Why Do You Want This Job? How to Answer, With 8 UK Examples

"Why do you want this job?" sounds easy but is easy to get wrong. Here is what the interviewer is really checking, a simple three-part structure, eight example answers for graduates, career changers, retail, NHS, care, office jobs and after redundancy, and the mistakes to avoid.

By Tony Musso on Thu Oct 22 2026

"Why do you want this job?" sounds like the easiest question in an interview. It is also one of the easiest to get wrong. Say "the money" or "it's close to home" and you've told the interviewer nothing useful. Recite the company's mission statement and you sound like everyone else who read the same web page that morning.

A good answer is short, specific and true. It shows you understand the job, that you've chosen this employer on purpose and that what you want lines up with what they need. This guide explains what the interviewer is really checking, gives you a simple three-part structure and offers eight example answers for different situations, from graduates and career changers to retail, care, NHS and office roles.

What the interviewer is really checking

The question comes in several forms: "Why do you want this job?", "Why do you want to work here?", "What attracted you to this role?" or simply "Why did you apply?". Whatever the wording, the interviewer is usually trying to find out three things.

• Whether you understand the job. Have you read the advert properly, and do you know what the work involves day to day?
• Whether you've chosen them on purpose. Are you interested in this organisation, or would any job do?
• Whether you're likely to stay and do well. People who want the work itself tend to settle in, learn faster and stay longer. Recruiting and training someone new takes time and money, so employers care about this.

It's also a quiet test of preparation. Someone who can name one specific thing about the employer has clearly done some research. Someone who can't probably hasn't.

A simple three-part structure

Aim for an answer of about a minute: long enough to be specific, short enough to stay sharp. Three parts work for almost any job.

1. The role. What appeals to you about the work itself, linked to something in the job description. "The job is mainly about X, which is the part of my current role I enjoy most."
2. The employer. One or two specific, genuine reasons for choosing them: a service they run, how they treat staff, their customers, a recent development, something you've noticed as a customer, or what someone who works there told you.
3. The fit. How your skills, experience or goals connect to what they need, and where you'd like it to lead. This turns the answer from "what I want" into "why that's good for you too".

You don't have to give the parts in that order, and you shouldn't sound as if you're ticking boxes. But an answer that covers the job, the employer and the fit will be stronger than most.

Where to find specific reasons

• The job advert and job description. Pick out the duties you genuinely enjoy or want to develop.
• The employer's website. Read the "about", "careers" and news pages. If they list values, say which one matters to you and why, rather than repeating them all.
• Inspection reports. For schools, care homes and health services, regulator reports (such as Ofsted for schools in England or the Care Quality Commission for health and care services in England) describe what the organisation does well.
• Your own experience. If you've been a customer, patient, parent or visitor, what did you notice?
• People who work there. A short conversation with a current employee often gives you the most convincing reason of all.

8 example answers

Use these as models, not scripts. Change the details so every line is true for you, and keep the specific parts specific. Anything in square brackets is for you to fill in.

1. Graduate or first job

"The part of my geography degree I enjoyed most was the data work: collecting survey results, analysing them and turning them into something people could act on. This role would let me do that every day. I also like that your graduate scheme moves you between teams, so I'd see how different parts of the business use data. I read about your work on [project], which is exactly the kind of thing I'd like to be involved in. I want to build a career in analysis, and this feels like the right place to start."

Why it works: it ties a real part of the degree to the job, names a specific feature of the employer and shows a plan. Our graduate CV example shows how to make the same case on paper.

2. Career changer

"I've spent eight years in hospitality management, and the part I've always found most rewarding is training new staff. I've run our induction programme for the last three years and I've started a training qualification in my own time, because I want to make this my full-time job. Your role is focused on onboarding front-line staff across lots of sites, which is close to what I do now but at a bigger scale. I know what it's like to start a busy front-line job, so I'd understand the people I'm training and the pressure they're under."

Why it works: it presents the change as a move towards something rather than away from something, shows proof of commitment and connects old experience to the new job.

3. Retail

"I shop here myself and I've always noticed that the staff know the products and take time with customers, which isn't true of every shop. I've worked in customer service for two years and the part I enjoy most is helping someone find exactly what they need. I'm also keen to learn about stock and visual merchandising, and the advert says team members get training across the store. I'm available at weekends and over the Christmas period, and I'd like to grow with a company where I can work my way up."

Why it works: a real customer observation, a clear interest in the work and a practical point (availability) that matters in retail.

4. NHS or hospital role

"I've worked in a care home for eighteen months, and what I find most meaningful is helping residents keep as much independence as they can. I want to build on that in a hospital, and in time I'd like to train as a nurse, so the advert's mention of development for healthcare assistants stood out. This ward specialises in stroke rehabilitation, and I've supported several residents who were recovering from strokes, so I understand how much patience and encouragement that takes. Compassion and respect and dignity are the NHS values that describe how I already try to work."

