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?

The words might sound like bullshit, but the concepts are sound.

"Will this person fit into the kind of company we are?" is the question I'm asking myself when I recruit. We have quite a flat structure, you're not micro-managed and have to take a lot of initiatives on your own. Some people are good at that, some people struggle.

Not being able to answer this question displays a lack of imagination, for me. I might not ask it in quite this way, but I'd be put off by someone who thought "because I need a job" is the only valid answer.

@jessy100

It's an utterly pointless question! I always think the company and people interviewing want to be flattered and told how amazing g they are. In reality, most of us work because we need to pay the bills!

A few examples of bullshittery recently. Nephew who is a student went for two p/t super.markets jobs. It was two of the 'big four' He was asked this question, and answered it exactly the same way for both, just obviously tweaking very minor details.
Got offered both jobs!

In reality, his mate works in one of the jobs , and told him it's not a great place to work, and he is only there because he's a penniless student! My dn is in exactly the same position and will take pretty much anything for six months, so he can save for a massive holiday he has planned in September.

My friend went for two interviews on the same day to rival insurance companies. She parrotted the same bullshit answers to this question. Got offered both jobs. She took the one with the slightly better annual leave allowance.

I've been for a few interviews recently. My main criteria is that it's a job I can do on set days ( so that I can bugger off for long weekends in our campervan) and go home and not think about it. Should I tell the interview that? Well of course I wont. just like my dn and df I will make up some bullying and tell them what they want to hear. The whole interviewing process needs to get fucking real!!

'

This shows a misunderstanding of what the question's asking.

Yes, there's probably not a massive difference between working part-time for Sainsburys and Tesco, so giving the same response is fine - I liek the idea of working for a well-known national brand, working as part of a big team, working where my family has always shopped.

But you wouldn't give the same answers if you were applying for a part-time job at the local chip shop.

@MasterBeth

The words might sound like bullshit, but the concepts are sound.

"Will this person fit into the kind of company we are?" is the question I'm asking myself when I recruit. We have quite a flat structure, you're not micro-managed and have to take a lot of initiatives on your own. Some people are good at that, some people struggle.

Not being able to answer this question displays a lack of imagination, for me. I might not ask it in quite this way, but I'd be put off by someone who thought "because I need a job" is the only valid answer.

The fact is "because I need a job" is the real answer for most people.

People lie and bullshit in interviews about how wonderful the company looks and how interesting the job is, but the truth is they would have applied to all of your competitors and really they don't give a crap about your culture.

@masterBeth It's you who is missing the point!.That point is that most people will tell the interviewer what they want to hear. It's a box ticking exercise for both sides.

T he ultimate aim is to get offered the the job. It doesn't mean that we believe what we are saying to get it.
My nephew doesn't care which supermarket he works for. He couldn't care less If he's packing find a of beans on to shelves in Tesco or m&s.
He wants the job because he has a very expensive holiday planned that he had to fund!

I'm astonished at the naivety of employers on here! I"m so g!ad that I'm coming to the end of my working life and no longer have to put up with this shit. Nobody gives a shi t about your work culture, and your corporate values.
We all just play the game and tell you what you want to hear!

that most people will tell the interviewer what they want to hear

Isn’t that why companies have a high attrition rate though?

I’m mostly honest with interviewers, what’s the point in lying, it soon comes out. Like I said in a PP you can tell the colleagues who care about the company/what we do and the ones who are solely in it for the cash. There is definitely a difference. Someone who is invested in the company and what they’re about is more likely to develop things/start projects/improve the business using their own initiative ime.

"What's the point in lying"?

.... to get the job, fairly obviously, so they can pay the mortgage and pay for food/heating/the odd trip to the cinema.

Anything else is way, way down the list.

Sure - and if I was interviewing someone for a part-time job in a supermarket, I don't need to believe that the applicant wants to pledge their life and future for the glory of Tesco. I just need to know that they're smart enough to answer an interview question in an appropriate way.

In your nephew's circumstances, "I want to work for a big store like Tesco because I hope it may give me the opportunity to take on more shifts and you're just round the corner" is a perfectly reasonable answer.

In my line of work, yes, people do choose the style of the company they work for. I'm an employee too. Of course I work because they give me a paycheque at the end of the month, but I also fit the informal, entrepreneurial culture of the company.

"Work culture" is not just bullshit. Would you rather work in a place where someone gives you a long list of what you have to do and when and how you have to do it, or somewhere where you're left to get on with things on your own? That's two different work cultures and different people choose differently.

It's a shame that your work life appears to have been so unfulfilling. Some of us like our jobs and try and find ones that suit us.

If it's the difference between having a job or not, of course "work culture" is bullshit.

It's only really a consideration as a tiebreaker beyond that.

