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Before you start ...

The job candidate tells the group which job field they're looking into (ie: front-end web development, data science, SEO marketing).

Question

(This is for the interviewer to ask.)

"We would love to better understand your career goals. What are you looking for in your next job?"

Potential Clarifications

(The job candidate (JC) can ask clarifying questions to understand what the interviewer (I) is looking for.) Possible scripts:

• JC: "I recently decided to make a career change, and I want to find a job that reflects my new passions.”
  • I: "Can you please provide specific aspects of the job that are aligned with your passions?"
• JC: "I believe I’ve grown as much as I can in my current role, and I would like to find a job that helps me grow more as a leader."
  • I: "Could you share some of the specific skills you hope to learn from a new job?"

Answer Strategy

• Skills: What skills do you hope to use?
• Motivation: What drives you to want to do this work?
• Goals: How might this job contribute to your career goals?
• Company: How does this job / company factor into what you are looking for in a new role?

Example:

• Skills: I recently finished my Data Analyst nanodegree program with Udacity.
• Motivation / Goals: I would love to develop my leadership skills, so I can create a non-profit someday to help young girls get involved with data science.
• Company: I heard about your company’s Women in Tech program, and I think it would help me to connect with mentors and be a better data scientist.

(Optional: Scroll to the bottom of the page to find some more examples of how a job candidate can use this to answer.)

• I have web development experience in both start-up environments and most recently with a large established organization. (skills) While I enjoyed the jobs with both of my past employers, I have come to realize that I thrive in the fast paced environment found with start-ups. I can use more of my creative expertise and quickly adapt and make a bigger impact in a changing environment. (motivation) Through my research and from talking to you, I find your start-up to have those great characteristics of a rapidly growing start-up that I would love to join. (company)
• In my previous position, I really enjoyed learning new skills and being challenged to grow. I love your company’s emphasis on professional development, and I want to learn more leadership skills to eventually start my own business.
• My current role requires me to be on-call and work irregular hours. While I have learned a lot about crisis response and adaptability, I am looking for a role with more predetermined hours. Your company’s regular office hours and commitment to work/life balance would allow me to spend more time with my family.
• I’ve spent most of my career working in finance & accounting. I love crunching numbers and making effective data-driven decisions. I recently finished a Digital Marketing Nanodegree program with Udacity, and I’d love to apply my new skills and background to help a company like yours continuously improve marketing campaign by analyzing customer data and insights.

• You can continue practicing with the same question, but these are similar questions that normally ask the same or similar thing:
• What made you apply to this role?
• What are 3 things that you look for in an ideal job?
• What part of your work do you enjoy the most?
  • This question might be about your current job, but the motivation behind asking this question is the same: identifying what you are really passionate about, and how it aligns with the work they are hiring you to do.