“Why are you looking?” and “Why us?”
Give positive reasons, show you did your homework, and never complain about your current job.
What they’re listening for
- • Are you running toward something, or just away?
- • Did you actually look at the company?
- • Will you stick around?
Stiff vs. natural
Interviewer: “Why are you looking to leave your current job?”
Sounds stiff
“My current company does not give me opportunities for growth and the management is not good.”
Sounds natural
“Honestly, I've learned a ton where I am, and I really like the team. But we're a small shop, and I've kind of hit the ceiling on the scale of problems I get to work on. I'm looking for somewhere with more users and harder problems, which, from what I've read about you, sounds like a pretty normal Tuesday.”
- Starts positive about the current job.
- “Honestly” and “kind of” soften the message without sounding unsure.
- The ending shows you did your homework, with a smile.
Interviewer: “Why do you want to work here?”
Sounds stiff
“Your company is a leader in the industry and I am passionate about your mission.”
Sounds natural
“A couple of things. I actually use your app to split bills with my roommates, so I've been on the user side for a while. And I read your engineering blog post about moving billing to events, which is exactly the kind of work I want to be doing.”
- Specific beats impressive-sounding.
- A personal connection (using the product) is natural life talk.
Positive reasons
- “I've learned a ton at…, and now I'm looking for…”Leaving for a good reason.
- “What stood out to me was…”Showing you researched them.
- “I'm really drawn to…”Explaining what excites you.
- “I'd love to be somewhere where…”Describing what you want next.
- “From what I've read…”Referencing their blog, product or news.
Now say it out loud
Rehearse with the AI interviewer and get feedback on your answers.