Page 167 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 91

What, as an organization, can we offer that is better than your
current employer?

Your interviewer wants to know that you are genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about working
for their company. They don’t really want you to compare and contrast the two companies—and
besides, if you get into doing that you can veer off track very quickly into badmouthing your current
company which is always a no-no.

They want to know what attracts you to this job, based on your research and your own opinion—
so answer that question.

Your answer should be, “I am especially interested in this job at this company because…” and then
give at least 3 very sincere, positive reasons why you are excited about this job.

One reason should address the fact that this job is a good fit for you professionally and
culturally. You are interested in that, after all. So, talk about how your skills will make you
successful there:

“…this organization is a perfect fit for me. You need X, Y, and Z, and I have all of those plus
ABC. That’s going to make me very effective working here, and I am excited about the opportunity.
I’ve been reading about the company and it seems like a great fit for my personality, values, and work
style.”

Then move into a reason that addresses a particular professional aspect they offer that others
don’t. This is where your research is going to come in particularly handy, because the more specific
you can be, the better. This could be any number of things:

They work with a particular customer, slice of the market, procedure, or software.
They are expanding into a new market.
They are leaders in their field.
They are just starting up so they have all kinds of room to grow quickly.
They have a great reputation.