How to answer "Why do you want to work here?"

Every employer asks some version of this. A strong answer shows you understand what the company does, that the role fits where you are heading, and that you would add something.

The formula

1. Something specific about them. A product, a strategy, a way of working, a person you spoke to.
2. The link to you. Why that matters given your experience or goals.
3. What you bring. One sentence on your contribution.

Where to find specifics

• The last two annual or quarterly updates and recent news.
• The job advert itself: the unusual lines, not the standard ones.
• People who work there. One conversation gives you material nobody else has.
• The product. Use it, and have one observation.

Example: consumer company

"I have used your app for two years, and the move into subscriptions this spring is what caught my attention. My last three years were spent launching subscription products, so I know how hard the first year is. I would like to help get the pricing and onboarding right."

Example: bank

"Two things. Your healthcare team advised on several of the mid-market deals I followed this year, and that is the sector I wrote my thesis on. And when I spoke to an analyst in the team, she described real responsibility early on, which is how I learn fastest."

Example: start-up

"You are solving a problem I had myself as a customer, and you are at the stage where a team of ten makes product decisions quickly. I have worked in a small team before and I like owning something from idea to release."

What to avoid

• Praise that fits any employer: "a market leader with a great culture".
• Reasons that are only about you: salary, location, prestige.
• Reciting the About page.

Length

Forty-five to sixty seconds. Two real reasons beat five thin ones.