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It doesn't matter. I just expect an intelligent answer that reflects understanding of the circumstances in which you, as a candidate, are in. I also look for si

It doesn't matter. I just expect an intelligent answer that reflects understanding of the circumstances in which you, as a candidate, are in. I also look for signs that you might be bad fit, a risk, a fraud or a waste of time. We all know that most people don't exactly love their jobs. I think it is fine. Just because I do doesn't mean everybody has to. You can still be productive without being workaholic and abandoning your friends and family and promising eternal love and devotion to your company. But I am also obligated to find people that will actually help the project and bring value to the company and try to find a compromise between seeking perfection and filling positions. On that end I need to somehow judge, from a very limited amount of information during a very broken process if it is worth to continue with somebody. If you can't find a semi-convincing answer to a question you should have expected to be asked, there is probably some problem with you. Do I really want to spend effort trying to figure it out?

throwaway088 5y ago
All good points. Why do you want to work here is just a dumb question for this purpose. It basically forces me to lie and say you guys sound awesome instead of just saying your company ticks the right boxes for me. Have you ever asked your plumber or handyman why they want to work for you ? Same circumstances, there also you want someone passionate.
- icedistilled 5y ago
  it's very different in some ways and the same in another. In this situation it's not the same. There is no real online review of software jobs seekers. There is word of mouth recommendations of who is good at their job like with a trade. In plumbing and short contract jobs it matters less what the company does, it's a one off job. If one were hiring a short term contractor dev then it would be the similar, not a full time dev. For a full time software hire it makes sense to ask their motivation of where they want to spend most of their waking time. There's a huge different between someone just working for money who'd work at a pay day lender just as willingly as working at an outdoor lifestyle brand versus someone into that brand. Most situations will fall in between, but who would you hire, the person who has some connection to the field or something about the company, or just wants to earn a buck and doesn't care.

throwaway088 5y ago

All good points. Why do you want to work here is just a dumb question for this purpose. It basically forces me to lie and say you guys sound awesome instead of just saying your company ticks the right boxes for me. Have you ever asked your plumber or handyman why they want to work for you ? Same circumstances, there also you want someone passionate.

icedistilled 5y ago
it's very different in some ways and the same in another. In this situation it's not the same. There is no real online review of software jobs seekers. There is word of mouth recommendations of who is good at their job like with a trade. In plumbing and short contract jobs it matters less what the company does, it's a one off job. If one were hiring a short term contractor dev then it would be the similar, not a full time dev. For a full time software hire it makes sense to ask their motivation of where they want to spend most of their waking time. There's a huge different between someone just working for money who'd work at a pay day lender just as willingly as working at an outdoor lifestyle brand versus someone into that brand. Most situations will fall in between, but who would you hire, the person who has some connection to the field or something about the company, or just wants to earn a buck and doesn't care.