How to answer "Why do you want to work here?" on an application (with examples)
Xiang (Arnold) Shang · · 5 min read
Short answer: say one specific thing about the company that is true and that you checked, one thing you have actually done that fits it, and how the two meet in this job. Three or four sentences on a form, under a minute out loud. Leave out pay, perks and how big or famous the company is.
Almost every application form asks this question in some shape: “Why do you want to work here?”, “Why this company?”, “What interests you about this role?” They are all asking the same thing: did you choose us, or are you applying everywhere?
What a good answer has
- Something specific about them. A product you used, a problem they are working on, how they work, something they published. Not “an innovative leader in its industry”; every company says that about itself.
- Something you did. A project, a job, a result, in one line. This is what turns praise into a reason.
- The link. Why your thing and their thing fit together in this job.
If you cannot find the first part after ten minutes on their website, read the job post again. The team usually says what it is trying to do.
Not sure yet what kind of company you want? The dream company quiz sorts companies by how they work (remote, mission, benefits, room to grow), each with a link to the company’s own page that says so.
What to leave out
- Pay, benefits, free lunches, remote work. All fine reasons to want a job, not reasons to want this one. Ask about them later.
- The company’s own slogan read back to them.
- “I have always dreamed of working here” unless you can say why in the next sentence.
- Anything you have not checked. If you mention their funding round or a new product, make sure it is real and recent. Getting it wrong is worse than leaving it out.
Examples
All names below are made up. Swap in what is true for you.
Software engineer, on an application form
I use Harbourline’s route planner every week, and the change last spring that lets drivers fix an address from the map saved me real time. I built a similar address check at my last job, which cut failed deliveries for our warehouse team. I’d like to work on that kind of problem with a team that ships it to drivers every day.
Career changer, on an application form
Your job post says the support team writes the help articles, and that’s the part of support I enjoy most. In my current role in retail I rewrote our returns guide, and questions at the till went down noticeably. I want to do that work full time, at a company where support and writing are one job.
Graduate, in an interview
I read your engineering blog post on how you test the payments service, and it was the first time I saw testing explained around the customer instead of the code. In my final-year project I wrote tests for a booking system and found most of my bugs at the edges, like time zones. I’d like to learn from a team that takes that seriously.
Recruitment agency role, when you know little about the client
I don’t know much about the client yet, so tell me if I’ve got this wrong: from the job post it sounds like a small team that owns its own releases. That’s how I’ve worked for the last two years, and it’s what I’m looking for next.
Notice what they share: none is longer than four sentences, each names one real thing, and none says “passionate”.
Out loud versus on a form
On a form, three or four sentences is enough; long answers are skimmed. Write it like a short email, not a cover letter.
In an interview, the same three parts work, but say them in your own words and stop after about 45 seconds. They will ask a follow-up if they want more. Do not learn it word for word; learn the three points.
To say it out loud before the real thing, run a mock interview with your own AI: it asks this question with a follow-up, then tells you which of the three parts you missed.
Other questions application forms ask
Prepare these once, then adjust each time instead of starting from nothing:
| Question | What it is really asking | Keep it to |
|---|---|---|
| Why are you leaving your current job? | Will you leave us the same way? | One calm sentence about what you want next |
| What are your salary expectations? | Can we afford you? | A range, or “open, based on the full package” |
| Do you need visa sponsorship? | A yes or no that filters | The exact truth; it is checked later |
| When can you start? | Notice period | Your real notice period |
| Tell us about a project you are proud of. | Can you explain your own work? | Situation, what you did, result |
| Is there anything else we should know? | Anything that would change our mind? | Skip it, or one useful fact (a gap, a move) |
Answer once, reuse it
Writing a fresh answer for every form is the slow part of applying. Keep the ones you write:
- Save each answer with the company and question it was for, in a document or your job tracker.
- Next time, start from the closest saved answer and change only the specific parts: the company detail and the link.
- If English is not your first language, write what you mean in your own language first, then turn it into plain English. The thinking is the hard part; the translation is easy.
If you apply with an AI assistant, tell it to do this for you: ask you when a question has no answer saved, turn your words into natural English, show you, and save it after you agree. The next form with a similar question then takes a minute. How to automate job applications with Claude Code or Codex has the prompt, and ApplyKoala keeps the answers and stories it saves so every new conversation can use them.
Questions
How long should the answer be? On a form, 50 to 100 words. Out loud, 30 to 60 seconds.
Is it fine to reuse an answer? Yes, if the company part is rewritten each time. A reused answer with the wrong company name in it ends that application.
What if I honestly just need a job? Most people do. Find the one thing about this company or this job that you would choose over the others, however small, and start there.
Can I use AI to write it? Use it to tidy your own words, not to invent reasons. Readers spot answers that praise the company in general terms and say nothing about you.
Everything here works on paper. If you would rather not keep the paper,the app does this bit — paste a posting and it fills in the details, and it all stays on your own computer.