Submitted by jib88 on
in
Forums
How would you recommend answering the question: "Why have you applied for this role?"
In my experience, this is the question that most often opens internal interviews at my company, and there is a good chance I will have one soon. I have the Interviewing Series (an excellent purchase for those of you on the fence), and this question differs from the "Tell me about yourself" question as it focuses less on your background and more on why you are seeking a particular role.
There are two approaches to this that I am considering:
- Why this role is a good fit for me (focus on my aspirations)
- Why I am a good fit for this role (focus on my background)
What do you think is the better approach? Is there a different approach I am not considering? Would you try to tackle both in the answer? How would you start and how would you structure your answer?
Thanks,
JIB
To my mind, a person asking
To my mind, a person asking that question wants to know what you want, which can be a very useful thing to know. So I'd focus on "Why I want it", and leave the "Good fit" stuff for other questions. Besides, if you really want the job, and can articulate why you'd like to have the experiences that the job offers you, that makes you a good fit.