Answering the "Why do you want work here?" question

[oiltycoon]

It's usually the million dollar make or break question in an interview. Most folks can agree with me that typically the core of your answer should include all positive notes about the company and what you can bring to the company.

The question I have is, should you bring up smaller reasons such as wanting to relocate back home, being closer to family..... or in my specific case, wanting to be closer to a parent whose health is failing. As legit and honest as the answer is, it could also work against me because interviewers may see it as a distraction to my job performance. Any thoughts?

 

[threegreen]

Just tell them it's none of their da$n business. Then thank them to stay out of your personal life.

Really though it's a BS question. They probably hear the same canned answer from 99% of the applicants, about what a great airline it will be to work for, blah blah. Tell them why their airline will work for YOU specifically. Yes it should have something to do with the airline but what they are looking for is why you will commit to them and why you will not leave after a year. Just my opinion.

 

[Corona]

It's usually the million dollar make or break question in an interview. Most folks can agree with me that typically the core of your answer should include all positive notes about the company and what you can bring to the company.

The question I have is, should you bring up smaller reasons such as wanting to relocate back home, being closer to family..... or in my specific case, wanting to be closer to a parent whose health is failing. As legit and honest as the answer is, it could also work against me because interviewers may see it as a distraction to my job performance. Any thoughts?

I think the best response to the question is to state what working at the company can do for you and your career. (Obviously, at this point in the interview, you've already shown what you can do for them.) If you say you'd "like to get X hours of time in Y type of airplane", then that suggests you have some goals and direction in your career and aren't going to be blown out the door by the first breeze that comes along. An image of "staying power" is what you want to project here.

I don't recommend saying anything about your parent (or any other personal matter), though I definitely respect your goal there. Employers want you to be entirely focused on your job, and an ill family member can be a huge distraction. I don't think it's dishonest to omit this particular fact.

C

 

[mar]

Honesty is *not* the best policy in this case.

Yeah. I agree.

And you're not being dishonest by not sharing that situation with them, but it's best to keep it real professional and not personal.

In this case, go with the standard response. Standardization is a good quality in a pilot.

Good luck.

 

[Resume Writer]

Do some research on the company. Then align their core values with your attributes. It shows you know something about the company, and that they are not just another "stopover" for you.

I would not bring the illness into the conversation, as the employer will believe you will be taking time off work to take care of the family member. While they cannot "not hire you" over this situation, believe me, they will find some other reason to eliminate you.

 

[Mr Wu]

Most of them know that you want to say "Because you called and I need the friggin' job." Best BS gets the job, but like threegreen said they want to know that you won't bail after 6 months. Tell them the things that you mentioned that will keep you there.

 

[oiltycoon]

Thanks for the responses. I have been through several interviews before and have received some coaching in the past but it's been several years since then.

I know when this question comes up, I'll just answer as is and not bring up my personal issues/wants/needs on the side. I mean, the company wants to know why I want to work for them, so I'll tell them, no more no less. However, in a few instances I've been asked similar questions in relation like "Why do you want to leave home and work here where winters last 5-6 months?" or "What does (city,state) have that yours doesn't?" "How do your family and friends feel about you possibly moving out here?" Perhaps they were just trying to get an initial reaction out of me.

It's been a while and I'm just trying to get back in the interview train of thought. Honestly, the underlying part of wanting this job is so I can be back home and having more time with the family. But we'll just go ahead and keep that between us. thanks again for the input.....

 

[GeneralAv]

Don't anybody yell at me, but what might some 'core values' of an airline be? How does one figure out what they are?

 

[Draginass]

Core values??? You're kidding right??? These CEOs give themselves huge amounts of money and bonuses and early retirements. They have "core values" alright. They figure how much "value" they can suck out of the company as quickly as they can before the company hits the skids.

That stuff is all PR pap. Business school crap to give the appearance of leading and fooling the gullible, while obscuring the real objective . . . . getting as much as they can as fast as they can.

 

[mar]

The Mission Statement

Don't anybody yell at me, but what might some 'core values' of an airline be? How does one figure out what they are?

Every company should have a Mission Statement. I'm pretty sure that's what Draginass was referring to.



This is a short statement, directed mostly to the investors but also the employees, to remind everyone of exactly what they're trying to accomplish.

Here's an example: http://www.alaskasworld.com/jobs/asjobs/default.asp

P.S. Look for the kid with the toy airplane.
Good luck.

 

[avbug]

Tell us why you want to work for us.

"Well sir, for starters, I hear you don't ask too many questions. I like that. For another thing, nobody else is hiring right now. I really appreciate the fact that your company colors match my choices in clothes, and hey, decent insurance is nothing to sneeze at.

