Interview questions

How to answer “Why do you want to work here?”

This one is easy to answer badly and hard to fake. "It's a great company" could be said about anywhere. The answer that works shows you looked closely at this place and can say why you fit it.

What the interviewer is really asking

Did you do your homework? An answer only this company could get proves you did. One you could give anywhere proves you didn't.

Do you want this job, or any job? They're hiring someone who'll stay and care, and that's harder to believe if your reasons are salary and location.

Do you understand what the role is? Your reasons tell them whether your picture of the job matches theirs.

The structure: company, role, you

Company. One specific thing about this company that drew you in: a product, a customer, a decision they made, how they work. Something you found by looking, not their slogan.
Role. What about this job in particular you want to do. Name the actual work, not the title.
You. Why you're a good fit for it. One piece of your experience that lines up with what they need, and what you'd bring.

Aim for 45 to 60 seconds out loud, roughly 100 to 150 words. One real reason per part beats a list of five compliments.

An example answer

A marketing coordinator interviewing for a content role at a software company. Everything in brackets is something you find in your own research or your own background.

I've been using [their product] for [how long] at my current job,

so I know firsthand that [a specific thing it does well, or a problem it solves].

When I read [a specific article, launch, or post of theirs], it was clear the team cares about [what it showed you].

This role is mostly [the actual work in the job posting],

which is the part of my current job I'd happily do all week.

Over the last [time period] I've [a real piece of related work you can talk about].

So I'd come in already knowing the product and how your customers talk about it,

and I'd like to do that work for a team that [the thing you noticed about them].

Why it works

Every reason is specific to this company. Swap in a competitor's name and it stops making sense.
It names the actual work in the role, which shows they and you are picturing the same job.
It ends on what you'd bring, which turns a question about them into a reason to hire you.
The blanks are research and real experience. If you can't fill one in truthfully, leave that line out.

Write your own answer

Paste in your role and a few real facts, and the free answer generator builds this answer around them. It won't invent your numbers: anything only you know comes back in brackets.

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Adjusting it to where you are

Recent graduate. You won't have used their product at work, so lead with what you learned researching them, a class or project that connects, and why this is where you want to start.

Changing careers. Spend more time on the role than the company. Explain what pulls you toward the new kind of work, and one thing from your old job that carries over.

A company you don't know well. Read the job posting closely, their last few announcements or posts, and what customers say in reviews. One true detail from that is enough for the company part.

Common mistakes

An answer that fits any company. "Great culture, great growth, great people" could go anywhere, and interviewers notice.
Making it about what you get. Salary, commute, benefits and "a step up" are fine reasons, but saying them first tells them you'd leave for a better offer.
Reading back the About page. Quoting their mission statement shows you visited the site. Saying what you noticed in their work shows you thought about it.
Flattery with nothing behind it. "You're the leader in the space" invites "why do you think so?" Have the real reason ready, or skip it.
Talking about your current job's problems. This answer is about why you want them, not why you're leaving. Complaints belong to a different question, and mostly to no question.
Claiming facts you haven't checked. If you say you love a feature, expect a question about it. Only mention what you've actually looked at.

The question you didn't practice

Practicing the common questions helps. The hard part is the one you didn't see coming, asked live while someone waits for you to think. InterviewWhisperer is a Mac app that hears the interviewer and puts an answer like the one above on your screen while you talk, built from your resume and the job description. Your first 30 minutes of live answers are free, no card.

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Questions people ask

How do I research a company for this question? Read the job posting line by line, their recent announcements or blog posts, and what customers or employees say in reviews. Use the product if you can. You need one or two true, specific details, not a report.

Is "why do you want to work for us" the same question? Yes. So is "what interests you about this role" and "why this company". Use the same company, role, you structure, and lean on whichever part they asked about.

Can I mention salary or benefits? Not as your main reason. If something like their remote setup or training budget really matters to you, say it once, as a reason you'd do your best work there.

How long should my answer be? About 45 to 60 seconds. One specific reason for the company, one for the role and one for why you fit is plenty.

What if I honestly just need a job? That's true for most people, and the interviewer knows it. Find the part of this job you'd actually like doing and lead with that. It's still an honest answer.