How to Answer This Question: Why Are You Interested in This Position?

Here are some model answers for the question: Why are you interested in this position? Adapt these answers to your own circumstances. You want your answer to sound natural and unrehearsed even though you have actually given it a lot of thought and know in advance what you are going to say.

As a general rule, don’t give answers that involve money or benefits. Save that for later. You don’t want to be overly interested in the financial aspects of the job. You want them to be impressed with your enthusiasm for the company.

When you give your qualifications, give the condensed version and start with recent experience. This is not the time to start with your first job and go chronologically through every position you have ever held. That is the job of your resume. This is the time to succinctly give the highlights of your experience that match the job description.

1. I am uniquely qualified for this position and it is a culmination of my skills, education and expertise. (There is a symmetry in answering in threes.)

2. I have always wanted to work for a hotel, a city or whatever. Then give your reasons why.

3. I have always wanted to live in Central Florida. (However, the location should not be your first reason, maybe third or fourth.)

4. Working for your company would be the pinnacle of my career and then explain why.

5. With twenty years of prior experience, I believe I can bring some innovative ideas to this job and then elaborate without being a know-it-all.

6. These are some challenging times and I have some ideas about meeting these challenges that I would like to share.

7. This is not just a job for me. I am passionate about working in this field and this is where I want to work.

8. I made a mistake by moving out of state and I want to move back to Florida as soon as possible.

9. I know that your company has an excellent reputation and has some well-known experts in the field. I believe I have a lot to offer and can add to the progress already made in this field.

10. I have been planning for this job my whole life. I have the education, the aptitude and the passion for this job. It is a natural progression of all my previous jobs.

If you able to answer this question, you will be interviewing like a pro!