places). Why did you do that?
Of course, if the real answer is “I’m throwing the maximum quantity of CV spaghetti at the job wall and seeing what sticks” then you might want to come up with something a bit more flattering (or which sounds less desperate)…
I always answer honestly. “You need someone who can do these things. I can do these things and I need a job.”
It’s a pretty softball question. I was just on an interview panel where the top three candidates had three different answers. One wanted to move into the industry, one thought the job role fit them like a glove, and one had positive experiences with the org in the past.
If there’s nothing keeping you there besides money, you’ll probably do the job just good enough to not get fired. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t want to work with you.
It’s worse when they were the ones who head hunted you. I mean, I really wasn’t even thinking about you, but I thought I’d see what you’re all about so, how about you tell me why should I work with you. Oh, and it’s work “with” you not “for” you
Maybe they should phrase it differently.
“Other than money, is there a reason why you would prefer to work here over somewhere else?”
Would that make it better? I think the point of the question is to see if you’ve spent anytime, other than just seeing a job posting and a salary, to consider if this would be a good fit for you…
I don’t mind this question, but there are better questions to assess a candidate’s preparation compared to other candidates.
I prefer to ask a less subjective question: what do you know about our company?
Their answer to this question gives the interviewer more relevant information about their preparation skills and isn’t a veiled opporutnity to weed out people for overly subjective reasons like “lack of ‘cultural fit’” or “not ‘mission-driven’.”
Plus, asking what they KNOW about the company leaves the door open to ask follow up questions that reveal their preparation process and analytical skills (if they’re applicable to the job). And as a bonus, it can give you valuable constructive information on how your company is perceived, as it doesn’t limit the response to positive feedback/what they like about the company.
When I was a girl, there was a fabulous song on the radio sung by Barrett Strong. 🎶Money, that’s what I want. That’s what I want.🎵
I would just follow up with, “What made you want to work for this company? What’s your favorite thing about working here?”
This question exists to specifically weed applicants like you out. Not saying I agree, just that’s what its purpose is. Most companies want people who want to work for them specifically. Credentials: 150K people placed in jobs over the last 25 years.
My opinion: it’s an open book test. this will be asked. Since you know this. prepare for it. Take 30 seconds before you walk in, look at their website, mission statement and just regurgitate two points from it. Takes very little effort. Again, we say it is a stupid question and it shouldn’t be asked, but it will be.
Edit: someone else said this too.
I’d like to give a real shit post answer. Because nothing makes me hornier then defending my UX design choices to middle aged men who have the design tastes of a rotten lemon and the business ingenue of my fucking foot.
As a Gen Z General Manager that does the hiring- I can assure you, I do not ask this question. Because I don’t care about their answer, I know they don’t wanna work here, I don’t wanna work here, but let me tell you the nice things my company does for you though. 😂 Then tell you how shit it actually can be and what you are signing up for here. (Just to point out, I have a very very low turnover rate ❤️)