And btw, I like my job but I'm also honest about my motivations. Money first, that's the truth of it for me and for most people.

How have you concluded that my work life has been unfulfilling? You know nothing about me! Typical HR speak. 😃 I'm just older and wiser and can see through all the bullshit!

In my creative industry it shows you have passion and care about your work environment as the hours are v long it would weed out anyone who didn't care and showed they did research

Yeah, but it’s not always the difference between having a job or not. I wouldn’t do my job if they didn’t pay me but if more than one organisation will pay me, I want to be able to judge which one suits me.

@CapMarvel

"What's the point in lying"?

.... to get the job, fairly obviously, so they can pay the mortgage and pay for food/heating/the odd trip to the cinema.

Anything else is way, way down the list.

There are plenty of jobs available; why this particular one? Most low level jobs can be done with transferable skills.

Has anyone said it’s not money first? I haven’t seen it if they have.

Nobody is a volunteer and probably rings HR pretty damn sharpish if their pay is wrong, as they should. But any job will pay you. There is a difference, in my company at least, between the people who are more invested in the company long term and the ones who aren’t.

@jessy100

How have you concluded that my work life has been unfulfilling? You know nothing about me! Typical HR speak. 😃 I'm just older and wiser and can see through all the bullshit!

Because you’re glad to coming to the end of your working life and not having to put up with all this shit. Or is that you being positive?

It's an easy opener to help someone settle into an interview and shows who hasn't done their homework or reread their application form.

@MasterBeth

Yeah, but it’s not always the difference between having a job or not. I wouldn’t do my job if they didn’t pay me but if more than one organisation will pay me, I want to be able to judge which one suits me.

More often than not it is. Not everyone is in the (nice) position to pick and choose. They send out 50 applications and if they get an offer that is what they take. Whether the company has a nice coffee machine and offers half price gym membersip is irrelevant.

No, not everyone. Some people.

"There are plenty of jobs available; why this particular one? Most low level jobs can be done with transferable skills. "

Not everyone is in a position where they can pick and choose where they work or take the time to search out the perfect role.

If someone is in the position where they just need to pay the bills of course they will take anything, hence the need to bullshit their way through interviews having sent off 100 CVs to all and sundry. It's naive to think that is not the reality of the situation.

@MasterBeth

No, not everyone. Some people.

I would suggest it's a minority.

A lot of people in higher-level high status job where people often profess a ‘passion’ for their job also think it’s a bullshit question.

My academic-related profession includes a lot of people with PhDs, passion, drive, determination etc. But just like the teenager mentioned above applying to a number of different supermarkets and having to say at interview why supermarket x is amazing, my contemporaries and I are applying to a number of different universities and research institutes and then having to bullshit at interview about why we’ve applied to that particular university. And we live in a work culture where telling the truth - that you’ve applied for 10 roles but this one happened to be the one that offered you an interview - is seen as unacceptable!

Maybe it is a minority. Doesn't mean anyone who considers their job as more than just a paycheque is "naive" to the realities of life or work.

It is a bullshit question for most.
I just asked DW the question she works as a head buyer-they do try to have 'Values'. But it's just bollox.
It is a means to make sure the person being hired will basically sacrifice all for the company.
Same with perk box.
'Give your people the tools they need to be happier and healthier, with carefully curated wellbeing content that caters for all needs'.

Haha corp speak.

@DimebagDarrell

A lot of people in higher-level high status job where people often profess a ‘passion’ for their job also think it’s a bullshit question.

My academic-related profession includes a lot of people with PhDs, passion, drive, determination etc. But just like the teenager mentioned above applying to a number of different supermarkets and having to say at interview why supermarket x is amazing, my contemporaries and I are applying to a number of different universities and research institutes and then having to bullshit at interview about why we’ve applied to that particular university. And we live in a work culture where telling the truth - that you’ve applied for 10 roles but this one happened to be the one that offered you an interview - is seen as unacceptable!

Absolutely spot on!!

I think you are, if you are asking the question "why do you want to work here" and expecting an honest answer, or would judge someone who does answer honestly in a negative way.

There are better ways to find out whether a person is a good fit without basically asking them to lie.

Whether the company has a nice coffee machine and offers half price gym membersip is irrelevant

Ah - I think this is where we’re misunderstanding each other 😂. I don’t care if somewhere gives me free coffee.

What are they like when employees make suggestions? How do management/directors interact with their teams? How much autonomy does each employee have? Do they fund development of the staff?

That’s the ‘culture’ imo. Those questions are relevant to most careers/jobs.

I had a job once at a massive corp; I told them about a problem with their system and provided evidence. My manager said ‘knowledge is knowing there is a problem, wisdom is knowing whether to bother doing something about it’ I’ve never wanted to tell someone to FUCK OFF more in my whole entire career.