Interview Question: What Gets You Up in the Morning?

What Gets You Up in the MorningKnow what recruiters are looking for and what language you should avoid in your answer, and leave a positive impression.

This question is usually asked by recruiters to help them discover what motivates you and keeps you going. Since the probability that you will be asked this question is high, be careful not to misinterpret it,or give a generic answer that is too broad.

What the Question is Not Asking You

This question is not asking what your motivations are for applying for the job; it isn’t asking about your career goals and aspirations. (However, you can touch on these lightly in your answer.)The goal of this question is to learn what keeps you motivated in life in general. Other than your alarm clock and caffeinated coffee or tea, what gets you out of bed in the morning?

What is the Question For?

This question helps recruiters find out more about you as a person. Consider sharing what makes you tick, what you enjoy doing or the things that you value. Share how well you believe will do in the job role (be sure to provide examples to back up your statements!) and how you would fit into their company.

How to Answer

Make sure to be honest and connect your answer to the job you are applying for. Get the point across that you are highly motivated and suited for the role. (Talking about your interests can support this.)Feel free to share what you have enjoyed while working, including internships and part-time.

Are you a team player? Think of the skills that the company needs and connect them with the nature of the job you’re interviewing for.

Be Detailed

Highlight your skills and background in detail. Make sure you’re able to back everything up with examples from your studies, work experience and other activities that are relevant to the skills and aptitudes required for the job you’re applying for.

Avoid Broad-Ranging Statements. Simply saying ‘I love marketing’ is not an effective answer. Instead, state why you love marketing and include all the factors of marketing that keep you charged.

Avoid timid or uncertain language — express your enthusiasm about the job, if you truly want it. Be descriptive and positive.

As long as you can express yourself enthusiastically, you can expect the interview to go well.

Read 21905 times Last modified on Wednesday, 10 February 2016 16:20
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.