3 Ways to answer “What Motivates you” in an Interview

Can you impress a hiring manager or recruiter within the first 90 seconds of your interview? According to theundercoverrecruiter.com, 33% of hiring managers and recruiters make their decisions within that time.  Besides your first impression and knowing about the company, successfully answering big interview questions can set you apart from other candidates in the interview process.

Below are tips on how to answer the question “what motivates you” during your interview:

1) Before the interview, list successes.

Take a look at your resume and list of successful projects you enjoyed working on within each position. Then, add what motivated you to be successful with those projects. This can help with examples of what motivated you in an interview.

2) Customize your answers.

Researching answers to this question on google will give you very generic answers. Impress hiring managers by tailoring your answer to the job description.

Example: If you are looking for a customer service role. An answer would be: Speaking with customers to not only answer to their questions, but also give a positive impression about the company and feedback about their experiences motivates me.

3) Be honest.

Choose answers that are true and represents a positive and accurate motivators you need to succeed. Focus on factors that initiate growth, hitting goals, challenges you but also is enjoyable for you.

Final tip: Depending on the type of job, remember to leave money as a motivator out of the interviewing conversation. You don’t want to give your interviewer the impression that all you care about is money. Although with positions in sales or commission based salaries, money can be a motivator.