Probably the best reason I want to work for you is that I already interviewed with everybody else, and got turned down. I've heard on the internet that you guys hire just about anybody, so that's a real plus. I don't like to work too hard, and with your reputation, your standards have gotta be pretty low, so that's a good fit. You fly older equipment, so if anything happens to it while I'm flying, it's not that big a deal; probably just buff it out.

Anyway, I can stay home on reserve and drink, which I couldn't do at any of the legitimate companies. I heard you don't do a sim test, and that really attracted me to your outfit; I have microsoft sim at home, and I came here to get a job, not to play games.

Anybody got a light?"

 

[ATR-DRIVR]

"or a pinch".

 

[100LL... Again!]

"Because your jets are shinier than the competitions."

 

[5ontheglide]

Tell us why you want to work for us.

"Well sir, for starters, I hear you don't ask too many questions. I like that. For another thing, nobody else is hiring right now. I really appreciate the fact that your company colors match my choices in clothes, and hey, decent insurance is nothing to sneeze at.

Probably the best reason I want to work for you is that I already interviewed with everybody else, and got turned down. I've heard on the internet that you guys hire just about anybody, so that's a real plus. I don't like to work too hard, and with your reputation, your standards have gotta be pretty low, so that's a good fit. You fly older equipment, so if anything happens to it while I'm flying, it's not that big a deal; probably just buff it out.

Anyway, I can stay home on reserve and drink, which I couldn't do at any of the legitimate companies. I heard you don't do a sim test, and that really attracted me to your outfit; I have microsoft sim at home, and I came here to get a job, not to play games.

Anybody got a light?"

Nice job - that was fun to read!

 

[HS125]

Do some research on the company. Then align their core values with your attributes. It shows you know something about the company, and that they are not just another "stopover" for you.

Agreed!

The company that I currently work for (Part 91 corprate) has 6 main core values that the company lives by. The company goes so far as to have all of the employees take classes on these values on a regular basis. When I interviewed, I had to give a 20 min. presentation about myself. I worked as many of the companies core values into my presentation as possible. The lady from H.R. liked that very much.

I was later told that I was the only candidate that did this and that it influenced the decision to hire me.

 

[Resume Writer]

Core values??? You're kidding right??? These CEOs give themselves huge amounts of money and bonuses and early retirements. They have "core values" alright. They figure how much "value" they can suck out of the company as quickly as they can before the company hits the skids.

That stuff is all PR pap. Business school crap to give the appearance of leading and fooling the gullible, while obscuring the real objective . . . . getting as much as they can as fast as they can.

While this is certainly true at a lot of companies, the person(s) who interview/hire you are not the CEO. So, while the CEO might not adhere to the "core values" the company publishes, the people in lower positions probably adhere to them. They want someone they will enjoy working with - in good and bad times.

That is why you WANT to do research. I am not just talking about looking at the company website, but coming onto boards like this to get the real skinny. If a company is consistently mentioned in a negative light, by several different people, it might be a good indication that you do not want to work there.

Everyone on this board is fortunate to have this resource, and the other aviation boards, to determine what the "real" company culture is like - and what kind of people they can expect to work with in the future.

Just my thoughts....

 

[Nocturnal1]

I would mention some "key" things about the company. Find these on Yahoo Finance etc. and work your personal goals in there as well. Imagine listening to 40 people a day answer this question and you can imagine what it's like to sit on the other side of the table. Eye contact during this phase is important as well. The key is apparent sincerity. Good Luck.

 

[Draginass]

It's all a Kabuki Dance with employment with US companies. They pretend that they value the employess and that they want you to be happy working for the company. You pretend that you actually think the company has ethical values and that you prefer to work for them. The truth is they don't give a crap about you, and you'll dump the company for a better deal in a heartbeat.

This is the new value system in American business. Don't be fooled by all that HR baloney. Tell 'em what they want to hear, because they're doing the same thing.

 

[avbug]

It's all a Kabuki Dance with employment with US companies. They pretend that they value the employess and that they want you to be happy working for the company. You pretend that you actually think the company has ethical values and that you prefer to work for them. The truth is they don't give a crap about you, and you'll dump the company for a better deal in a heartbeat.

This is the new value system in American business. Don't be fooled by all that HR baloney. Tell 'em what they want to hear, because they're doing the same thing.

True Story! Your comments sum it up nicely.

 

[mar]

What's your favorite Kool-aid flavor

I've often thought that airline recruitment and hiring more closely resembles the recruitment and initiation rites of a cult.

Good luck. Worship me.