How to answer: “Why do you want to work here?”

What they’re actually asking

They're checking whether you applied to them or to fifty companies with the same cover letter. Specificity is the entire game. One detail that required actual research beats five paragraphs of flattery.

How to structure your answer

Name something true and specific about the company: a product decision, an engineering blog post, how their team handled something public. Connect it to what you want to build or learn. Then flip it forward: what you'd contribute to that specific thing.

Example answer

“I've used your API in two side projects and the docs are the best I've worked with, which tells me the company takes developer experience seriously. That's the work I want to do. I spent last year rewriting internal docs nobody could read, and I'd rather do that for a company where it's the product, not an afterthought.”

What sinks people

• "I love your culture" when you've never spoken to anyone who works there
• Answers that would work for any company in the industry
• Talking only about what the company gives you: growth, prestige, salary