Why do you want to work here?

[LottyD32]

AIBU to detest this question and find it completely pointless?

Why do they still ask it?
What do they hope to glean from your answer?

We all know the answer mostly is 'I couldn't care less, just give me the job and pay me' so why do they insist on making people jump through these ridiculous hoops?

Maybe to weed out the people who couldn’t care less about the job or the organisation and just want to get paid?

As a former headteacher who interviewed many candidates for jobs, I agree with you - I never asked this question (despite various governors suggesting it) because it's pointless. People apply for jobs because they want a job and the workplace concerned seems a reasonable place to work.

That was always my view and my experience as an applicant! I hate the expression "my dream job" because too often, people find it's just a job.

@LottyD32

AIBU to detest this question and find it completely pointless?

Why do they still ask it?
What do they hope to glean from your answer?

We all know the answer mostly is 'I couldn't care less, just give me the job and pay me' so why do they insist on making people jump through these ridiculous hoops?

That has never been my answer. I have always taken an interest in the organisation I am going to work for and have never had a problem articulating my answer or considered it a hoop to jump through.

I think it's just to see how much research you have done on the company, their context, who they work with, etc. If you can talk about how their values align with yours or a specific project they did then it shows that you took the time to look at their activities.

That's quite different from my experience. If I apply for a job, I'll have chosen that particular role in that particular organisation for a reason.

They want to see you've done your research. Just read their website and pick out suitably appealing things to mention, tying them into your own priorities/ambitions.

really depends on the industry - I agree it's a bit pointless in schools and hospitals, and your bog standard boring corporate places.

It's an answer I've always heavily researched and been prepared to answer as I've been going into start-ups and technology companies with unique structures and cultures.

I’m passionate about feeding my children and it’s something I feel really strongly about.

Reminds me of this meme. 😂

@OneGoodTurn

Maybe to weed out the people who couldn’t care less about the job or the organisation and just want to get paid?

🤣

As a recruiter - because it shows you've done some research about our company and want to work for us, rather than any other Joe Bloggs organisation, and because it helps to flag if you have unrealistic expectations so we can correct you now rather than have someone start a job which isn't what they expected.

I agree in some circumstances it may depend on what you’re applying for.

In my industry as someone who does interviews I find this question useful to see if the candidate has researched about the role, the company and its culture etc. The worst are people who know nothing about the role before applying; how can I (or they) know if they’d be a good fit if they can’t tell me anything about job they are applying for

Most ironic when the job applied for is working checkouts in Tesco.

Let’s just go with I find money useful to buy food.

It’s more appropriate for higher level jobs imo.

Yes but they wouldn’t want to work for YOUR company if they wasn’t getting paid would they!? So it is a pointless question.

I think it relates to how likely you’ll be to have the companies best interest/goals at heart and what you want falls inline with that.

I recently had a chat with our director and he asked if I was returning from maternity leave and I laughed and said ‘of course, I need the cash’ but he replied with ‘if hope it’s more than that’. They all know it is, I really enjoy working there. You can tell too, between the people who don’t give a shit and the people who do.

I interview. It’s a useful question to find out if they’ve even bothered to read the website and considered if they’d like it at the company.

Good answers pick up one of our promoted points (strong ESG credentials, reputation for excellence, good internal training program).

Bad answer: “Well you’re on the Picadilly line…” (true example).

I really don’t want anything much - just an indication that you might give a damn.

www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/work/sadistic-interview-panel-knows-full-well-man-only-wants-job-for-the-sodding-money-20190405184432

We usually ask a question like this at the start as a bit of a gimmie so that people have chance to get over their nerves and relax. We only use it as a tie breaker. Less useful in terms of the answer but useful to help us see the best in the candidate.

I need a salary, that's it.

I can see it may be reasonable for senior roles where you have potential to shape the direction of the organisation

But for entry level admin/customer service roles it’s pointless.

I think it's a way of finding out whether the candidate has put any effort into finding out about the company/school/hospital and how it is run, now that they've been called to interview. Did they even bother to read the website? I always comment on any new developments in the company or the ethos they allegedly have. Just say something that shows you are interested in them. It's 5 mins research!

@gingerhills

I think it's a way of finding out whether the candidate has put any effort into finding out about the company/school/hospital and how it is run, now that they've been called to interview. Did they even bother to read the website? I always comment on any new developments in the company or the ethos they allegedly have. Just say something that shows you are interested in them. It's 5 mins research!

But it's not true as an answer to "why...?", is it?

Questions such as "What do you think of our policy on x?" might be more appropriate in terms of 'has the candidate done their homework on the company? I used to ask this of teaching candidates with reference to our behaviour/rewards policy. It's something I'd expect a teaching candidate to have looked at.

I agree it's pointless but the question that irritates me the most is 'where do you see yourself in 5/10 years'? So if I don't aspire to be the CEO by then I'm not worth employing to do this particular job and do it well?

It really depends on the job. I get that it's probably not all that helpful for some jobs.

However, never underestimate how well you answer that question can set the mood for the interview. Interviews are meant to be fully objective but they aren't so how you make the panel feel is important.

If I'm interviewing 9 people to be an ops manager, I want to know they've done their research, understand the goals of the company and have thought about their fit. It's an indication of their motivation.

Plus - its such a standard question it helps the candidate get situated, comfortable before going in with more complex questions.