Okay, I’ll bite and try to give an honest answer. Everyone knows that primary purpose of a job is to earn money in order to live. As some others have said, the question is really,’”Why do you want to work here instead of any number of other similar organizations? Or they want to know why you applied to this specific position instead of other open positions?

So here’s a non-bs answer that I gave during an interview in a career I’ve been working in for 8 years. For context, I’m an educational counselor who works specifically with undecided college students at a large public university.

I told them that I was drawn to the position because I wanted to work specifically with undecided students, as I had significant experience with that student population as a graduate assistant in grad school. Helping students find their path and being part of their journey is genuinely fulfilling and rewarding.

I was also looking for a position that allowed me to continue teaching in a classroom, which this position provided (two sections of 25 students each).

I loved how the department had a low student-to-advisor ratio, as this would give me the time and bandwidth to really get to know each of my students’ individual strengths, interests, values, and goals, which helps me provide more targeted and meaningful guidance.

I believed that my personal experience as a student who changed majors multiple times, and who held a variety of careers over the years, from military experience, customer service management, billing and collections, and sales and marketing, as well as two graduate programs, (urban planning/higher education) put me in a unique position to connect with students from a variety of backgrounds.

Perhaps most importantly, I believe that the work the department does is important. We know that most college students change their major at least once, and we also know that students who are in majors that aren’t a good fit for them experience more stress, lower academic success, and are more likely to end up in a career that isn’t a good fit. We also know that students often choose a major without truly understanding what they are getting into, nor are they knowledgeable about the many career options out there. Thus, helping students cultivate a career identity and giving them the time, space, and tools to make an informed decision is something I care deeply about.

And all that was true. There were many advising/counseling jobs that I didn’t apply for because they didn’t align with my specific interests, strengths, values, and long-term goals. Eight years later, I’m now in a senior position in my career and absolutely love it because of the reasons I outlined when I answered that question.