> What they're really asking, translated to "blunt and frank communication" mode is: "Why should we even care that you applied?" I think you just made that up.

> What they're really asking, translated to "blunt and frank communication" mode is: "Why should we even care that you applied?" I think you just made that up. There can be plenty of things the interviewer could be fishing for. They may want to hear that the candidate really wants to work at this job (and have a "correct" reason - the company, the team, the nature of the job ....). They might want to hear about how it's similar to your previous jobs. It's quote possible they want a specific response, and it's either an intentional or untintentional gotcha. The interviewer might just have heard it's a good question, and is filling in time, or faking being a good interviewer. They aren't "autistically" trying to get the best candidate, maybe then your interpretation is right and you want to say why you're a good candidate for the job.