'Why do you want this job?' Singaporean business owner shares how not to answer this question in interviews

"Why do you want this job?" is an oft-heard question during nail-biting job interviews. But what should be the correct response?

Singaporean entrepreneur Ramesh Muthusamy appears to have the answer.

In a clip posted to TikTok on Saturday (March 9), he dispensed some advice on how to handle the tricky query.

"Getting a job is competitive and the small things matter. Don't say 'I want a change and that's why I am applying for this job'. Instead talk about how you are keen to do the responsibilities outlined in the job description," wrote Ramesh in the video caption.

Elaborating further in the video, the 44-year-old business owner shared that the idea to share this information had popped up when he was interviewing a candidate for a role in his company.

"One of the things you should never do in the interview [when faced with the question]… is to say things like, 'Oh I want to change my portfolio', or 'I want to try something new', and you don't really answer the question," he explained.

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Ramesh added that the candidate's answer to the question was "not direct", as she gave statements such as "I'm a very fast learner".

"The best way to answer this question is to talk about the actual responsibilities in the job and how you have been doing something like that. Or at least show that you have been doing the preparations so that you can take on the role," he said.

A no-no, Ramesh added, would be to say, "I want to have a change".

"Because none of the employers really care about you wanting to change something but rather how can you come on board and firstly execute the responsibilities they're given and.. guarantee them that you can do these things."

Speaking to AsiaOne, Ramesh, shared that he has been "super surprised" by the response to his video, which has since gone viral with close to 100,000 views.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ramesh_muthusamy/video/7344200632451992834?_r=1&_t=8kcIqyFARtt[/embed]

Ramesh, who's the founder of two companies — a corporate and training consultancy, as well as a social enterprise for youths — recounted that the interview with the candidate had come about as he was in the process of setting up a remote team for his company's expansion in the region.

In comments to the clip, some viewers expressed gratitude for the valuable tip, while others were sceptical that the reply sufficiently addressed the interviewer's question.

Another user stated that the question simply showed that the interviewer did not bother to read the candidate's resume. "If I'm not keen on the role, why would I reply?" wrote the commenter.

To that, Ramesh stated that many recruitment platforms make it so easy to send in their job applications such that many candidates "don't actually read what is required and analyse their skills and whether it fits into the new job".

He further affirmed that human resource practitioners do read candidates' resumes before shortlisting them for interviews.

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candicecai@asiaone.com