3 Steps for Answering
"Why Do You Want This Job?"
Like the dreaded “Tell me about yourself,” the question, “Why are you interested in this position?” is sure to
come up in an interview.
And, even if it doesn’t, if you want the job you should get this
sentiment across regardless. So, really, there’s no way around figuring out how
to string together a coherent thought about why this being in this position
makes sense for you (and for the company).
Luckily, there’s actually a pretty simple way to go about
answering this question effectively without having to go through every big
moment or transition in your life and career that’s brought you to this
interview. Here’s a smart framework for how you should structure your answer.
Step 1: Express
Enthusiasm for the Company
First things first, this is an excellent opportunity for you to
show off what you know about the company. You can talk all day about how
excited you are about joining the team, but nothing will trump actually knowing
a thing or two about the place you’re interviewing with. So, to prepare, spend some time honing in on
what you know about the company and
select a few key factors to incorporate into your pitch for why you’re a good
fit.
Say you’re interviewing for a small quantitative asset
management company. The start of your answer might sound something like this:
The first thing
that caught my eye when I saw the position posted was definitely that it was at
EFG Advisers. I know that you build a lot of your tools in-house, the team is
small, and you run a variety of long- and short-term strategies in the U.S.
equities markets using a quantitative approach.
Especially with smaller companies, it’s always impressive when a
candidate knows a thing or two about what goes on at the company. And the best
thing about this is you rarely have to go beyond reviewing the company website
or having a quick conversation with a current or past employee to learn enough
to sound like you’ve been following the company for a while.
Step 2: Align
Your Skills and Experiences With the Role
Next, you want to sell why, exactly, you’re right for the role.
There are two ways you can do this: You can either focus more on your
experiences (what you’ve done before that brings you to this point) or your
skills (especially helpful if you’re pivoting positions or industries).
Try to pinpoint what the main part of the role entails, plus a
couple of the “desired skills” in the job description, and make sure you speak
to that. Follow up your introduction to how excited you are about the company
with why you’re a good fit:
But the part
that really spoke to me about this position was the chance to combine both the
programming skills I gained from being a senior software engineer and my knack
for quantitative analysis in a position that actively lets me engage with my
growing interest in investing and portfolio management.
Keep it short—you’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk about
how you got your skills or relevant stories throughout the interview—and just
focus on highlighting a couple key relevant abilities or experiences for the
position.
Step 3: Connect
to Your Career Trajectory
Finally, you want to show that the position makes sense for
where you’re going in your career. Ideally, you won’t give the impression that
you’re just using the position as a stepping stone. Show that you’ll be around
for the long haul, and your interviewer will feel more comfortable investing in
you:
I’ve been
interested in switching to finance for a while now and have been actively
managing my own personal portfolio for a few years. Joining a quant shop makes
sense to me because I think it’s one of the few places where I’ll still be able
to use my technical skills and spend my day thinking about finance. I’m really
excited to learn more and see how I’ll be able to contribute the firm.
Of course, you don’t have to state specifically that you see
yourself in the position for a long time. Just show that you’ve given some
thought to how the job makes sense for you now and that it continues to make
sense for the foreseeable future.
String these three components together, and you have a response that will impress on three fronts: your knowledge and enthusiasm for the company, your relevant skills, and your general fit with the position. Plus, this framework has the added benefit of not stopping the flow of the conversation the way going through your entire life story would
By LILY ZHANG
https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-steps-for-answering-why-do-you-want-this-job?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20170407&utm_source=blueshift&bsft_eid=565f60fe-14c8-423a-b130-5eed383266ed&bsft_pid=c70c4b66-ad43-46dc-afe0-0f0b7ad8c17c&bsft_clkid=bec86255-a119-4a4c-8e0e-2c125c1c7610&bsft_uid=d4f9562c-4347-49cb-9544-373dd1f2b1f3&bsft_mid=67db2e53-b540-4ef1-a176-4b9410f89e5f&bsft_pp=2&p=2
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