Why it works: it links real experience to the specific ward, shows a sensible next step and uses the NHS values naturally rather than reciting them. Our guide to NHS interview questions covers the values-based questions that usually follow.

5. Care work

"When my grandmother was in a care home, the staff who made the biggest difference were the ones who took time to get to know her: what music she liked, how she took her tea. That's the kind of carer I want to be. I've been caring for a neighbour a few hours a week, and I've found I'm patient and good at noticing when someone isn't quite themselves. Your latest inspection report mentioned [something specific, such as the activities programme], and that personal approach is why I applied here rather than anywhere else."

Why it works: a personal reason that shows what good care looks like, evidence of the right qualities and a specific reason for this home. If you're new to care, the care worker career page explains what the job involves.

6. Office or admin role

"I'm at my best when I'm keeping things organised for a busy team: diaries, documents, making sure nothing falls through the gaps. That's most of this role. I've used [systems named in the advert] in my current job, so I could get up to speed quickly. I also like that you're a local firm that works closely with its clients, because I enjoy getting to know the people I'm dealing with rather than being one of hundreds of staff. I'm looking for a role I can settle into and grow in."

Why it works: it matches the main duties, removes a worry (training time) and gives a genuine reason for preferring this type of employer.

7. After redundancy

"My last role was made redundant when the company closed its UK office, and it's given me a chance to think carefully about what I want next. What I enjoyed most was managing supplier relationships, and this role is built around that. I'd be bringing five years of negotiating contracts and solving delivery problems. I also like that you've grown steadily and you work with long-term suppliers, because building relationships over years is where I've done my best work."

Why it works: it mentions the redundancy briefly and without blame, then moves straight to what you want and what you offer. Redundancy is about the role, not about you, so there's no need to apologise for it.

8. Returning after a career break

"I've spent the last four years at home with my children, and now they're both at school I'm ready to return to accounts work. Before my break I spent six years in a busy finance team, and this role uses the same skills: reconciliations, supplier payments and month-end. I've refreshed my software skills over the last few months. The school-hours pattern in the advert would let me give the job my full attention, and I'd like to find an employer I can stay with as I build back up."

Why it works: it explains the gap in one sentence, shows the skills are current and mentions a practical reason (hours) only after the reasons about the work.

"Why do you want to work here?" vs "Why do you want this job?"

The two questions overlap, but the emphasis is different. "Why do you want this job?" leans towards the role: the work, the duties and how they fit your skills and goals. "Why do you want to work here?" leans towards the employer: what they do, how they do it and why you chose them over similar organisations. Use the same three-part structure and shift the weight. If you're asked both in one interview, give a different main reason each time.

How it differs from "Why should we hire you?"

These two are often confused. "Why do you want this job?" is about motivation: what draws you to the role and the employer. "Why should we hire you?" is about evidence: the two or three strongest reasons you're the best person for it, matched to the job description, with proof. A motivation answer can mention your skills, but a "why should we hire you" answer should be almost all skills, experience and results. Our guide to interview questions and answers has examples for that question and the other common ones.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leading with money, hours or location. These matter, and it's fine to mention a practical reason, but give a reason about the work first.
• Talking only about what you'll get. "It would be great experience for me" says nothing about what they get from you.
• Empty flattery. "You're a market leader with a great reputation" could be said about hundreds of companies.
• Reciting the website. Pick one thing and say why it matters to you.
• Criticising your current employer. Even if you're desperate to leave, keep the focus on what you're moving towards.
• Sounding desperate. "I just really need a job" is honest but doesn't help your case.
• Going on too long. If you're past two minutes, you've lost the thread.
• Not knowing what the job involves. Re-read the job description the day before.

How to prepare your answer

1. Read the job description and highlight two duties you genuinely enjoy or want to develop.
2. Find one or two specific reasons for choosing this employer.
3. Write your answer as bullet points, not a script, so it sounds natural.
4. Say it out loud and time it. About a minute is the target.
5. Prepare a follow-up example. If they ask "tell me about a time you did that", have a short story ready using the STAR method.

If you get a second interview, expect a version of this question again: "Now that you know more about us, why do you want this job?" Our guide to second interview questions explains how to give an updated answer, and our step-by-step guide on how to prepare for an interview covers everything else.

If you find it hard to put into words what you're good at and what motivates you, our Career Strengths assessment names your strengths and gives you the language to use at interview.

Take Career Strengths

If you are weighing up options, our guide to choosing a career test explains what a good one tells you and what it cannot.