Why do you want to work for us? It's a relatively simple question, asked at most interviews in one form or another, but one that a large number of candidates get wrong
Motivational questions like this one alongside, “Why do you want this job?” and “What challenges do you foresee in this role?” are a useful tool for recruiters to examine what has brought you here, your experience, what drives you, and what research you have done. Not practicing this aspect of the interview can leave you at a disadvantage from the moment you start answering their questions.
What are the common mistakes that candidates make?
Let's examine some common mistakes that candidates make:
Not being specific: Common answers given about the reputation of the firm or the opportunity to work with exciting clients could easily be applied to the employers’ rivals, or are too general to mean anything substantial in terms of what has brought you to their particular door
Making it about themselves: While the recruiter certainly wants to know about your skills and how they can benefit the company, some candidates focus on how this role could benefit them in boosting their career
Not incorporating research into a wider answer: all candidates have access to the same corporate information on a company’s website, and a recruiter doesn’t need these figures or statements parroted back to them verbatim, especially when they haven’t been placed into a wider context about why this has drawn the candidate to them as an employer
How to stand out from the other candidates
Make sure that you are as specific as possible and really draw out why this employer is unique when compared to its rivals:
Do they have a particular set of clients that you have insight into?
Do they specialise in technology that you have trained in?
Have they organised their teams in a particular way that especially appeals to you?
Look for examples that set them apart and expand on why this makes you excited to work for this particular employer.
Focus on how your skills and experience can help them achieve their aims, rather than on how working for them will boost your profile. Show enthusiasm and motivation for the role and the company, and illustrate how your skills and goals line up with the company.
Expand your research from just the front page of their website, and incorporate it into a broader answer. So you’ve found out that they are leaders in blockchain technology, environmental research or chemical engineering. Don’t just leave it at that – try to draw this out to a larger point. For example, “this innovative technology will allow us to analyse data in new exciting ways and lead to giving clients a much deeper insight into their customers, enabling them to reach new revenue streams and even explore new avenues of research across the entire sector”.
Expand your research from just the front page of their website, and incorporate it into a broader answer
If you bring all of this together, you’ll stand out from your fellow interviewees.
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Rachel Garman is the Information and Research Officer at University College London Careers. Her latest blog for UCL can be found here
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