Posted On October 5, 2020
Recently I worked with two job seekers for a position. I briefed each of them on the history of the company they had applied to and suggested they conduct their own research prior to their interview.
One did, one didn’t. Can you guess which one was offered the job?
Your response to these two questions can set you apart from the rest…
1 – What do you know about the company?
This is your chance to demonstrate your genuine interest in working for the company and the easiest way to do this is to know a bit about them. Your recruiter can assist you in the background of the organisation, and you can research yourself by reading over the company website and/or social media accounts.
Which sounds better? Let’s pretend you are applying for a job for a manufacturing company. If you answer “you make x and y items”, that would be a poor response as it does not demonstrate any enthusiasm for the company you are applying to.
A better response would be, “I know you have been making x and y items and have recently launched a new line of z items. I have used your x item and have faith it is a solid product in the market. In my previous work I was involved in the manufacture of similar items.”
I guarantee you will receive bonus points if you can incorporate an achievement. “I was part of a team who launched a new product range last year which resulted in a 20% increase in sales for the last quarter of 2019.”
2 - Why do you want to work for this company?
“Because I need a job...” is not your answer! We all know that will hardly inspire confidence in your motivation for the vacancy or company.
The key word is this question is you – the employer wants to know about you:
Explain your why…
“I want to work for your company because I believe my previous experience would be of benefit to your team and I have some new ideas to contribute.”
“Your company has a fantastic reputation in the market and working within your company is something I have always aspired to do. In my own work I strive for success and believe my strong work-ethic would align with your company culture.”
Tip: If a company has a mission statement, knowing this and aligning your own values to this can be another way to win bonus points.
An employer will
always
prefer an enthusiastic and motivated interviewee to a lacklustre one. In an interview a good attitude combined with considered responses showcasing your attributes and demonstrating your genuine desire to contribute to the company will leave a positive impression on the employer.
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