Interview Questions About What You Want From the Job
Even though the purpose of a job interview is to determine whether you’re a good fit, companies also want to know whether the job ties in with what you’re looking for. They also want to know if the company culture will be a good fit. If what you want isn’t what the interviewer expects to hear, you may not be the right person for the job regardless of how well-qualified you are on paper.
Employers realize that the nature and level of your interest in a job and company can have a strong impact on your productivity if hired. So recruiters will be eager to uncover your true motivation for pursuing a job with their company.
The way in which you answer a question like “What do you want from this job and company?” can have significant influence upon how a prospective employer views your candidacy. In addition, this type of inquiry can help an employer to assess whether you have an accurate set of expectations about the job you’re interviewing for.
How To Give the Best Response
Your approach to this question can be tricky and will depend on what you want the employer to know about the basis of your interest in the job.
In general, queries of this type should be viewed as an opportunity to convey your assets to the interviewer, particularly the strengths which are most relevant to the job at hand. So even though you are being asked what you want from the job, try to frame your answer to emphasize the key skills that you have to offer.
How to Reference Your Accomplishments
For example, suppose that the job requires one to close deals with major clients. Part of your response to the question might be:
- I would welcome the opportunity to play a leading role in closing new business agreements with key accounts.
To provide evidence of how you capitalized on that asset in your work history, you might add:
- I was particularly energized when my boss asked me to take the lead on the A&G account, and I was able to finalize a major agreement to move new product.
Be careful that whatever you share as an attraction is an accurate reflection of what the company actually has to offer. For example, if the company is losing market share to more innovative players in the industry, you certainly wouldn’t say that you were looking for the opportunity to work with a proven innovator.
Similarly, if the position entails servicing clients from the office setting (inside sales), then you wouldn’t want to mention that traveling to present to customers was what you wanted from the job.
Do your homework, and carefully research the job and company so that you can mention what you want within an accurate context.
When to Mention the Skills You Want to Develop
If the job requires you to move beyond what you have done previously, then you might reference the opportunity to develop those new skills or areas of expertise. Perhaps, you are targeting a sales management position but you haven’t had the opportunity to manage a sales group yet.
You might mention that you want the opportunity to move into management with your target company. Be prepared to make a strong case for any leadership or management skills that might equip you to make this transition, even though you have not previously served as a sales manager:
- I was recognized by management as a leader on the sales team and was often asked to train and mentor new hires. Also, I was designated as the project lead for several new sales campaigns.
What Not to Say
Avoid mentioning salary, benefits, vacation, flex time, less pressure and any other personal wants or needs. In the final analysis, the employer will be evaluating how motivated you are to do the job itself with a company like theirs.