Job Interviews: Fair Question?
A few days ago I read a blog about job interviews. The way I found it was by glancing through a LinkedIn summary email I get frequently. The email contained a snippet about how to answer the question, “Why do you want to work here?” I followed the link to the blog, read the article, and watched the video as to how to respond. I must say, it’s a huge steamy crock of crap! Their response as to how to answer this question is similar to saying, “I have read your profile on FaceBook. I talked to other people who have dated you. I have read your blog. I want to marry you.” What!? Are you kidding me?
First, the company you are interviewing with is unknown. Sure, you may hear a lot about it on the Internet or word of mouth. But how do you really know you want to work there? Fact is, you don’t? And if you do, then it’s because you are interested in getting a job there and you were going to do your due diligence anyway. For example, an engineer may want to work for Google because their reputation precedes them. But who wants to work for SimpleNet Consulting? For me to say, “You don’t know anything about my company, why should I hire you” is quite arrogant.
So here is my response on how to answer the question, “Why do you want to work here?”And this is the comment I posted on the blog. Take it for what is is worth. But in my 40 years experience, I have rarely been asked this question. Maybe it’s because I am an engineer geek and they feel lucky just to get any social response that is coherent.
Interviewer: “Why do you want to work here?”
Me: “I’m not certain that I do. I know what your company does, but I am not familiar with the culture or the people. I may not be a good fit. I am qualified for the position and I am a perfect fit for what you are looking for. So let’s run a trial. Let’s hold hands before we kiss. You can give me a small project to work on. After 90 days if I have proven myself and you want to make it permanent we can. If I don’t fit into your culture or see things the way you would like, you let me go, no hard feelings.”
Having been on the other side of the table, I would admire the candor in this response. Confident but not cocky. Someone who at least sounds capable of doing the job and willing to prove it.
Besides, in my opinion, it is the job of the hiring company to articulate the qualifications of the candidate. It is not the responsibility of the candidate to understand what the company is looking for by reading about them on the Internet. Maybe I should write an article about appropriate Interview questions or how to publish job opportunities. After all, what is an interviewer trying to accomplish by asking why someone would want to work there? Are they stroking their ego or trying to discern what is really being said about them on the internet? Either way, it’s not a valid question in an interview. It speaks nothing to the qualifications of the candidate. Unless of course, you are looking for a CEO.
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