In this article
Before you start
This page is one question in the behavioral interview guide, which collects the other questions that test motivation and character.
Why interviewers ask this
Candidates who answer with praise alone lose the chance to show they chose this employer on purpose. Interviewers ask the question to assess fit: Indeed's career guide (2025) says they are judging whether you would suit the team and the company, and whether what you want from a job matches what theirs offers. They also want to see that you chose this role on purpose.
Researchers study this under a name. The compatibility between a person and an employer is called person-organization fit, defined as one side providing what the other needs, both sharing fundamental characteristics, or both (Kristof, 1996, as reviewed in Kristof-Brown, Schneider and Su, 2023, working-paper version). In the 2005 meta-analysis (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman and Johnson, 2005, as reviewed in that 2023 paper), fit correlated with job satisfaction at ρ = .44 and with organizational commitment at ρ = .51.
A correlation runs from -1 to 1, and the closer it is to 1, the more reliably two measures rise together. A weak answer is vague or about you only; a strong answer names a checkable company fact, links it to a duty and adds evidence.
Answering why you want to work here from first principles
- Why-this-company answer
- A why-this-company answer is a spoken statement of two or three reasons you want this employer and this role, each tied to a checkable fact about the company and a duty in the job, that shows your motivation and fit rather than praise.
- Company hook
- A company hook is a specific, verifiable fact about an employer, such as a product, a published mission or a recent announcement, that you use as the start of a reason and that a generic answer could not reuse for another employer.
In plain words
Think of two people on a first date. "You seem nice" tells the other person nothing, while "You read the same obscure book I did" shows attention. The employer wants evidence that you looked at them.
The analogy breaks in one place. An employer also needs your answer to show what you would give, not only what you like.
In one precise sentence, a good answer links one fact about the company to one duty in the role and to one piece of your own evidence. Prepare two or three such reasons and say them aloud until they sound like you.
Step 1: Collect facts from three inputs
Research draws on the company, the job description and your own goals. Indeed names the company website, including its About Us and Careers pages, plus products and services, the company blog, social media accounts and company reviews. A U.S. News & World Report careers article adds the mission statement and industry or news articles, and says to use the job description to find areas where you could add immediate value. Clemson University's career center lists mission, values, services and recent news. St. Cloud State University's career center also points to researching the company and being ready for "What do you know about our company?"
The third input is yours. List your favorite things about the job and your career goals, then compare the lists with the posting, as Indeed suggests.
Output: a page of notes with company facts, the duties that matter and your goals. You now have raw material for the next step.
Step 2: Pair each company fact with a duty in the role
A reason pairs a company fact with a duty in the role. The fact is a company hook: a product you have used, a published mission, a recent announcement. The duty comes from the job description. Together they say: because you do this, and this role is responsible for that, I want to work on it.
The U.S. News article advises making the answer unique to the company and role and focusing on the company's strengths and how you could contribute.
Test each reason by swapping in a competitor's name. If the sentence still reads true, it is too generic, and you need a sharper hook. Keep the best two or three pairs and drop the rest.
Input: your notes. Output: company-and-role pairs. The pairs say why this employer; the next step says why you.
Step 3: Add your own evidence and close with a contribution line
Evidence and a contribution line close the answer. Evidence is one thing you have done that shows you can handle the duty: a project, a report, a change you made. A reason without evidence is only a wish. One sentence is enough.
The contribution line comes last. Candidates most often stop after saying what they like. The strong version ends on what you would do for the team in your first months, such as the first problem you would look at. Speak from the outside: say "from the outside it looks like", not claims about internal details you cannot know.
Leave out what Indeed lists as things to avoid: salary or perks as the draw, "applying to many places", and treating the job as a stepping stone to your "dream job".
Output: reasons with evidence, ending on a contribution line.
Step-by-step description
- Gather facts about the company, the role and your goals.
- Join one company fact to one duty in the role.
- Add evidence, then say what you would contribute.
- Research draws on the company, the job description and your own goals.
- A reason pairs a company fact with a duty in the role.
- Evidence and a contribution line close the answer.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
Interview Clozo is an AI interview copilot for real interview rounds: it hears the question and puts a strong answer on your screen, and you say it in your own words. See the features or how it works.
Start Free Trial →The Staff-level answer
The Staff-level answer to why you want to work here gives specific reasons, one piece of evidence and a contribution line. The example below uses an invented company, Fieldstone Logistics, and an invented candidate; it is illustrative, not a script to copy.
Why do you want to work here?
I want to work here for three reasons. First, Fieldstone publishes its delivery-time data every quarter, and this analyst role owns the model that sets those estimates, which is the kind of problem I have worked on for three years. Second, your careers page says new analysts present findings to drivers and dispatchers, and I enjoy explaining numbers to the people who act on them. Third, your latest quarterly report describes a move into cold-chain deliveries, which makes accurate time estimates harder and more valuable. At my last company I rebuilt a late-delivery report that the depot managers then used each morning. In my first months I would audit where the current estimates miss most and propose one fix.
It is Staff-level because each reason names a checkable fact, the evidence matches the duty, and the last sentence says what the candidate would do first.
Example answers for a new graduate and a career changer
Both examples below are illustrative, with invented companies and people. Each keeps the same shape: a company fact, a duty, evidence and a contribution.
For a new graduate, coursework or an internship is the evidence:
"I want to work here because Fieldstone publishes its delivery-time data, and this junior analyst role works with that data every day. In my statistics course I built a model that predicted bus arrival times from public data. During my internship at a regional retailer I cleaned weekly sales reports. In my first months I would learn your estimate model and help improve its inputs."
