Career motivation questions

Many candidates struggle to articulate their motivation for pursuing a particular career. However, this can be an incredibly important element of applications and interviews, so you should give your motivations some serious thought when preparing. 

Examples of career motivation questions

Q. What influenced your decision to pursue this particular career?

This is the question that most commonly arises, so I have covered it in detail throughout this section.

Q. Which other professions have you considered and why did you not want to pursue them instead?

This type of question is designed to test whether you have properly explored your options, which will be seen as a sensible approach when it comes to potentially defining the rest of your working life. It’s absolutely fine to mention other industries (e.g. aspiring commercial lawyers could mention that they have considered a career as a barrister), as long as you’re able to explain why you have a preference for the role to which you’re currently applying.

Q. What is your understanding of the role for which you are applying?

This isn’t a question that people necessarily give much thought to. However, how can you credibly claim that you want to carry out a role if you’re unable to explain what the role will involve! Make sure you are able to deliver a solid answer to this question, as it’s designed to assess whether you have truly thought about the career, and test whether your motivations are credible. 

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? 

This question is designed to test whether you have thought about the career in the long-term. You don’t need to say you’re 100% sure you’ll want to remain in the career for a decade or more (if anything, this may come across a naïve), but stating that you hope you will enjoy the career, excel in your role, and progressed up the ranks to a certain position by then is a fair way of approaching your answer. To build on this, we asked ex-lawyer and careers guru Claire Leslie for her insights into this question. Over to you Claire...

When answering this (popular and tricky) interview question, most interviewees abandon any effort to be honest and simply provide the answer they think the interviewer would most like to hear. Is this the right tactic?

Why is the question being asked?

Interviewers ask you this question in the hope that your answer will demonstrate that your application has been carefully thought through, and that it will lead to a medium (if not long) term relationship between you and the employer. Below are some statistics to demonstrate why this is a legitimate concern for employers. Based on research involving almost 4,000 employers (contained in the CEB Report – Driving New Success: Strategies in Graduate Recruitment 2014):

1. 1 in 4 graduates quit their first job within a year of starting work.
2. 66% of graduates say they regret their first job choice.
3. The UK spend on graduate recruitment in 2013 was £888 million. It’s estimated that £112 million of this was an investment which failed to yield a quality return.

How Should You Answer?

If you’re convinced the job is right for you then you’re probably at least half way to being able to give a compelling answer to the interview question. So, where do you start? Try asking yourself these questions… and then thinking about answers to them. This is the time for honest self-reflection, don’t just think about what an employer wants to hear.

1. Why did you apply for a job in this sector?
2. What is it about this particular employer which is attractive?
3. Why does the role appeal to you?
4. What would a typical 5-year progression be? Is this what you want for yourself?

If you can’t answer any of the above questions, then you probably haven’t done enough research. Try looking at the details of the training offered and of the work you would be expected to undertake. What are people typically doing in 5 years’ time? Is this where you want to be? 

You could say that you hope to have settled in a department that you find particularly interesting and that you are adding value to whichever department you are in. Also, show that you understand how this employer is different from competitors. It is the time to be enthusiastic and to smile! Be positive but you don’t have to be specific about the precise role you hope to be in; it’s too early to know. 

Note that Jake Schogger has provided written feedback on a (real) example application answer to "why commercial law?" in our Example successful applications and cover letters course.