This question can also be referred to as the ‘motivation’ question. This is one of the most important questions you will get asked in your interview, and it will get asked in almost every interview you ever have! It is also the area where many people mess up. A large percentage of the candidates I work with that struggle with interviewing are either:
- Not prepared for this question, or
- Give a bad answer like “I am looking for more opportunities to grow my skills.” Of course you are looking to grow your skills – everyone is! Do you know how often the interviewer hears this answer?
This question is so critical because it reveals a lot about you. A candidate that is motivated to make a move purely because they will be getting a raise could decide to make another move as soon as they can find a job that pays a few dollars more. A candidate that is making a move because their boss is terrible is could be a candidate that struggles in dealing with management. A candidate that doesn’t know what their motivation is is a candidate that likely doesn’t have a strong grasp of their emotional state!
Why do I want to make a move?
The first step to answering this question is to know why you are looking to move. And this can be a bit trickier of a question to ask. I have found that most people can distill their motivation down to one of the following reasons (in rough order for how often I hear them from candidates):
- Low Pay
- Limited opportunities for professional growth at the current job
- Hostile / Uncomfortable Work Environment
- “Grass is Always Greener” – e. g. I am always looking for the next job
- Commute is too long
- Want to make career change into different industry
…and that’s about it. You will see variations on these answers but just about every excuse can be distilled down into one of these. Let’s take a look at how to answer each of these in turn. Feel free to scroll down to the answer that applies to you the most!
Low Pay
This is the most common reason people start looking for a new job. And it makes sense – if it wasn’t for money, most people wouldn’t work at all!
It’s generally considered a bad idea to say “I think I am underpaid” outright. But the worst thing you can do is give some sort of vague, abstract answer about personal growth, using words like ‘opportunity’ and ‘further my skills.’ In fact, if you are underpaid, and you know it, what you really have is a situation where your skill level has risen to a point that is beyond your current company’s capacity to compensate you.
My suspicion is that one of the other motivations listed above will also apply to you, and you may feel more comfortable using my advice for them, but if you really do want to talk about pay as your motivator I would say something like this:
I love my current job and the people I work with, but my compensation has not kept up with the market. I am left with no choice but to look elsewhere, as much as I enjoy my current job.
Just be prepared for this answer to segway straight into the salary negotiation part of the interview. You can read my advice on this here – Make sure you are ready for it!
Limited Opportunities for Growth
This one is easy – just be straightforward about how you worried about being stuck in a dead end. Something like the following will suffice, but come up with an answer specific to you.
I am worried that I am stagnating. Any future growth opportunities for me will require one of the more senior employees in my group to retire, which will likely not happen for the next 10+ years.
You can easily transition from here into a discussion about what growth will look like if you get the new job.
Hostile / Uncomfortable Work Environment
This one can be a bit tricky. Speaking poorly about your current or prior job can come off like sour grapes, and can bring negativity into an otherwise positive interviewing experience. But trying to be too diplomatic with your answer can make you seem like you are being disingenuous. I have found it is better to be frank, but also self-reflective. The easiest thing to do is begin with something positive before transitioning into the negative piece. For example:
I love my the team I am working with, and the work I am doing. But I have an independent style of self-management, and my current boss is very hands on. We butt heads a bit as a result. I am looking for an opportunity where I am allowed a little more space to make my own decisions.
It is these real moments, where you drop the act and become a regular human being, that really stick with interviewers and can make you stand out against their other candidates. But it’s a risk – if you aren’t prepared to answer in this way, you will stumble and stutter and end up conveying something you don’t intend.
Grass is Always Greener
In a tight labor market there is always a large plurality of people that aren’t actively looking for a new role, but are inclined to explore interesting jobs as they come up. These are folks that are typically very happy and secure in their current jobs, but are always willing to explore.
This can be a bit scary for the new employer. If you tell your interviewer something like, “I am always looking for new opportunities” they are going to assume you will continue looking for new opportunities if you come work for them. In some industries, particularly ones with project based work (freelance writing, IT / Software design, etc) that’s okay, but for most jobs like accounting or manufacturing, a lack of longevity can be considered a negative. Employers want to hire someone who is going to stick around for at least a few years.
My advice for this one is to make it clear that, while you are considering other opportunities, you don’t need to make a move and are going to be selective. Something like the following works well:
I’m very happy with my current job, and honestly if I don’t get this job I will probably just go back to work tomorrow and be perfectly happy. But I have done my research on you guys and on this job, and I am convinced that this opportunity is a great fit for me.
There is nothing wrong with reminding the interviewer that you are happy and stable in the current role – it makes you more desirable! And ending your answer with a positive comment on the employer only helps them like you more. Flattery works!
Commute is Too Long
Easy-peasy! Biggest thing here is to make clear that the job you have currently is very positive in every respect other than the commute. This increases your desirability as a candidate.
I like my current job but the commute is becoming burdensome. This job would cut my drive time by more than 30 minutes each way – I would love to get an extra hour of my day back!
I Want to Make a Career Change
I could (and likely will at some point) write an entire page about how to successfully pull off a career change. There is a lot to unpack here, and this particular answer can easily take over the whole interview. But, in brief, here’s the outline of the answer I would suggest you use:
- I have worked in my old career for x amount of time.
- This is what I liked about it, this is what I didn’t like about it.
- I have chosen this industry because…
- I think this transition is possible because…
And filling out the outline with a simple example of a public school teacher that is transitioning to a sales role:
I have worked as teacher for the past 5 years. I enjoyed the children and the chaotic, fast-paced nature of the job, but I have become disillusioned with the future career paths education offers. I have heard from people that I would be very good at sales, and I think I could transition into this easily simply because many of the things that make a good teacher make a good salesperson. I am quick on my feet, good with people, and know how to present complicated issues in a simple and easy to understand matter.
Practice makes perfect – if you intend to go into an interview with this strategy make sure you spend some time on this!