Do you have to care about the companyHow do you answer the "Why do you want to work for this company?" question when you are applying for the job because you like the POSITION, and are neutral about the company itself? What if you've done all the research you could and there is absolutely nothing about this company that makes it hugely different from all the other companies in its field? Or what if you are not personally interested in the product/service they provide, but like the position none the less? For example, you don't need to be passionate about Impressionist art to be an accountant at a museum, or be a sports fanatic to do IT work for a sports magazine. You could lie and fake interest, of course, but you risk sounding rehearsed, or, if the interviewer decides to talk a little more about the subject you just claimed to be deeply passionate about, and you have absolutely nothing to say, you'll just come off looking like an idiot. Plus, depending on the field, there may not even be anything particularly exciting about the company. You're not going to say "It has been my childhood dream to work for XYZ company because they make the best stationery in the whole world!" So how do you answer the "Why us?" question when you are qualified for the position and know you will do a god job in it, but completely neutral about the company and/or not particularly interested in its products/services? I hear ya. I've been in the same situation and have an interview scheduled for this Friday where I have no idea how to answer this question. The company I'm interviewing with is a mid-size company, not the brightest star in its field, but not the worst either. My main reason for dying to work there is that they have an amazing benefits package and are known for their relaxed culture. However, that's not something you can bring up in an interview. You can't say "Well, I'd love to work for this company because the benefits rock, you offer tuition reimbursement, and employees get to wear sandals to work and leave early afternoon on Fridays in the summer". Sandals and short Fridays aside, I really think it should be ok to talk about benefits in an interview. After all, it's a valid reason to want to work somewhere. It shouldn't be the only reason of course, but I don't get why you are not allowed to mention it at all. I think it's silly that companies advertise their great employee benefits on corporate web sites, in job ads, and in press interviews, presumably to attract candidates, but don't think it's appropriate for people to admit that these things were a factor in their deciding to apply to this company. "No, Mr/Ms Prospective Employer, I do not care about any of the benefits your company offers, or the salary, or any other physical reward I may get out of working here. I just want to contribute and be challenged. As a matter of fact, I don't care if you pay me at all! I'm just so darn excited to be allowed on the company grounds!" Yeh, right. Anyway, I think this is a very interesting question. I hope someone here has suggestions on how to handle this interview question without sounding like a kiss @$$. It helps to have some passion for the company but jbard, you are right sometimes it just ain't there. I would find a way to turn the question back around to the skills and position. This comapny is stable and a leading player in this sector. From what I know about the company and the position that it offers me a chance to do hardcore database programming. The kind of work you describe offers me a professional challenge that I can really..... blah blah blah.... In summary, I am passionate about this databases and would love the opportunity to contribute my skills here. Interst and passion comes through and you don't sound like a ki$$-a$$ in the pocess If you do your homework, you can generally come up with something interesting about the company. Of course you don't have to express that you love it--you barely know them! Having a passion about the work is more important, and if you think the company provides the kind of atmosphere & opportunity in which you can not only do the work, but grow in it, this can be a positive. After all, no matter how great the job itself is, it is nothing without a good company behind it. You could say things like (based on what you know about them), "It would be exciting to be with a company that's experiencing this kind of growth," Or, "Your company sounds like it offers a stimulating environment in which I can grow in my careeer," or even, "INot only does this position offer a great fit, but 've heard good things about the corporate culture and the working environment here." You don't have to gush about the place, just let them know that you at least cared enough them as well as the job, to do a bit of research on them. You don' t have to be passionate about widgets or stationary but you should know a little bit about the company by this point. There is always SOMETHING positive you can say like: Well, from my research, I see that your company seems to really value their employees. I' m excited about the chance to work in a company where I can really feel my work contributes. Or From what I read on your website, I see that you support community activities. I' ve always been a big supporter of local charities and relish the opportunity to work for a company that shares some of my values. There should be something! I have to confess that Ihave never been asked that particular question. I think because in my field it is a given that it is the work and not the actual company. During my employment search the question I have been asked that comes close to "Why do want to work for us" would be "What job environment do you prefer? A team within a firm or a sole practitioner with only one other person for support staff?" After working in legal government for 10 years with a strong emphasis on team players (yeah, sure, I did all the work), I find that is the most difficult question in interviews. Actually, I think this question is second only to "What do you think is better, public law or private?" And my answer does depend on the actual firm or individual and what I can determine from researching them. Thanks for the responses. Yes, I suppose when there is nothing particularly special about the company, you could talk about their culture, or the fact that they are known to promote from within, or that their business is growing, and then bring it back to the position itself. I do agree that it's silly that you are not allowed to mention benefits even though employers, especially the larger companies, often advertise their benefits packages in order to attract qualified applicants. I suppose the rationale is that if your reason for wanting to work there is benefits and tuitiion reimbursement, you will probably leave the moment you find someone with better benefits or are done with your coursework. While valid, the same argument can be made against all the other, more "appropriate" reasons for wanting to work for a particular company. If you like their culture, there is no guarantee you won't leave when you find a company whose culture you like even more. If you are attracted to the challenges the position presents, who is to say you won't get bored and bolt as soon as you figure out everything there is to figure out about the position and it stops being a challenge? If you are into growth opportunities, odds are good that if you are offered a higher level position at another company before your current company is ready to promote you, you'll be out of the door so fast they won't see you going. I've come to a conclusion that interviewers don't really want to know the truth about the applicants, or there wouldn't be these rules about what's ok and not ok to say. All they seem to want is to see that you can play the game. I think this whole dance we call the interviewing process is quite fascinating from the sociopsychological point of view. Anyway, thanks for the replies. I'll definitely use these suggestions the next time I'm interviewing with Bland Inc., which should be next Tuesday. You gotta love job searching. | |
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