Imagine an interview going in your favor and everything seems to be falling into place until the dreaded question comes up, “Why work for this company?” On the surface, it seems simple enough—tell them their company is perfect in every way and there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. In reality, things turn out quite differently and flattery only gets you so far. The dreaded job interview “Why us” question is one that we’ve all heard of and prepared for, but while sitting across an expectant interviewer, it can be a little difficult to respond. Answering “Why do you want to work here” takes preparation and requires you to have some background knowledge of the company before you can attempt a good answer.
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Why Work for This Company? Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Interview Responses
When your job interview comes to the “Why us” part of the conversation, you need to give them a clear and concise answer, one that is relevant to the company and not a generic explanation that could apply to anyone. The interviewer must feel convinced by your knowledge of the company, your passion in regard to their projects, or your overall understanding of your job role. If I ask about your reasons for working at our company, I will likely be looking for a reason actually associated with my company as a whole, just to get a better sense of where you fit in.
It is impossible to know every aspect of the company’s functioning and every secret business deal they’re involved with, but a general awareness can get you through the interview process at a much quicker pace. Next time you’re asked, “Why work for this company?” here are some tips that might help you respond.
Be Thorough With Your Research
If you’re like me, you might have applied to a bunch of different jobs with the hopes that one will get back to you with a positive response. If you’ve done this, you most likely don’t remember everything you read before sending in your application, which is completely alright. After an interview is scheduled, you still have time to do some research on the company while you prepare for the interview. Open their website, check their blog posts and press releases, and scroll through their policies and principles so you have a reliable understanding of who they are and what they do.
It is not sufficient to familiarize yourself with your role alone—you need to see the company from the eyes of someone who might be working there in under a week. Go to their LinkedIn page and take a look at their recent achievements for some insight into what they’ve been up to.
Answering “Why Do You Want to Work Here” with a Forward-Thinking Perspective
When asked, “Why work for this company,” you don’t have to focus on their past achievements solely. Talk about your expectations from the role and how you aim to help the company grow. Identify clients you want to work with or name their products and set a clear vision on how you want to boost them. Increase sales numbers? Improve conversion rates? Target a new market? All of these are good metrics of your hope for the company, as long as they’re realistic. Don’t make up stats and numbers that aren’t possible to achieve—they will only make you look like you enjoy lying.
Draw From Your Past To Show How It Can Help The Organization
You can draw from your past experiences and talk about the successes you want to customize for this new role but don’t spend too much time just talking about yourself. The job interview’s “Why us” question is meant to be about the job and your perception of it. So if you do talk about yourself, focus on how that experience can be combined for the mutual benefit of you and the company.
Focus on Compatibility When Asked “Why Work for This Company”
If there are many common elements between your past and the company you are applying to, you are allowed to focus on familiarity. You can emphasize how your values align with the company, how their recent initiative for a cause that you cared about inspired you, etc. You are free to draw parallels with your area of interest and how the company is exploring that specific niche, which is something that will be a green flag for the company.
Bring Up Influential Members from the Organization
If there is a specific skill set you want to grow, you can even refer to employees of the company who might have achievements you want to learn from and emulate. As long as you don’t cross any personal boundaries and only refer to publicly available information, you can refer to the achievements of employees. You can mention how you were inspired by the CEO on a podcast or a company webinar you attended.
When a Job Interviewer Asks “Why Us,” Be Genuine about Your Response
It is often better to be honest than get a job under false pretenses that you won’t be able to keep up with, one month into the role. The more common ground you find with the company, the better you will be able to do your job. Understand their purpose and try to focus your attention on the things you like about the company rather than lying about the things you don’t. This will be more convincing than telling them you’re passionate about something you really aren’t.
“Why Work Here” Examples
Now that we’ve covered a few strategies behind formulating your response, we have some examples of the “why work here” response so you can build your own responses.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to work here because I have observed the impact the company has on the industry for a long time now. The predictions made by the company regarding [topic] were spot on and reflected in all of the work trends we saw unfold this year. I want to witness this kind of expertise firsthand, and I think working in [role] will allow me that. I admire the company’s commitment to [initiative] and I think that with my experience with [topic] at my previous job, I’ll be able to contribute to the team in equal measure.”
“I would love to work for your company because I see a genuine understanding of [topic] and the innovation at the organization is unmatched. Having [company name] as a client must have been such an overwhelming task, and I want to personally understand the planning and work that went into launching the product on such a large scale. I’m drawn to the culture of innovation and collaboration, and I see the evidence of its successful implementation every time I hear about the company. I want to be a part of the work that happens behind the scenes. I’m hoping to be a part of the next initiative myself.”
“I came across an interview by [CEO name] on [platform] and I think that was one of the turning points in my career. I have always admired his way of breaking down complex ideas into feasible projects and I would love to be a part of his vision for [company]. My experience with [area] should carry over perfectly to my work at [company] if I get hired and I think I could make a difference this time. I’m particularly drawn to the challenge of [specific aspect of the job or project] and my experience in [relevant skills/experience] has prepared me well for this role. I’m eager to bring my expertise to the table and collaborate with like-minded professionals who are dedicated to pushing boundaries and driving meaningful change.”
The next time you’re faced with the problem of answering, “Why do you want to work here,” we’re hopeful you’ll feel more prepared.