Interview Questions ‘What interests you about the role?’
For Service-leavers who haven’t got recent interview experience, the prospect can seem daunting. Here, we dissect another of the more common but no less difficult interview questions so that you can show your best side to interviewer sand land your next post-Services role.
‘What interests you about the role?’
How will you fit in?
Regular readers of this series of articles will already know that there are two basic questions that all recruiters want answers to: ‘Can they do the job?’ and ‘Will they fit in?’ Asking ‘What interests you about the role?’ tackles whether you’ll fit into the team and the company culture.
What do you know?
The question might otherwise be presented as ‘Have you done any research on the company?’ since you’ll need to know what they’re all about to formulate a solid answer. The ‘About Us’ page on a company’s website is a good place to start your research.
Starting point
The question is a starting point to discuss how your goals and those of the employer align. Where will you take the role? Start with the job description and build from there.
Show your knowledge
Pick out something the company does well and explain how your skills could be used to achieve something similar, or ideally, even bigger or better.
‘How’ as well as ‘what’
This question interrogates your communication skills. Hopefully, you’d already be speaking in a professional, yet passionate tone. Job interviews are holistic.
Everything, from what you say, to what you wear and what your body language is up to, counts.
Confidence
Aim to relate a feeling of confidence regarding your skills and attributes, specifically about what you can contribute.
There’s an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on where and how your Military skills and experiences could be applied.
Don’t say
I’m interested in the wage package you’re offering or rely on lazy clichés.
Do say
‘I’m interested in developing my skillset’, though make sure you present it as an exchange. Recruiters are looking principally for contributors not takers, though, of course, they will realise that you want something for your efforts. For instance, you might say something like:
‘The organisation’s interest in designing solutions for xyz fits in very well with my interest in abc’.
Investment
Your answer will be used to assess several of the qualities and attributes the recruiter is looking for and perhaps how long your interest and enthusiasm will last.
And since it’s one of the classic interview questions, you better have a good answer that demonstrates your commitment or investment in getting the role. Only then will the employer be interested in investing in you.
