interviewers love to ask why are you
interested in our company
it's a standard question but the way you
answer can actually make the difference
between being
an average candidate and an exceptional
one my name's hall
and today i'm going to share why
interviewers ask this question
the three key elements of a compelling
answer and i'll provide some examples
along the way
be sure to stick around for the not so
obvious mistakes that you should
definitely avoid when answering this
question
you don't want to miss out on these now
let's put ourselves in the interviewer's
seat
and ask why hiring managers pose this
familiar question
by the time that your resume and
background have been reviewed by
a recruiter or manager your basic
qualifications are already established
the interview then isn't so much to get
a sense of your competence but more to
get an
understanding of who you are as a
professional what motivates you and why
you're interested in a job
is key to understanding how you'd
contribute to any team or company
by asking what attracted you to the job
a recruiter or interviewer is really
trying to know
three key things first they want to know
how much you really understand about the
company
second they want to see how much you
understand about
the role itself not just the larger
organization
finally the most compelling reason for a
recruiter to ask this question is to get
a sense of whether this job fits into
your long-term personal and professional
goals
will you really be a dedicated employee
is this job taking you someplace you
actually want to go
think of it as if you're writing a book
the resume is a summary of your past
chapters
and the opportunity in answering this
question is to make the case that the
job you're discussing is the best
next chapter in your story if you'd like
to learn more about another popular
interview question
check out this video right here part one
share what attracts you to the
organization
the most clear and direct way of
answering why are you interested in this
company is to share what initially
attracted you to the organization
supported by what you know and have
learned in order to prepare for the
interview
at the heart of preparation for giving a
first-rate response here is
research research research your first
stop is the company's website
you'll want to review the about page
including its mission company history
and any key information about its
leaders
reading press reports blogs or any
recent newsletters linked to the
company's homepage
will help you understand what they are
proud to announce about themselves
take notes and return to these notes
right before the discussion
in discussing the company make sure to
refer to the mission
in their own words or name the ceo who
you've read about on the organization's
website
bonus tip if your interviewers via video
conference put the numbers and names
you'd like to reference
on little sticky notes and put those
around your screen it'll be easy for you
to shift your eyes slightly when you
need to reference them and not very
noticeable to the interviewer
this will help you radiate confidence
next use the news filter on web search
in order to curate any relevant
information that's been recently
published about the company
if you have the opportunity in the
interview to refer to one of these
articles this will show that you've done
very thorough research by putting effort
into preparing for the interview this
will mirror the effort that you're
showing you're willing to put into the
job
another bonus tip here even if the
reports aren't especially flattering
that you find online
these are still really worth your while
to examine because first of all you want
to know that information heading into
the job but
second of all it can help you understand
which subjects might be a little bit
touchy and worth avoiding
just as many companies check out your
social media through the hiring process
it's worth your time to check out the
social pages of any company that you're
interviewing with
now most of the time these pages are
curated by a company's marketing
department so some of this information
may kind of be on repeat or what you
already know
but every now and then you get a post
that shows a glimpse into
what it might be like to really work
there as an employee which can give you
a sense of company culture as a point of
reference
if you do find those more behind the
scenes social posts
refer to that in the interview for
example you could say something as
simple as i was really drawn to this
company when i first came across an
interview with the ceo about her
experience founding it
her reflections on work ethic and
creating a healthy work-life balance
really resonated with my personal and
professional values
this leads us right into our second sub
question
of why did you choose our company before
i move on if you've watched this far
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miss anything from us part two
what is it about this job that interests
you the second way to answer this
question
is to make sure that you address what's
appealing about the job specifically and
not just the company at large
this is your chance to make the case
that you have an incredible
understanding of the role
and you have the confidence to succeed
in it first
really study and highlight the specific
phrases and duties described in the job
description
and refer to these throughout your
answer for example um
if the job description refers to
budgeting
kpi dashboard management or project
management
use that exact language when referring
to your comparable responsibilities in
your past work
obviously you're really at an advantage
if you know someone at the company or
even better on the specific department
or team that you'd be working with
and if that is your case here then i
would recommend
referring to the knowledge that you
gained as a result of that
so for example if you have a referrer or
someone that you do know
now would be the chance to say i
understand from my friend who referred
me to you that this team is a lot about
cross collaboration
and strong goal setting which are two
things that i look for and really admire
in any work environment that i seek out
if you know the name of the person that
you're interviewing with or would be
reporting to
a really underutilized tip is to go onto
that person's professional profile
and review any endorsements or
recommendations they may have from
their peers this can be a gold mine and
you're able to refer to it throughout
the interview when asked about
why you found the company or team
compelling now the third key component
to address when answering this question
is what is it about you that makes this
job
a natural fit at its core an interview
is about making a human connection
using this conversation to demonstrate
your past your character your attitudes
that's going to be the most effective
way to make that human connection when
an interviewer asks
why did you choose this company or why
are you interested in this company
they're really trying to get a sense of
how this opportunity fits into your
professional story and dreams
this is where you can make the dry
bullets of your resume come alive
when you have a track record of
experiences skills or education that are
related to the jobs that you're looking
for
spend two to three minutes describing
how all of that has culminated in you
being a natural fit for the job you're
interviewing for
tell your story even draw on past
experiences or positions that may
feel unrelated or irrelevant but just
bridge that gap and explain how actually
it's provided you a unique perspective
for example let's say you're
interviewing for a technical position
or project management position something
that's not client-facing
but early in your career you were really
focused on the client side you were in
customer service or client management
well don't be afraid to mention that
experience
just instead bridge the gap by
explaining that those early experiences
taught you that every job is really
about communicating well with clients
customers and colleagues if you have any
personal feelings or experiences about
the
industry or company spend a bit of time
here describing them
if you can draw on something authentic
from your past
you'll be able to really nail this
portion for example let's say that
you're interviewing for
a summer job in your hometown while
you're in college
well if you have childhood memories to
draw in here go for it
for example you can say um when i was
younger
my mom and i used to come in here on
cold sunday mornings and have a cup of
coffee i had my very first cup of coffee
here
i felt so grown up and i would treat
every customer that came into this cafe
as if it was as memorable of an
experience for them as it was for me
drying on your past is a great way to
build your case but it's also
important to speak about your dreams if
the job you're interviewing for
is a natural step toward a meaningful
and prosperous career
make that connection for the employer
you could say something like in five
years i see myself
leading a team that's devoted to this
business and i'm committing to myself
now that i want to do everything i can
in order to prepare me for that
now this can be tricky so here's a
mistake that you really want to avoid
when you answer the question why are you
interested in the company
do not fall into the trap of making it
all about you
and what you as a potential employee
could gain from them the company
again sitting in the interviewees chair
it's really important to emphasize
always and at every opportunity what you
are offering them
describe why you care about the work
that you'd be doing for them
how you're an asset to the team and what
you'd be specifically bringing to the
table
this is a final opportunity for you to
sell it so
to quickly recap my top tips for
answering
why are you interested in this company
are one do your research on the company
and connect
their purpose to yours two be very
familiar with the exact nature of the
role
and prove that you have what it takes to
succeed in it and three
connect your past to the future you
doing the job
if you found this helpful please give us
a like down below so we know it's useful
to you
and make sure to subscribe to our
channel and ring that bell for more
interview tips check out this playlist
and for tips on how to answer tell me
about yourself check out this video
right here
thanks so much for watching and we'll
see you next time