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?

For me it would give some kind of perspectives as to the attitudes of the candidate, yes to some it's just £ but given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

[quote ChocolateDigestivesMmmm]@KleineDracheKokosnuss Haha yeah sure they do. If you're the boss they're simply boot licking in the hope of a promotion/pay rise. I see this in my work and it's so transparent. No sane person truly cares about vague corporate bullshit.
You can definitely see the divide between employers and employees on this thread though, and how deluded/up their own arse employers are.[/quote]
Most of us are both though - if we are in charge of teams we still have bosses, and still have to be interviewed ourselves. Very few people on this thread appear to be company owners.

If you have 20 candidates who all look equally great on paper, and all would be paid the same amount so the hiring budget isn't an issue either, you've got to go with the candidate who comes across the best in the interview. And at least making a small effort to align yourself with the vision of the company, or showing how you would be a good fit for the team with your enthusiam etc.

And if you've worked in non-profit sectors you often do really care about the organisation in general above what your job simply does for you in terms of wages etc.

... given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

So the Duracell-bunny who knows how to play the game, does a bit of research and gushes about whatever the corporate website has deemed to be the fad of the year gets the job? While the steady, well-qualified and reliable candidate who is up-front about his/her reasons and promises to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay doesn't get a look in?

@Havanananana

... given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

So the Duracell-bunny who knows how to play the game, does a bit of research and gushes about whatever the corporate website has deemed to be the fad of the year gets the job? While the steady, well-qualified and reliable candidate who is up-front about his/her reasons and promises to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay doesn't get a look in?

I understand your perspectives and fair point, I would give the ones who did research more credibility and points, but it would not be the overall deciding factor, just that it gives the candidate who did research more of an advantage, but then as you pointed out, I would need to distinguish weather they just did a quick Google and jotted some notes, vs actual research, e.g. Company house, the publication of stock reports if we were a public company listed on the stock exchange ect.

@Hawkins001

For me it would give some kind of perspectives as to the attitudes of the candidate, yes to some it's just £ but given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

It's easy to fake an interest in a company. Most tuned in candidates for jobs know to spend 30 minutes browsing around the company on the internet, looking at linkedin etc.

Mostly it's just a means to gather a few things to say in the interview. Honestly, I think the idea that people should have passion and excitement for a job hopelessly naive.

For the vast majority of people the only reason they go to work is for the money. That's it. Secondary, honest answers to the question are things like "because you are on the bus route" and "because you are next door to a nice gym".

And that doesn't reflect on their ability to do a job well at all. I'm really good at my job but if the company stopped existng I would shrug and find another one. If they didn't pay me, I would stop working. If I won the lottery I would stop working. If another company wants to pay me more money I would go to them. Employees owe companies nothing beyond what the job requires.

@Havanananana

... given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

So the Duracell-bunny who knows how to play the game, does a bit of research and gushes about whatever the corporate website has deemed to be the fad of the year gets the job? While the steady, well-qualified and reliable candidate who is up-front about his/her reasons and promises to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay doesn't get a look in?

Exactly this.

It's really easy to fake interest in a company. It's much harder to be good at a job, which ultimately is all that matters.

Seems like it Havanna. Anyways, after dipping my toe in that murky pond, I'll be sticking to self-employed and freelance rather than have some no-mark, self-professed expert on eye-rolling and little else, decide how good at my work I am.

And even a shelf-filling night-job at at ASDA to a temp job at my Local Council, seems to rely on some wierd recruitment practices.

Rather than add any more meat to the grinder that Recruiters rely on to keep themselves in work, I'd rather just jump through the other hoops involved with earning a living.

If we all did that, then many Recruiters would be out of a job themselves and have to go look for a 'proper job' to earn their living.

@CapMarvel

I appreciate your perspectives, and you have very good points about the issue.

In non profits and vocation type jobs, yes. But your big standard office/corporate job...why would a candidate need to "align themselves with the values"? What does that even mean? Unless you're hiring a CEO then this is meaningless, you simply need someone to be able to do the job and be reasonably personable. Which a good recruiter should be able to spot without asking a vague question that no one really answers honestly. Perhaps it should be re worded...you could ask something specific like "Which aspects of the job description appeal you?" or "Which project of ours interests you the most?"

@ChocolateDigestivesMmm

In non profits and vocation type jobs, yes. But your big standard office/corporate job...why would a candidate need to "align themselves with the values"? What does that even mean? Unless you're hiring a CEO then this is meaningless, you simply need someone to be able to do the job and be reasonably personable. Which a good recruiter should be able to spot without asking a vague question that no one really answers honestly. Perhaps it should be re worded...you could ask something specific like "Which aspects of the job description appeal you?" or "Which project of ours interests you the most?"

"One of the most important elements to consider when hiring is whether or not the potential candidate aligns with the values of the company. Why? Because when people are passionate about what they do and connect with a mission, the more likely they are to stay at the company and thrive"

@Havanananana

... given the options of someone who took an interest to research the company and know more about the company, vs someone who just wants the £ without a hoot about the company, I know which candidates I would be considering more.

So the Duracell-bunny who knows how to play the game, does a bit of research and gushes about whatever the corporate website has deemed to be the fad of the year gets the job? While the steady, well-qualified and reliable candidate who is up-front about his/her reasons and promises to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay doesn't get a look in?

But quite possibly the interviewer asking these questions, or the manager who told them to put in these questions, is the same type that is better than sounding good than actually doing a good job.

