Interview questions: how to answer, 'what motivates you?'

When it comes to securing a graduate role, interview preparation is super important. You’ll want to make a stellar first impression – knowing how to answer common interview questions with confidence will help you do that.

‘What motivates you?’ This question often crops up during interviews. Employers may ask you this to discover what drives you, how you’d fit into the team, and whether your goals and values align with theirs.

Key takeaways

• Research the company and role

• Be honest, authentic and positive

• Include examples in your answers

• Read our example answers for inspiration

Tips to help you answer the ‘what motivates you?’ interview question

It can be hard to think of a good answer on the spot, so be sure to apply these tips before your interviews to help boost your chances of success.

Do your research

It’s wise to make sure your answer aligns with the role, so do some research into the job you’re applying for to help you prepare an answer.

Read the job description – ideally more than once – and make notes to make sure you fully understand the role. This step should also help you establish whether the role meets your needs and aligns with your career goals. If it’s a match, see which responsibilities motivate you most and then you can build answers around them.

Be honest

Authenticity is important in any interview, and yours will only shine through if you answer the question honestly. Tailoring the ‘perfect’ response that doesn’t match your values isn’t a good road to go down. If it doesn’t feel honest to you, it likely won’t feel honest to the person who’s interviewing you – just be yourself.

Be positive

Employers want to know the role would excite you, and that you’ll bring a positive attitude to work. Focus on things that would make you feel happy and fulfilled in the job. Talk about your own positive attributes, and if you’re mentioning previous employers and projects, speak positively about them, too.

Use examples

A good answer to any interview question should include examples – it helps to reassure employers you're right for the role.

If you have work-related experience, think about what you enjoyed during internships, work experience or previous jobs. What did you look forward to? When you came home feeling that you'd had a good day, what kind of tasks or projects had you tackled? Do you work your best when you work with your team?

You may not have work-related examples just yet, and if not, don’t worry. You can still use examples from your studies, volunteer work, or non-work-related experience.

For example, what do you enjoy doing? Think about your course and your wider interests - what do they have in common?

Find out more: strength-based interview questions

Other ways the ‘what motivates you?’ interview question is asked

It’s worth noting that sometimes an interviewer may ask you the ‘what motivates you?’ question in a different way. For example, you may be asked what drives or inspires you, why the role appeals to you, or what your passions are.

Don’t let this throw you off – you can still apply the same techniques if this happens! And remember, you don’t have to rush to an answer. Pause, take a deep breath and collect your thoughts if you need to.

Find out more: How to answer common internship interview questions

Example answers to: ‘what motivates you?’

Here are some example answers that may help you form yours.

Example 1

The scenario

You’re interviewing for a role as a graduate digital marketing executive. The job description says the company is looking for someone who has excellent teamwork skills.

The answer

Contributing to a team’s success motivates me. During my time in university, I did some marketing work experience. I worked with the team to help launch a campaign. We had regular meetings where we shared ideas and feedback to improve the campaign. We also communicated challenges and worked together to overcome them. This level of communication, listening, and learning from each other is what helped make the campaign a success – which felt rewarding. As a graduate marketing executive here, I’d make sure to apply the same learnings and encourage my teammates to adopt a similar approach.

Example 2

The scenario

You’re going to interview for a graduate job at a charity. The job description says they’re looking for someone who’s passionate about the work the charity does.

The answer

Making a difference in the world motivates me. I thrive in environments where the work I do makes me feel fulfilled, and my values align with the company. I volunteered at a homeless shelter during my time at university. It was really rewarding to know the work I did made a positive impact on people’s lives. I’d love to be offered a position here so I can pursue a career where I can continue to make a positive impact in society.

Find out more: top nine tough tricky interview questions and answers

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