How to answer “Why this company?” and “Why this role?”

They are not the same question.

“Why this company?” is about your interest in that organisation, its work and its environment. “Why this role?” is about the work you would actually do, the problems you would help solve and why your background is relevant.

Answering one with the other is common. So is giving the same answer to every employer. Both make a candidate sound less considered than they are.

Build a credible company answer

1. Identify one or two specific things the company is doing: a customer problem, product, market, operating model, expansion or strategic priority.
2. Explain why that work is relevant to your interests or experience.
3. Connect it to the contribution you could make, without claiming you already know the internal answer.

Use public, checkable information. A recent product launch, annual report, job description, customer proposition or business model is more useful than saying the company has a “great culture”.

Build a credible role answer

Break the job description into three parts: the outcomes expected, the capabilities required and the people you will work with. Then select evidence from your background that matches each part.

• Outcome: What will this person need to improve, deliver, build or own?
• Capability: Which skills, judgement or experience are essential?
• Context: What scale, customers, stakeholders or pace define the job?
• Contribution: Which parts of your experience make you useful from the start?

A practical answer structure

1. Start with the role: name the work or problem that interests you.
2. Add your evidence: show the relevant experience, strength or pattern in your career.
3. Explain the fit: make the connection to this company and this moment in your career.
4. Keep it honest: be clear about what you want to learn, but do not make that your only reason.

What weak answers have in common

• “I have always wanted to work here” with no evidence.
• A generic description that could be used for any company.
• Repeating the employer's mission statement without explaining a personal connection.
• Focusing entirely on what the company can do for your career.
• Describing a role that does not match the actual job description.

A ten-minute preparation checklist

1. Read the job description twice, once for outcomes and once for requirements.
2. Read the company website, a recent announcement or annual report and one external source.
3. Write two concrete observations about the company.
4. Write two relevant experiences you would bring to the role.
5. Say the answer aloud, then remove any sentence that could apply to ten other employers.

Motivation answers should sound like you. If you would never say “I am inspired by your innovative culture” in a normal conversation, do not say it in an interview.

Frequently asked questions