Interview Question: What are You Looking for in Your Next Job?

What are You Looking for in Your Next JobThis is not a trick question. But you would be surprised how many candidates find it hard to respond professionally. Here’s how to give a strong answer.

How Not to Answer

  • “I’m looking forward to a role in a large company which can help me develop my skills further.”
  • “I’m very much open to accepting new challenges in which I can progress and utilize my skills better.”

These answers are generic and don’t say anything about you. People may take the other extreme and say:

  • “I want a role where I can progress quickly, develop my career and manage others effectively. This will help me gain the skills to become the director of my own company in the future.”

This answer also isn’t acceptable. (You never want to tell an employer that you don’t plan on staying.) And this answer particularly doesn’t make sense if you are applying for an entry-level job. Though displaying drive and determination is a good thing, it’s better to go with the down-to-earth approach, but, again, watch what you say, as in these examples:

  • “Since my company is eliminating redundancies, I want something with more stability.”
  • “My previous company is currently going through a lot. Besides that, I’m underpaid, have a very difficult superior to deal with, and uncooperative colleagues to top it all off.”

Answering like this tells the interviewer you’ll be off as soon as you find a better opportunity. Escaping your current job just because of a difficult situation is a red flag for interviewers.

Avoid giving answers that will make you look like a job hopper. Make sure to develop yourself further, and be proactive in seeking new skills and responsibilities in your current job post, as often as you can.

How to Answer

  • “I’m looking for a new challenge that can help me broaden my experience. I believe this change of industry will do just that. With my skill set and experience, this would give me an opportunity to build new working relationships and learn new things.”
  • “I’m looking for a role that will allow me to learn from the ground up and build a career in this industry. But I do understand that in order to do that, I have to get the basics right and learn more about the organization.”

With these answers as templates, you can clarify potential objections and focus on why you are the best fit for the job. Do your research to help the employer realize how much you care about your potential roles and how serious you are in getting the job.

Read 206199 times Last modified on Thursday, 18 January 2018 10:56
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.