The question “What motivates you?” is a standard part of many job interviews. A thoughtful response reveals your work ethic, personality, and suitability for a role. This article provides a guide to help you understand the question from the employer’s viewpoint, identify your own drivers, and formulate an answer that is both genuine and impactful.
Why Interviewers Ask This Question
When a hiring manager asks what motivates you, they are looking beyond your resume to determine if you are a good fit for the job and company culture. They want to understand what drives you to perform well, as this provides insight into your personality and work style. An employer uses this question to gauge whether the daily responsibilities of the role will keep you engaged and productive.
The question also helps predict your future performance and job satisfaction. For instance, if a role requires extensive teamwork, a candidate motivated by collaboration is more likely to thrive than one driven by independent work. Interviewers are also assessing your self-awareness; an individual who can clearly articulate their motivators is seen as more reflective and purposeful.
Identifying Your Core Motivations
Before you can articulate your motivations, you must first understand them yourself. Reflect on specific moments in your past jobs, academic projects, or volunteer work where you felt most energized and proud. Consider the circumstances surrounding these peak experiences, such as what you were doing and who you were working with.
Your most satisfying accomplishments point toward your underlying drivers. These values guide your career decisions and make work feel meaningful. For instance, you may find satisfaction in mastering a technical skill, which points to a motivation for competence. You might also feel driven when helping a team member succeed, indicating a motivation for collaboration. Other common motivators include solving complex problems, improving processes, or exercising creativity.
Identifying these themes helps you name your core motivators. The goal is to uncover what genuinely excites you about your work, not to find a “right” answer. This self-knowledge is the foundation for an authentic response that connects your personal drivers to a potential employer’s needs.
How to Structure Your Answer
Once you have identified your primary motivator, you need a clear structure to present it effectively. A proven method involves three parts: stating your motivation, providing a specific example, and connecting it to the role. This approach makes your claim credible and memorable.
Begin by clearly stating your core motivator. Follow this with a brief story from a previous role that demonstrates this motivation in action. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is an effective way to frame this example, as it provides a clear narrative of how your motivation led to a positive outcome. This story serves as concrete evidence of your contributions.
Finally, link your motivation to the specific job or company. Review the job description and company mission to find points of alignment. Explain how the role’s responsibilities or the company’s values resonate with what drives you. This step shows you have done your research and are interested in contributing to their specific environment.
Examples of Effective Answers
Motivation by Achievement
“I am driven by setting and achieving ambitious goals, finding great accomplishment in seeing a project through from concept to completion. In my previous role as a marketing coordinator, my team was tasked with increasing lead generation by 15% in one quarter. I led the development of a new webinar series, which involved researching topics, securing speakers, and promoting the events. The series surpassed our goal, achieving an 18% increase in qualified leads. I am excited by this role because it is focused on measurable outcomes, and I am confident I can help your team reach its next milestones.”
Motivation by Learning and Growth
“My primary motivation is learning new skills and growing as a professional. I thrive in environments where I am challenged to master new concepts. For example, when my last company adopted a new data analytics platform, I volunteered to become the subject matter expert. I spent my evenings completing certification courses and was able to train the team within two months, improving our department’s reporting efficiency by 30%. I was drawn to this position because of its emphasis on professional development and the chance to work with new technologies.”
Motivation by Collaboration and Teamwork
“I am most energized when working collaboratively with a team to achieve a shared objective. I believe that diverse perspectives lead to better solutions, and I enjoy building consensus and supporting my colleagues. In my role as a project manager, we faced a tight deadline for a client’s website launch. I organized daily check-in meetings to facilitate open communication and reallocated tasks based on individual strengths. By working together, we launched the site on time and received positive feedback from the client, and the team-oriented culture here is a significant reason I applied.”
Motivation by Problem-Solving
“I am motivated by complex challenges that require creative problem-solving. I enjoy analyzing a difficult situation, identifying the root cause, and developing an effective solution. In my previous role as a software developer, an application was suffering from a performance issue impacting user experience. After a thorough analysis, I identified an inefficient database query and redesigned it, which resulted in a 50% improvement in response time. I am interested in this role because it involves tackling unique technical challenges, which I find rewarding.”
Motivation by Making an Impact
“What drives me is the ability to make a meaningful impact with my work. Knowing my contributions are helping others or advancing a cause I care about is a powerful motivator. At my last job with a nonprofit, we realized our services were not reaching a specific demographic in our community. I initiated a community outreach project, building partnerships with local organizations, which resulted in a 40% increase in engagement from that group within six months. I was drawn to your company because of its mission to improve financial literacy, and the opportunity to contribute to that goal is exciting to me.”
What to Avoid in Your Response
When answering, there are several common pitfalls to avoid:
- Generic or clichéd answers: Avoid statements like “I’m motivated by success,” as these responses lack substance and fail to differentiate you from other candidates.
- External rewards: Do not cite money or promotions as your primary driver. Interviewers want to hear about intrinsic motivations related to the work itself.
- Lack of preparation: Hesitating for too long can suggest a lack of self-awareness or interest in the role.
- Negativity: Avoid complaining about a previous employer or work environment, as this can make you appear unprofessional.
- Conflicting motivations: Ensure your stated motivation does not conflict with the job’s realities. For example, claiming to be motivated by autonomy when applying for a role that involves close supervision would raise a red flag.