How to answer What Motivates You? interview question?
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU – This is how you can answer this common question often asked in an interview by a hiring manager.
What Motivates You?
In a job interview, this is one of the common interview questions asked by an interviewer. Obviously, they would want to know what motivates the applicant. It sounds simple and easy to answer but there’s more than this. This is just another one of those open-ended questions that would need preparation to effectively answer this.
Why do interviewers ask this?
This is actually similar to the question “What make you unique?” and just like the other questions, this is meant to discover if you are fitting for the job or not. It would also determine if you can fit into the culture and goals of the workplace.
These are the other questions that are similar to this:
- What drives you?
- What inspires you?
- What drives you to meet challenges?
- What excites you about your job (or about working in general)?
- What drives you to be successful?
- What makes you want to get up every day for work?
Your answer to this question may focus on overcoming challenges, developing new skills, working with others, working independently, leading a team, teaching others, learning new things, being innovative, and having challenging goals.
Make sure to align your answer with the position you are applying for. Always review the job position to make an answer focused on what the company needs. You may also share a true story of to stand out and which may take you at an advantage.
In creating an answer, you must consider things like your strength, reflection of the past, using actual examples, keeping it short, being positive, and being honest.
Here are some sample answers from Top Resume:
“Learning new skills really motivates me. It’s so satisfying to see myself improve as I gain more knowledge about a job or market sector. In my last job, I consistently signed up for training or courses that would grow my skill set, paying for some out of my own pocket. I really believe that ongoing learning makes you more innovative and valuable in the workplace.”
“I’ve been coding since middle school, when I was first exposed to it. My mom is a Software Developer and helped me whenever I needed it. Coding has been “it” for me ever since and I’ve become an expert in Java and C++. I think about coding from the minute I wake up until I go to sleep. Solving problems with code is what challenges me, motivates me, and drives me to be successful.”
“I’m addicted to planning! Being organized at work and at home drives me to make sure I have enough time to achieve my goals and give my best in all I do. It ensures that I don’t overtask myself, so I can focus on doing quality work and not get burned out by working long hours on any one project. Good time management helps me to maintain consistently excellent standards.”
If you want some more, here are some dos and don’ts in an interview you must remember to help you get that job.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!