Answering the Interview Question "What Motivates You"

The answer can be extremely different, and it’s unlikely to be what you first imagined when you look at it closely. Money may appear to motivate you, but it is the desire to feel accomplished that drives you. You may think you want respect, but what you actually want is to be famous.

They should not make assumptions about your motivations, and you should not make assumptions about others.

However, whatever your motivations are, it’s vital to understand them so you can drive yourself effectively in the short and long term, when things are going well and when they aren’t.

Many candidates are thrown off by this question since it is wide and easy to misread, and it can catch you off guard if you haven’t thought about it first.

The greatest responses to interview questions regarding your motivation are genuine, but they should also relate to the position you’re applying for by implying that you’d be a good fit for it.

What is the significance of knowing?

For a variety of reasons, it’s critical to understand your motivations.

To begin with, it’s typical for others to inquire about your motivations in both professional and social settings. In a job interview, for example, your future employer will want to know that you have goals, objectives, and a sense of self-awareness.

People are more likely to appreciate you in a social environment if you know where you’re headed.

‘What motivates you?’ is a good question to ask.

An excellent response to an interview question is short and full of interesting details. Whatever you say about your motivation must be supported by examples from your schooling, work experience, and/or extracurricular activities, and it must be relevant to the abilities and aptitudes required for the position you’re applying for.

You can practice answering this question by conducting an interview with the help of our partners Shortlist. tools. I’m

Here’s a rundown of the types of experiences that might motivate you (though you should always make sure your response is personal and relevant to your own past, as well as provide a tangible example):

meeting deadlines, targets or goals
mentoring and coaching others
learning new things
coming up with creative ideas to improve something, or make something new
analysing complex data in order to draw clear and simple conclusions
working well as part of a team
leading a team to success
completing a difficult project, and seeing it through to the end
spotting flaws and errors so as to make sure the end result of a project is as good as possible
finding a way to solve a problem, or overcome a challenge

When questioned about her motivation during an interview, one of our trainee editors said, “I am inspired by accomplishing set targets within deadlines because it gives me a feeling of success and it’s something I can look back on and say, “I achieved that.”

Motivational and Inspirational Quotes will help to grow the students in life.

I’m also motivated by tangible results; for example, knowing that an article I wrote for my student newspaper will be read by up to 16,000 students gave me a sense of success.’

This was an excellent response because:

It was appropriate for the type of work we conduct at TARGETjobs: The work we conduct is time-sensitive and visible (it will be seen by students)
She struck me as sincere and self-aware: She understands that her motivation is driven by whether or not her work will be viewed, not by the job itself.
Her example demonstrated that she have relevant professional experience.

A response along the lines of crushing targets, achieving financial rewards, and being the greatest wouldn’t be out of place if you were applying for a job that was very target-oriented and competitive, such as a sales position.

What does it reveal?

When you ask yourself that question, what inspires you? It will reveal a lot of information about you. Perhaps you’ll learn that it’s not money that motivates you, but rather your desire to be creative.

You can see how this explains why your earnings haven’t been as high as you’d planned, because whenever you’ve had to pick between passion and profit, you’ve always chosen passion.

“It’s not the weight that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it,” a cheerful woman with a basket of stones on her head explains. Lou Holtz (Lou Holtz)

Know About Yourself

You must first discover out who you are before you can figure out what motivates you. Three strategies for learning to know yourself are journaling, meditation, and asking others.

Examine your past, present, and future activities and ideals, focusing on what has been consistent over time. Meditation will reveal your motivations when your mind settles down and you get a clearer look at your ideas.

Finally, don’t forget to inquire about other people’s motivations. Although we are partially blinded by our own self-perception, others can see how we act and may be able to deduce why.

Put yourself in different situations

If you’ve been locked in the same habit for years, you’ll never completely comprehend your motives. This is due to the fact that we become habitually driven, and we may not be venturing far enough outside of our comfort zones to allow our genuine motivations to surface.

By putting yourself in various settings, you may learn about your limits and what sorts of thoughts and rewards can give you an extra boost when you’re stressed or under pressure.