Answering “Why do you want to work here?”

If there is one question that catches candidates off-guard, it is “Why do you want to work for us?” Obviously, you want to work for the respective company that you applied to because you are looking for a job and there is a vacant position that needs to be filled in that company. It is obvious, isn’t it? So, what’s the issue?

Do note that if you simply state the above-mentioned reason, then you’ll soon find yourself applying for other jobs.

You just cannot give a generic answer to this question. You have to show how interested you are in working for the respective company, prove how you’ll be the perfect fit, and highlight how you can achieve your career goals by being an employee of the company.

Here’s how you can do that:

Research beforehand

If you want to stand out from your competitors then you ought to thoroughly research the company you apply to for a job. Start from the company’s website and go through their mission statement, about us page, products, and service information along with financials. Then leverage social media to find more about the particular company and remember to make use of your LinkedIn connections to find about the company culture as well. Then, move onto press released by the company and latest articles written on the company. They will provide you insights about the company which you can in turn use to answer “why do you want to work for the company” It is also important that you keep up with the current events in the company and what are their future plans. This will give you an edge in your interview as recruiters really like candidates who do their homework before showing up and who possess accurate information about their company.

Depict how both you and the company will mutually benefit from each other

Once you know about the company and you have the job description in your hand, you will have a pretty good idea about what sort of candidate the hiring managers are looking for. This is where you demonstrate your value. Prove to them how your background, experience, strengths, and skills make you the ideal match for the job. Talk to them about how your short-term and long-term career goals will be full filled if you become an employee of the company and how you will an asset.

Prove that you are motivated and interested

When recruiters ask the question “Why do you want to work for us?” what they are looking for is candidates to show how interested they are. Needless, to say that if someone is not interested or motivated enough to work for a particular company, then he or she will not prove to be a good hire. Only people who are ambitious enough, who find the job appealing, and who are sincerely interested can do a good job in the job run. Hence, talk about how excited you are and how you will enjoy working if hired. That will do the trick.

All in all, it depends on how you present your answer. By researching beforehand and practicing you can give the response the recruiters are looking for. So, get to work today!