Why Do You Want to Work Here?

This is the classic hiring question. But it doesn’t always get the answer you’re looking for, which is simply an unrehearsed answer. Asking the prospect why he wants to work at your company will often get a prepared answer. Here are some examples: “Well, I’ve looked over your web site and I feel you have a really great product.” or “Sarah in accounting is a good friend of mine and she has told me how wonderful it is to work here.” or “I feel I can develop here if given the opportunity.” or even “I feel I have a lot to contribute to your company.” So, how do you cut through the prepared answers? Try something like this: “Tell me more about your purpose for choosing this company?” After the prospect’s response: “In terms of working here, what percentage would you say aligned with your last answer regarding “purpose” and what percentage would be that you need an income? “Would that be 80/20 or 50/50, what would that be for you?” I realize it’s a bit of an unusual question, but sometimes the unusual question doesn’t permit the rehearsed answer and instead you get a cleaner representation of your prospect. Another way of asking it would be: “Is your purpose for working here strong enough that you might consider less pay?” Now that’s an interesting question and it might produce a very interesting answer. All in all, you are looking to get past the canned responses. Not all prospects will have them, but you do want to be ready for the ones that do.