Why Do You Want the Job?

'Why do you want the job?' is a question that is most likely to crop up on an application form.

Be careful though! It may be given under other descriptions, such as the following:

• Reasons for this Application
• Supporting Statement
• Suitability for this Position

This is the key question on any application form and one that you should really spend some time to evaluate and think through. 

1) Always take the time to write a proper response to this question: never just write, 'I've read the job description and I have all the skills'. 

2) Remember that this question is often used by employers to assess not only how your experience and hard work skills make you suitable for the post, but also your ability to think through and write a clear answer. 

Therefore, this question is also demonstrating your competences in problem solving and written English. 

3) Read how the question is phrased to give you an overall idea of  how you should go about your answer. Some questions for instance will be amplified by saying, 'Give reasons for your suitability for this  position, drawing on your experience and skills'. 

Imagine that Jake is applying for the post of call centre superivsor. First, he would need to examine the job description which came with the application form and spot the matches with his own career.

Job description	Jake’s matches
Fully understand the product policy for which cover is provided by the team	knowledge of products: 'this company was a direct competitor to the company I used to work at'
supervise team of 4 call centre operatives	supervised team of 6 in my last job
monitor performance of operatives	did this in the last post
complete daily reports to management team	'this was done electronically in my last post, but did give verbal  monthly report'

 (from Judith Leigh's, How to Write: Successful CVs and Job Applications, Oxfrod: Oxford UP, 2013)

Jake could now write in his supporting statement:

Having read the job description, I consider I have the right skills for this post as I have sound experience of similar products to those sold by the company. As you can see from my career history, my last post was with Macromaster, which provided customer care for this range of fridges. 

I am used to supervising a small team, including their motivation, monitoring and providing necessary training. Macromaster had an electronic reporting system which I checked on a daily basis and discussed monthly with the Sales Management team. 

Quick Tip!

You should never include wanting a better salary as a justifiable reason for leaving your current job. If you're considering of leaving your job in want of other benefits, the only one that is acceptable would be that of flexitime or moving to part-time work if your personal circumstances require a change in your work patter.

If you need help or more information, send us an email on [email protected]. 

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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