How to Answer The Interview Question: What Interests You About This Role?
In your job application process, the interview stage of the recruitment process is a vital one, for how you perform at this stage will determine if you get employed. During the interview, you will be asked several questions ranging from personal to professional-related questions. Studying trends of interviews, especially those related to the industry you intend to get employed in, will help you prepare for the interview.
One of such questions you will be expecting in an interview is “What interests you about the role?”. This question ensures that the interviewer understands the applicants’ knowledge of the position they seek to enter and the attributes that will contribute to the growth of the company. Experts believe that this question goes a long way to determining the success of the interview.
Your interest in the role will enable the interviewer to get the following insight about you and the job:
- That you understand the role and responsibility that comes with the job.
- That you understand what is required of you in the job, including the skills and the time requirement.
- To be able to match your experience in the required tasks that come with the job.
- To analyze your optimism and how excited you are about the prospect of working with the company.
- If your goal and plans align with that of the company.
- If you are ready for the job.
- Determine your optimism and how you will impact the workforce.
How to Answer The Question: What Interests You About This Role?
Knowing that the interviewer would ask you this question, we will provide you with tips that would help you pass this stage with flying colours. Over the years, we have researched previous interview processes and how they have been assessed based on their answers. And we have been able to come up with tips that have proven to work in answering important questions that come up during interviews.
You must follow these tips shown below before you go for that next interview:
Research about the role and the company
I guess you do not need to be told that you have to research the company before going for an interview. Please get to know all the necessary details about the company from what you can find online and about their operation. And in addition to this, research the proposed position you are seeking in the interview. There are enough resources online to get information about the proposed roles that will help you answer this question. You can also talk to people that have similar roles to learn more about their function in the company, for this will improve your knowledge of the personal requirement for the position.
Address your plan based on the position
One of the objectives of this particular question is to determine your plan based on the job position. Upon your research about the opening’s roles and responsibilities is to find what interests you the most about the position. Executives or those involved in the interview are looking at your interest and how it fits the position. You can answer the question with much enthusiasm when you have a genuine interest in the job, which is why you should look for that interesting point.
The interviewers know that your plans will be determined to an extent of your interest and the fulfilment you get from the job. Thus, it would be best to use your interest to answer this question and show them that you have a plan with the company.
Personalize your answer
You must understand that they seek your personal experience based on this question. When answering your interest in the role, always use the first-person approach and answer the question with “I.” they want to analyze your attribute to the role and how you will fit in perfectly.
Tell them what you can bring to the company.
You are talking about yourself, so why don’t you take the opportunity to tell them what you can bring to the company?
At this point, you will be selling yourself and make them see your value when you get employed by the company. It would be best if you were specific about the values you can add, and this is after you have done your research. Find out what they are looking for in a person to take that role and focus on the value you can add based on their need. You should not over-sell yourself like you can do anything but focus on your strength and align with the company’s needs.
Be strategic with this approach, and it is better if it comes at the later part of your answering this question.
Keep answers short and professional.
You should remember that this is a formal interview and avoid making it personal. Keep your answers as short and direct as possible, and do not take them personally. Keep your words casual and professional, and remember not to stray from the question. Always follow the tune of the interviewers and take a cue from them when to take the interview. Laugh at their jokes but do not make jokes, but keep it formal from your end.
Seek guidance from experts
Nowadays, it is easy to get guidance or attend classes with experts online. You can search for online couches for job interviews to help you practice and prepare for the interview. If you cannot get one-on-one coaching, you can search online for answers or live videos from some popular platforms. Ensure to check the online help’s reliability by checking out the customer reviews to learn more about their services.
You must come prepared for the interview by following the tips given above. Since we know the objective of the interviews and the question, you have no reason to be taken unaware. Your preparation for the interview will likely determine the success of the interview and your landing that job. This question is important because they are a few steps in the interview process where the interviewer can determine your attributes.
Sample Answer
If you are being interviewed for a job that requires that you travel often, you can say something like this.
I understand that this position requires that I travel often. Travelling is actually my hobby. I like travelling and through this, I have been able to get exposed to different cultures across my country. That has helped me greatly to know how to relate with people from different tribes.