For a career changer, a transferable skill and one finished project are the evidence:
"I taught for six years, and I want to move into analysis at Fieldstone because your careers page says analysts explain findings to dispatchers, which is what I did with parents every term. I finished a data analytics course and rebuilt my school's attendance report, which the principal now reads weekly. In my first months I would learn your delivery data and take on the reports dispatchers ask for most."
How many words is a minute?
The target of 60 to 90 seconds is editorial guidance. No published study sets an ideal length; 60 to 90 seconds is common guidance. The model answer has 119 words, so at an illustrative pace of 130 words per minute it takes 54.9 seconds, and at 150 words per minute 47.6 seconds.1
At 130 words per minute, 60 seconds holds 130 words and 90 seconds holds 195 words. At 150 words per minute, the same lengths hold 150 and 225 words.1 Practice aloud, as Clemson advises for common questions, and time yourself.
Text description of the diagram
- At 130 words per minute, 60 seconds holds 130 words and 90 seconds holds 195 words.
- At 150 words per minute, the same lengths hold 150 and 225 words.
The rubric
The rubric shows how a why-this-company answer improves from weak to Staff-level on five dimensions. It is a self-check built from the sources above, not any company's scoring sheet.
| Dimension | Weak answer | Strong answer | Staff answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specificity | Praises the size or reputation of the company. | Names one product, mission or announcement. | Names two or three checkable facts and says what each means for the work. |
| Role fit | Talks about the industry, not the job. | Links one fact to one duty in the posting. | Links every reason to a duty, including the hardest part of the role. |
| Evidence | Claims enthusiasm only. | Gives one example from past work. | Gives an example that matches the duty, with a result. |
| Motivation | Leads with pay, perks or a stepping stone. | Leads with the work and the team. | Says what you want to learn and what you give back. |
| Contribution | Ends on what you will gain. | Ends on what you can offer. | Ends on the first problem you would start on. |
Three variants of this question
Why do you want to work for us?
It is the same question with the company named. Indeed lists it as a variant, so reuse the structure and say the company's name once.
What made you want to apply for this job?
Start with what you noticed first, such as a product or a line in the posting. Then give your reasons in the same pair-and-evidence form.
Why this role, specifically?
Spend most of the answer on the duties and one reason on the company. If the interviewer is really asking why they should pick you, see why should we hire you.
Common mistakes
- "I've been applying to a lot of places and seeing what comes back." (wrong) Indeed lists this as something not to say, because it shows no interest in this employer. (right) "I applied here because your team builds X, and this role owns Y."
- "The salary and benefits are what drew me." (wrong) Pay or perks as the draw is also on Indeed's avoid list. (right) "The work on Y is what drew me; pay was a second question."
- "This job is a good stepping stone to something bigger." (wrong) It tells the interviewer you plan to leave. (right) "I want to build depth in this area, and this role lets me do it."
- "It's a great company with a strong reputation." (wrong) The U.S. News article calls vague answers weak, and this one fits any employer. (right) Name one product, mission or announcement.
- "I'd love to learn a lot here." (wrong) The same article calls self-centered answers weak. (right) "I would learn X, and I could contribute Z from my first months."
Follow-up questions
When in the interview does someone ask why you want to work here?
At any point: Indeed says it can come first, in the middle or last. Keep a thirty-second and a longer version ready, so an early or late slot both work. In a short screening call the shorter version fits; see how to prepare for a phone interview.
How do I research a company for this question?
Read the company website, the About and Careers pages, the blog, recent news and the mission statement, then match what you find to the job description. Stop when you have two or three hooks.
What if I do not know much about the company?
Research the public basics first, so the gap is small: the product, the mission and recent news. Admit only limits on non-public details, such as internal plans, and lean on the job description for the rest. Ask a question that shows curiosity; the questions to ask in an interview page has ideas.
Is it okay to mention salary or benefits?
Do not lead with them. Indeed lists salary or perks as the draw as something to avoid, so bring pay up when the interviewer opens that topic.
What should I ask the interviewer after I answer?
Ask about the duties or the team behind one of your reasons. Clemson advises preparing approximately 5-8 questions. Related questions are in common interview questions, how to answer interview questions and a good reason for leaving a job.
- The question checks fit and motivation, and it is not a trick.
- Prepare two or three reasons, each pairing a company fact with a duty in the role.
- Add one piece of evidence from your own work to each answer.
- End on a contribution line: what you would do in your first months.
- Keep salary, perks and stepping-stone framing out of the answer.
Sources
- How Best To Answer: "Why Do You Want To Work Here?" (Indeed Career Guide) — Indeed, 23 Sep 2025
- How to Answer 'Why Do You Want to Work Here?' — U.S. News & World Report Careers (undated; date is the read date), 26 Oct 2026
- Interviewing (Career Center) — St. Cloud State University (undated; date is the read date), 26 Oct 2026
- Prepare for an Interview — Clemson University Career Center (undated; date is the read date), 26 Oct 2026
- Person-organization fit theory and research: Conundrums, conclusions, and calls to action (working-paper version) — Kristof-Brown, Schneider and Su; Personnel Psychology 76(2), 2023, 1 Nov 2024
- Consequences of Individuals' Fit at Work: A Meta-Analysis of Person-Job, Person-Organization, Person-Group, and Person-Supervisor Fit — Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman and Johnson; Personnel Psychology 58(2), 1 Jun 2005