Plus from a corporate perspectives, why spend time, effort, resources training and investing in people, if the person wants to jump ship as soon as possible just because they get a bit more £ ?

Agreed. Majority of people wouldn't work if they didn't have to. I certainly have no burning career dreams. If it was an option I would jack it all in and spend my time travelling or enjoying hobbies. Most of us would.

@OneGoodTurn

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

You have just described my entire working life. I am 59.

@Hawkins001

Plus from a corporate perspectives, why spend time, effort, resources training and investing in people, if the person wants to jump ship as soon as possible just because they get a bit more £ ?

If the candidate is that cynical they will just lie anyway.

I agree OP. It’s particularly ridiculous in smaller industries where there’s only a few organisations. I work in a niche area connected to academia and there’s maybe 6 or so organisations in the UK where I can do my job.

But in an interview it would come across badly if I replied to that question with the honest “because you’re advertising the job role that I’m interested in and have years of experience doing”. Instead I have to come up with some waffle about loving their new flagship initiative or EDI strategy or whatever. (And which is most likely near identical to the other competitor organisations anyway.)

I get asked this question a lot. I'm a CEO in the public and charity sector and I guess if you can't answer it credibly you won't be able to represent the organisation with confidence and influence. I've just started in a new role and I'm being asked this by lots of people including the trade press.

For the types of organisation I've worked in it really helps if people care about the cause. But I guess it's not true everywhere.

@Hawkins001

Plus from a corporate perspectives, why spend time, effort, resources training and investing in people, if the person wants to jump ship as soon as possible just because they get a bit more £ ?

Part of the problem with this is that for all corporate bodies spout about their values in the end they typically also have one, which is making money. The days when people expected real corporate loyalty and spend an entire carer in one company are largely gone.

Most people have funded their own education and training, too, sometimes creating a fair bit of debt.

So of course there isn't real loyalty in that sense. People do consider QOL which includes things beyond the money, for sure. But what are you going to say when you interview at a place that is likely to kind of suck? You can repeat their mission statement BS, or talk about how innovative they are at what they do, and get into a lot of depth about it. But the fact is that if they want the job they will tell you what you want to hear.

It reminds me of a friend of mine who used to be a shit-hot computer programmer. He worked for all the big evil companies (big ag, arms, banking) and made scads of money. And when he had enough, he quit and went off to pursue his passion writing.

What do you say when an arms manufacturer asks why you want to work for them?

It gives the candidate a chance to show they've "done their homework"...

You don't have to gush over the company, you can just say you think your skills are a good fit for the role and you've got lots to offer to the company, and why you like working in this industry because reasons, and how the company is just the right size and a perfect fit for your future career plans, and how it's close to your home so you can commute by bike and save money and the environment, whatever rocks your personal brand, really. It's just yet another opportunity to sell yourself and demonstrate soft skills.
There's no right or wrong answer, just try not to sound like a dick (or maybe do sound like a dick, if you think that's what they're into. It is about "cultural fit", and some recruiters may well appreciate a bold cynical answer about simply needing the money)

To show you've researched the company. Then when they ask if you have any questions, you say ' why should I want to work here' you're selling yourself and should ask the company to do the same. An interview is a 2 way street.

I just don't agree that it's pointless for entry level jobs or because we all need to earn and wouldn't work if we won 6 mill. that might be a given, but we don't all apply for the same jobs, do we, even at entry level. DS1 really genuinely wanted to work in a coffee bar. He has no desire to work long term in the hospitality industry , he wants to do law, but he loves coffee, and was excited at being trained how to fluff the milk properly.

DS2 has never applied to work in cafe. He wants to work in a shop as he's interested in a career in retail buying or quality control and wants to get a feel for the shop floor first. So even their choices of entry level jobs are driven by specific desires. When I started out I loved waitressing but filing in an office made me want to fall asleep.

Someone who applies to work as a supermarket cashier might have a very different personality or skillset form someone who wants the night shift stacking shelves in an empty shop.

What do you say when an arms manufacturer asks why you want to work for them?

Beats me! Am a shit hot computer programmer too, but all my jobs have been in fields like medical research or safety systems.
Not cynical enough to play that game (and therefore a lot poorer than programmers working in finances/gambling/military/etc.)

@RobotValkyrie

What do you say when an arms manufacturer asks why you want to work for them?

Beats me! Am a shit hot computer programmer too, but all my jobs have been in fields like medical research or safety systems.
Not cynical enough to play that game (and therefore a lot poorer than programmers working in finances/gambling/military/etc.)

For when humans enter space and depending on what's out there, we need earth to have the best defensive and offensive capabilities as best as possible, don't forget everyone, we are just a drop in the ocean, when it comes to the vastness of the galaxies.

@mangnseam

For when humans enter space and depending on what's out there, we need earth to have the best defensive and offensive capabilities as best as possible, don't forget everyone, we are just a drop in the ocean, when it comes to the vastness of the galaxies.

Plus the same on earth, for if war breaks out, our troops and various other people that contribute to the defence of the realm, we hope to provide and equip them to the highest standards possible.

Why do you want to work here is a 🤨 question at interview (along with tell us about yourself, too ambiguous IMO) however it allows the interviewers to see which candidates have done research into the company pst the home page of the website / person spec. A good one to try and weave in past the corporate stuff is if the company have done a recent fundraiser activity & shared it on their social media. It opens up the conversation around corporate responsibility and gives the candidate an insight into the company culture too.