How to Answer the ‘Why do you Want to Work at Our Company?’ Question.
There are a million questions you might get in an interview. Questions like ‘Can you tell me about yourself?’ or ‘Could you walk me through your resume?’ are common ones that employers will often start by asking you. But sometimes they jump straight in with a more pointed question like, “Why do you want to work for our company?”
If you’ve taken the time to apply and put together a good application, you probably have a good sense as to why you want to work for the specific organization.
Recently, while working through this answer with a client, we stepped back to unpack their interest in working at a specific consulting firm. Here were a few things they said were reasons they were excited about the company:
Heard there was good work/life balance
Thought their brand was very reputable and cool
As a transgender person, really appreciated the company’s commitment to inclusion that they could sense in the company’s brand and in the work they do
Appreciated the company’s track record and commitment to new, creative, and innovative solutions for clients
Liked that the company was open to full time remote working options
Loved the company’s client list, which is full of organizations that have missions they care a lot about
That’s a lot of reasons! We realized they probably didn’t want to rattle off a list of seven things.
And while this client really did feel that the reputation, work/life balance, and remote work opportunities were very important to them, we agreed they weren’t the top reasons that would impress a recruiter or tell the hiring manager that they really understood the job description and what the company does.
Instead, we focused on three top level summaries that covered most of the above reasons. These three reasons broke down into:
The Personal – why it was good for them as a human
The Technical – why the organization’s approach matched how they work
The Substantive – why the content of the organization was compelling
When trying to answer the question for the second time, here was their response:
“There are really three big picture reasons I’m excited about this company.
First, from a personal perspective, as a transgender person, I see your commitment to inclusivity and know from others that you value diversity and that this company is welcoming to non-binary individuals.
Second, from what I can tell, your firm prioritizes innovation and creative new approaches to its work. How you do the work seems to match how I work. I have a track record of implementing new technology and creatively problem solving with clients. I am excited by the innovative approach and it’s a critical component for me in an environment.
And third, the content you all are working on and the clients you work with are exactly the types of organizations I want to be supporting. Voting rights, the environment, education, healthcare – these are all issues I’m passionate about so I know that if I were to work here, I’d be working on content and problems that I’d be energized to engage in.”
When preparing for this question, you can go through the above process.
Write out all your reasons for why you are genuinely excited about the organization. Then look at what you wrote and see if they fall into a few big picture themes. And when in doubt – make a connection between the personal, the technical (the ways they work), and the substantive (what they work on).
Happy interviewing!
This content originally appeared on elpha. Elpha is a hybrid social and professional network for women who work in tech. Their public forums and messages help you connect with other women in tech, find job opportunities, advice and much more.