On this show, I explain how to answer this question in a way that allows you to hit a home run with the interviewer.
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Today I will do one of those tough interview questions there designed to make you quaking your boots… Stammer out an answer… And generally look foolish.
These questions are so difficult. They just require a few seconds of thought.
This is a fun one and gives you a great opportunity to sell yourself hard… Unless you’re unprepared in which case you will sell like a dope.
So today’s question is, “why are you interviewing for this job?” Or, “why did you apply for this job?”
These translate into, “why are you sitting in my office and why am I talking to you?”
This is a great opportunity to sell yourself into the role. Speaking in a crisp sort of way because people associate that style of speech with self-confidence. You can’t speak as though you’ve never given it any thought or have no degree of certainty. You really have to sounds certain with your answer because, remember, part of what an employer is looking for is someone who can inspire confidence that they are to the solution to a need.
The ability to speak with certainty is critical when answering this question.
The answer the question, said with certainty is, “I understand the position is for such and such. What I understand your organization is about is that it’s a leader in its field or an organization with great adaptability or a place where people with talent in advance…” You have four or five different criteria in quick succession.
You continue, “that’s exactly what I’m looking for. You see my background with such and such would fit in nicely with what you are looking for. From the standpoint of what I bring to your organization, I bring a lot of driving passion for what I do, a determination to be successful, I play well with others but not to the point of subjugating a good idea and not trying to advance the idea.”
“I work well with others but not to the point of letting myself be pushed around. Ultimately what you will have is an individual with a strong belief in themselves, a determination to excel. I work well with others but not to the point where I push them around or let myself be pushed around will work hard to make you look good.”
So the idea, again, is to give yourself a commercial for why you are fit for the role and how you ever tried to be successful, your passion for what you do (you demonstrated to how you answer the question) because it’s not just what you say that counts is how you tell your story that will come out in the interview.
And you can really bang this one out of the park if you take a few minutes to think in advance as to how you’d answer the question.
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Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.
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