Why do you want to work for _______?

[macmet]

So, I've been reading over a few of the threads about job interviews and questions to ask. And one that came up a few times is "why do you want to work for this company?".

Now, I've had a few phone interviews lately and I've been asked this. And this leads me to two questions.

1. What is the point of this question? I was fortunate enough in one of them to say I knew a few people who worked at the company and they seemed to enjoy it and told me to check out the webpage. It was even the truth. But most jobs I apply to I find online and monster or workopolis and it's not that I necessarily want to work at that particular company, but the job sounded good so I figured I might as well apply and learn more about it.

Say I'm applying at Google (which I'm definitely not), should I say "I have a google tattoo on my chest and need to justify it"?

2. So my last question, what is a good answer for this question?

 

[Neubaten]

I have previously answered "I like the opportunities of development for my career this company offers" when the company is big, and "I like to work in a dinamic and young company, where I can have responsiblities" if the company was small.

Both BS answers, I know, but it sounded to me that it was the kind of BS human resources people like to hear. I got the job offered in both ocasions. Actually, I'm in the "opportunities of development" company nowadays...

 

[SomptingGuy]

Unless this is a first job, the answer is simple. The grass seems greener, because...

- Steve

 

[TheTick]

Some companies are stuck on their own mystique. They only want to hire candidates that "really really really honestly truly more than anything else in the world" want to work for them. In that case, start gushing.

Usually I do the opposite. I'm interested in the work. I usually say that while I respect a potential employer's reputation, I have learned not to get overly enamoured with a company that I have not actually worked for.

 

[ykee]

I second the idea of stating that you are interested in the job & would add something to the effect that the company seems stable & good for long term prospects (this at least shows the interviewers that you've looked at what their company does & what their balance sheet looks like -- IF they are a public company).

 

[MadMango]

The point of the question is to gauge why you picked to interview with Company A over Company B. They also want to know if you've taken the time to research their company, can you show that you know what you are getting into.

"I find that (their industry) seems to offer more challenges and opportunities than (your current industry). Reading about your company, I find (their product) very interesting, and it seems to be the leading product among your competitors. I'd like to be a part of your team, blah, blah, blah."

 

[Japher]

Q: Why do you want to work for this company?

A: I don't know if I do, I'm still figuring that out. On paper it looks like I would be a great fit for the company because I have lot of energy, know how, and drive. I like challenges, working in a team environment, and the knowledge base here seems very deep which means I will have an excellent opportunity to find and make mentors. However, a good fit for me into a company, as well as company who should employ me, is more than just what is on paper we have to share the same morals and value systems.

The following comes out in follow-up questions and my questions to the company:

I am an engineer, not a button monkey. I need to be involved in the decision making process and not micromanaged. I need the opportunity to guide my own career and be included on the decisions of what is needed to help myself grow and the company grow. I am a knowledge creator. I know that there are times where the process will dominate what needs to be done and how quickly, and I am fine with that, but that is not why I got an engineering degree. We will work together. So, if you can handle all I have to offer and all I require than we would make a great fit.

 

[casseopeia]

You need to decide what is most important to you. I can tell you what it is for me and what questions I would ask, but that’s specific to me, my situation, and my industry. For me, after basic salary and benefits are met, compensation comes second to being valued and fitting in to the company culture.

Right now I am doing a fair amount of pre-shopping. There have been a few industry events where I have talked to owners or upper management of competing companies to let them know, hopefully subtly, that I was on the bow and contemplating jumping ship. And I've had conversations with the people who would make the hiring decision about the industry (construction defect litigation) as a whole that let them know what my general philosophy is, so that when it comes time to shy I want to work there, the answer should have been answered already, or at least pretty obvious.

But I’m in a position where cold interviews are very rare. I know who the others are, and they know me. It’s simply a matter of finding the right time and the right fit.

The important thing is that why I would want to work at XYZ Company then becomes a totally honest answer and not some HR Bullsh!t.




"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"