Why do you want to work for us?

' Application and interview answers IT companies want

'Why do you want to work for us?' Application and interview answers IT companies want
Dont let this seemly innocuous question foul up your online application or interview for a graduate IT o!" #Why do you want to work for us? #What attracts you to this position? #Why do you want this o!? $owever its phrased% the question looks short% simple% and not something to waste too much valua!le time on" Dont !e fooled" There are actually several questions you need to answer here&

What do you know a!out the company and the position? What evidence can you provide that you have an interest in the sort of thing we do? What do you hope to get out of the o!% apart from a salary?

#'vidence of your interest should !e ust that" (aying #Ive always wanted a career as a software developer in the financial services industry wont cut the mustard" )aming relevant internships% pro ects% university modules or active involvement in relevant societies will do" *ou should also !e aware of the #unspoken questions that the recruiter will have in their mind as they analyse your response&

Are you serious enough a!out the o! to have !othered researching us properly? Do you have a realistic understanding of what the o! actually involves? Do you want the o!? If you accepted the o!% how long would you stick around?

+ecruiting and training graduates is a very e,pensive !usiness" IT companies want to !e convinced that the graduates they hire will !e genuinely motivated to do the o! and wont leave after a few months or a year" *ou need to prove that you understand what the o! is and that this fits in with your interests and long-term career goals" 'mployers from leading IT companies were keen to discuss candidates research and motivations at the TA+.'T o!s IT +ecruiters /orum 0120" As .illian 3ray% $+ manager at 4$5 4onsulting% puts it& #/or a smaller company like us% we want to know that applicants really want to work for us" We want them to stay more than two years" 6eanwhile a recruiter from a glo!al IT company commented& #I think they really need to show that they !elieve in the company and what you do% that theyre choosing you"

Good answers on your online application form

A good answer on an online application to the question #Why do you want to work for us? will therefore include&

'vidence that you understand the employers !usiness 'vidence of interests or e,perience that relate to this 4larification of your career goal and% if necessary% how this o! will help you towards this"

(ee 7nline applications for technology graduate schemes and the TA+.'T o!s 'mployer Insights for more help"

Good answers to Why do you want to work for us? at interview

At interview you may !e asked directly #Why do you want to work for us% or you may !e asked related questions a!out the o!% company and your motivation for oining" 'ither way% keep the a!ove points in mind" .illian 3ray comments that when students get to interview% #(ometimes they dont think a!out what the company actually does" In interview they should talk a!out how their e,perience relates to what we do% and what !enefits our products !ring to our clients" 8isa Amis% graduate recruitment administrator at Accenture% also highlights the importance of understanding the day-to-day o!" (he states& #We want to know if they understand how our lifecycle works% so we might ask them to descri!e the process% or what Accenture does" .ood employer research plays a vital role 9 !ut what type of information will impress? #4andidates sometimes come into interviews and ust regurgitate whats on the homepage% states (teve +odgers% recruitment manager :technology; at 7cado" #We want them to !e a!le to tell us something that isnt there" A fellow recruiter flags up her glo!al companys profusion of information sources% including a *ouTu!e channel% which candidates can use to get !eyond the !asics" Again% see the TA+.'T o!s 'mployer Insights for help with your prep"

Bad application form answers that say I dont want this o!

In online applications% giving one-line answers to the question #Why do you want to work for us? suggests to IT recruiters the real answer is #Actually% I dont" 'ven worse% leaving in the wrong company name having copied and pasted the answer from an earlier application screams out !oth #I said the same thing to your competitors and #Im really slapdash" (adly% such mistakes are very common% and drive IT companies up the wall" .weynth 3arker at I36% for e,ample% complains that many candidates seem to use #a scattergun approach to applications"

Why "ood employer research matters

(kimp on your research and youll end up resorting to empty flattery and waffle to fill space on your application" 3oth will go down !adly" #Id relish the opportunity to work for such a prestigious organisation< ust screams out #I dont know the first thing a!out you" (imilarly% saying #I feel my unique !lend of skills% e,perience and academic achievement makes me the perfect match for your requirements without actually stating what these are will get you nowhere" +ecruiters see enough clich=-ridden applications every day as it is" Dont let yours !e one of them" http&>>www"cam!ridgeenglish"org>e,ams-and-qualifications>proficiency>how-to-prepare> http&>>www"languagetesting"com>writing-proficiency-test https&>>uwaterloo"ca>writing-centre>english-language-proficiency-e,am-elpe

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