Don’t say it like this
I am interested in this position because it’s close to where I live, you offer interesting benefits, and I could use the skills I learned in school.
Step-by-step guide to a job interview: Motivation
The last chapter shown us that the main ways of competency evaluation are questions directed at knowledge of the company and reasons why you are seeking a job there. If you want to perfectly prepare for such questions, follow these three steps:
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Get to know the workplace you are applying to
Find out as much information as you can about the company to avoid awkward silences when asked why you applied for the position.
What sources of information can you use? Everything that is available to you! For example:
- The job advertisement
- Company’s webpage
- Company’s profile on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, …)
- Interviews with and articles about people from the company
- Sites providing information about companies: Atmoskop, Cocuma, Welcome to the Jungle
- Networking events (JobNEST, JobChallenge, Industry showcase, ...)
What type of information should I focus on?
- Job description
- Products or services offered
- Company’s history
- Achievements, well-known projects, …
- Company culture and its values
2. Figure out your Whys
Realize why you are applying for the position and try to answer following questions:
- Why do I want to apply for this position?
- Why did I choose this organisation?
- What interests me about this field?
- Why do I want to work in this industry, at this company, in this position? What attracts me to it?
Try to be as specific with your answers as possible. Figure out your specific motivations. Keep in mind that motivations that do not set you apart from other candidates will not make a good impression. For example, money is an important motivator for almost everyone, but it does not set you apart from other candidates. People also tend to mention career growth, but that can ring hollow without any additional context.
Tool: Imagine you have been offered a position in three different companies. One of them is the company you are applying to. All three companies are based in similar locations and offer equivalent benefits and wages. Why did you choose this company?
Say it like this
I applied for this position because I like your open company culture and friendliness I feel from your social media. I like what you do for students and I would like to be a part of it. My particular interest stems from the combination of psychology and counselling. I would like to apply my skills here, such as working with diagnostic methods and coaching, and further develop in some other areas such as knowledge of the job market and workshops organisation.
3. Prepare questions
Almost every interview ends with a chance to ask questions. This moment is not just an opportunity to find out more about the position and the company, but also a chance to showcase your motivation.
Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions, but try to avoid the banal ones, such as “What are the working hours” or “What benefits do you offer?”. Choose questions that show you really care about the position and the specifics of this job. The most appropriate questions are the ones that will give you more information about how the company works, what the job entails, the tools, methods and procedures used, or the company culture. And you can always base them on things that weren’t clear to you from the job advert.
Here are some examples:
- What is a typical working day like?
- Who will be my supervisor? Who will I work with?
- What is the training process like?
- What would be my goals in the first three to six months?
- What tools and / or technologies would I be working with?
