How to Answer “What Motivates You?”

If you have trouble answering “what motivates you?” in a work context, you need a career change. Work should not be a chore for anyone.

Having said this, having to work five days every week does not come easy for so many of us. We need deep-seated motivations to keep us going. Tapping into this “why” every time things get tough at work, we should be aware of what motivates us.

But how do we share our motivations with a potential hiring manager? Should we be vulnerable with a total stranger? How honest can we be? How personal?

I want to share a few ideas about answering “what motivates you?”

Everyone is different, but hopefully, some of these will resonate:

What motivates?

Avoid heart-wrenching stories. Interviewers aren’t expecting you to have some profoundly moving personal experience. Stick with a simple story that they will be able to relate to. You don’t want them to be thinking about it for longer than they need to.

Consider sharing personal interests. Your motivation should ideally be a mix of personal and professional. In the spirit of people “bringing their whole selves to work”, employers are happy to hear about the person behind the employee. Judge how much you wish to reveal. 

Tell the truth. Hiring managers are adept at sensing any exaggeration in response to such questions. If there is not a glint in your eye when you answer this question, the interviewer will wonder whether you are being truthful. And if not, why not?

Show self-awareness. Developing an awareness of what motivates us lies at the centre of a productive career. Everyone has a tough day now and again, so tapping into that motivation is essential to help us to keep going.

Back it up with past experience. Unless this is your first job, you likely have a previous understanding of what motivates you. Share the sources of your motivational rocket fuel and what they helped you to achieve. What was your environment for excellence?

Link it to why you want the role. Interviewers want to understand that you are professionally and culturally aligned with the opportunity. Your answer to “what motivates you?” can tick the second box – if it seems genuine.

Don’t talk about money or benefits. Employers understand that you deserve to be paid what you are worth. If money is your only motivator, that can easily be replicated at another company. People who only come to work for cash are not easily engaged.

Don’t be negative. They want to hear about what motivates you from a positive point of view. Avoid negative motivators such as “fear of not hitting my numbers.” No one enjoys working in an oppressive atmosphere (much as this may be common).

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).