The majority of job seekers who I work with tend to skip preparing themselves for questions related to their motivation. This is a mistake, because one’s motivation is a very important subject for recruiters.
These job seekers often expect recruiters to simply ask if they are motivated, and that they can then respond “Of course I am. That’s why I’m applying!”
This is because, in preparing for an interview, these candidates are focusing primarily on their skills. But for many employers, their primary concern is discovering your true motivation! They want to find out:
- Are you really going to enjoy this job? Or will you soon get restless and look for opportunities elsewhere?
- Will you really dig deep into your new role, or are you primarily looking for something to pay your bills?
This question will become even more important if you’ve occupied several different positions along your career path. For example, perhaps you were an accountant for five years before choosing to work in an entirely different field. Now, you’ve applied for an accounting job – but why are you coming back?
When I manage the hiring process for organizations, the human resources employees often ask me to focus on determining the true motivations of applicants.
I often begin my interview process with clients by asking a question about their interest in the position. Many candidates aren’t sure how to respond and end up hesitating. Some respond by talking about their strengths: “Because this position aligns exactly with what I can offer the company.”
In this case, the person is stating what makes them interesting, not what they are interested in. It’s a common mistake.
Watch out for clichés!
In the past, one of the most common clichés in an interview would be for a candidate to say: “My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist.”
I think many recruiters would agree with me that these days, the most common cliché is: “I’m interested in this position because I want to take on new challenges!”
Sometimes, I’m tempted to ask: What exactly makes this position a challenge? In hopes of getting a better answer. Often, they respond with: “Well, it’s not exactly a challenge for me, because I understand the requirements for the position very well.”
In my eyes, this doesn’t mean the candidate isn’t qualified for the job, but the interview isn’t off to a great start!
Sure, it’s fine to talk about wanting new challenges, but if you choose to talk about that aspect of the position, try to expand on the specific challenges in question.
My goal as a recruiter is to identify your candidate DNA – what makes you unique. It doesn’t help your candidature to roll out clichés that don’t show what makes you the right person for the job.
Avoid flattering the enterprise
As a candidate, it’s more important to talk about the position you’re applying for and the tasks you’ll be completing rather than to talk about the company itself.
Sometimes, candidates feel obliged to wax eloquently about how the organization is everything they’re looking for.
“Your company is an ideal example of dynamism and growth! I would be honored to join your team of brilliant people!”
Often, these candidates know very little about the company beyond what they’ve seen online. They talk in all directions and cling to generalities.
Yes, it’s good to talk about the reasons why you want to join the company – if you can point to specific qualities unique to the employer. Don’t waste time on aimless praise.
Be specific
Prepare to explain your motivation by providing specific examples of why you want the position. You could say:
“In my last job, I really enjoyed putting processes into place and optimizing their performance. I know that one of my primary responsibilities in this role would be to improve on existing systems. I like working with these types of structures.”
You could name several different aspects of the position, rather than just one.
Just having specific answers prepared for questions about your motivation will demonstrate that you really are motivated! It shows that you proactively prepared yourself for the question.
Share your emotions
A robot could possess the skills needed for a particular job, depending on how it was programmed. But it can’t feel or express motivation.
Knowing this, it’s clear that motivation refers directly to your emotions. When you talk about what motivates you, the tone of your voice is important, but so is your body language.
Even smiling or giving off an air of being amused can have a real impact on a recruiter’s evaluation of your motivation.
Never pretend to feel an emotion that you actually aren’t, because it will ring false. It’s a much better idea to express how you really feel, by getting in the spirit of the interview.
Try to use language that refers to your emotions.
“I would be very proud of myself if…” “I love everything that has to do with…” “It’s exciting to think that…”
The tricks I use to determine a candidate’s motivation
It’s difficult to pretend you have a strength that you don’t, because it’s something expressed outwardly that leads to an observable result. For example, it would be hard to believe you if you said you were an excellent communicator but have trouble expressing yourself without stuttering.
For this reason, you may think that it’s easy to fake motivation, since there’s no tangible evidence to discredit your claim.
Be careful! An experienced recruiter will be able to tell if you’re not being completely honest.
For example, I like asking questions about why you took the subjects you did in school, and what you liked and didn’t like about your last job. I like to ask about the future and your aspirations.
I gather clues that I can reassemble later. Your answers are as telling to me as your non-answers, and your hesitations.
If you’d like to find out more, I recommend you read a guide I wrote with Catherine Bédard, CRHA, called “The Visceral Candidate.”
This guide is for recruiters, but it can be very useful for a candidate, as it will show you how a recruiter thinks.
Questions about motivation form a big part of this guide.
To find out more, click here.
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