Why Do You Want to Work Here? How to Answer in a UK Interview

Employers ask "why do you want to work here?" to find out whether you have researched the company and whether you will stay and perform. A generic answer is the quickest way to lose marks.

A simple three-part structure

• The organisation: name something specific, such as a product, a recent project, their values or their position in the market.

• The role: explain what attracts you about the day-to-day work and how it fits your skills.

• You: show how your experience will help them, and where you want to grow.

Example answer

I have followed your growth in the regional market for a while, and I like that you invest in training your people. The role combines customer-facing work with problem solving, which is where I have done my best work. In my last job I cut complaint response times by a third, and I would like to bring that approach to your team.

Mistakes to avoid

• Talking only about salary, location or commute.

• Repeating the job advert word for word.

• Criticising your current or previous employer.

Where to research

Read the company website, the "About us" page, recent news, their careers page and the full job description. Note two or three specific points you can mention naturally.

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