- Why do recruiters ask “Why do you want to work for us?”
- Tips to answering "Why do you want to work for us?"
- Sample answers to “Why do you want to work for us?”
- Things to avoid while answering "Why do you want to work for us?"
A job interview is essentially an opportunity for the recruiter to get to know the applicants better and the applicant can take the opportunity to present himself as the best candidate for the job role.
Not only that, but candidates can also clear their confusions regarding the position or about the company when asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”
There are many common HR interview questions for freshers, “Why do you want to work for us?” is one of them.
In this piece, we will take you through the tips to answer “Why do you want to work for us?” and also how to avoid messing up your answer.
Let’s begin!
Why do recruiters ask “Why do you want to work for us?”
Before answering this HR interview question, you need to first understand why recruiters ask "Why do you want to work for us?"
Recruiters majorly ask this HR interview question to gauge your research about the organization, its vision and mission, its achievements, etc.
So, simply put this HR interview question tests your initiative to learn about the company and what attracted you to the company.
Also read: Milennials and Gen-X are eyeing Web3 Jobs and Employers are listening
Tips to answering "Why do you want to work for us?"
First thing first, there are certain factors to consider while answering this HR interview question in order to hit all the right notes.
Similarly, the following tips will help you to frame the right answer to “Why do you want to work for us?”
Research the company thoroughly
This is the first and the most crucial step for every applicant, irrespective of their work experience.
As an employee of the organization, you will be spending a majority of your day at work, thereby making it important to be aware of the organization, its work culture, management style, etc. A rigid work culture or poor management can easily cause an employee to feel burdened and burnt out. Therefore, research about the company thoroughly.
A pro tip: Follow the organization’s social media pages like LinkedIn apart from going through the company website.
This will give you a greater understanding of the company highlights, the products they are working on, their future plans, etc., giving you a lot of things to talk about and discuss with the recruiter.
Research news pieces about the company
Reading up on news articles about the company will help you understand the company’s turnover, their struggles, accomplishments, etc. These factors play an important role to build trust in a company.
Read and re-read the job description
Surely you have read the job description before drafting your resume to design it according to the recruiter’s requirements.
Relevant read: Important Resume Tips for Freshers
You need to go through the job description once more to list down the key requirements as it will help you understand the job to answer the question “Why do you want to work for us?”
List down the factors that attracted you
Once you are done with your research, list down the factors which appealed to you about the company. This will help you to answer “Why do you want to work for us?” and also give you topics to discuss at the end of the interview.
Sample answers to “Why do you want to work for us?”
Now here’s how an ideal answer to this HR interview question will be like.
Sample answer #1:
“ I have been following your work for a long while, thanks to my parents. My parents have always encouraged conversations on the importance of personal finance and your magazine has been an old friend.
Each and every piece is written in a lucid manner that helps a layman understand the most complex aspects easily which reflects the reporters’ understanding of the subject.
So, when I found out about an opening in your esteemed organization, I knew I had to get my application through and it would be great if I could have the opportunity to work with such an amazing team.”
Sample answer #2:
“I came across a piece in ABC news site where your company’s future projects and missions were discussed which not only seem beneficial to the current and upcoming generation but extremely progressive in mindset.
Also, I have read and heard about the way the company takes care of its employees, especially new parents. It would be an honor to be able to work in a company that knows how to appreciate its employees and encourages them to look ahead and plan accordingly.”
Things to avoid while answering "Why do you want to work for us?"
Along with the Do’s of answering this HR interview question, you also need to be aware of the Don’t’s. Here are a few things to avoid when answering “Why do you want to work for us?”
Avoid being too generic
Remember the motive of asking this HR interview question is to find out how much you have learned about the company. So, giving a generic answer will immediately reflect that you have not read about the company and might not be a good fit.
Avoid unnecessary humor
Avoid any unnecessary humor although this HR interview question might seem like an ice-breaker or a casual question. This will only give an impression that you are not serious about the job by not researching about the company.
Avoid being indecisive
Indecisiveness is not a very welcoming character in a candidate. So when you give a scattered answer to “Why do you want to work for us?” it highlights that you are unsure about yourself and therefore an unsuitable candidate.
Hope these tips help you to field the HR interview question “Why do you want to work for us?” However, apart from preparing for the common HR interview questions for freshers, make sure to pay attention to the interview dress codes and how to use nonverbal communication in an interview.
All the Best!
