Why are you interested in working here?

Another common interview question that could be phrased several ways:

• Why do you want this job?
• Why are you interested in this position?

However, this question is specifically asking you to keep the company in mind in your response.

A good, well-thought-out response should touch on aspects of the company or job that weren’t on the job ad, or the industry itself, thus displaying your research.

Some examples of this could be:

• Thought leaders within the company or industry
• Company mission, values, culture, and/or reputation
• Company projects or initiatives (are they especially well known for their community involvement, for example?)
• The products or services within their portfolio

You want to make sure you display your enthusiasm and motivation for the role. You don’t want to be too general – that could imply a lack of research – so you want to be specific aspects of the company, as well as the specific position you are applying for.

For example, “As someone who regularly uses technology products, I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to work on your marketing campaigns. I would be proud to work for an industry leader – and not just in tech trends, but in cutting-edge research and development. I also have friends who work here, and I know this organisation rewards innovative thinking. I love coming up with novel, out-of-the-box solutions to business challenges, so I think I could make a great contribution not just to the company, but to the marketing team itself.”