How to Answer 'Why Do You Want to Work Here' in a Video Interview
It sounds simple, but 'why do you want to work here' is where most candidates go generic. Here is how to answer it with specifics, on camera, under a timer.
"Why do you want to work here?" sounds like a softball. It is not. It is the question where most candidates reach for something safe and generic, and on camera, with a timer running and no interviewer nodding back, generic is exactly what sinks you.
The good news: this is a question you can prepare a real answer for, and a video interview rewards a specific, structured one more than a live chat ever did.
What the Question Is Really Asking
It is two questions wearing one coat. Why this company, and why you. A strong answer connects something true about the company to something true about you, and it does it with a specific, not a compliment.
"I admire your culture" is a compliment. "Your team ships a new model every quarter and I want to build at that pace" is a specific. On HireVue, the assessment focuses on the content of your answers, what you actually say and how clearly you say it,1 so the specific is the part that scores.
Build the Answer in Three Beats
You get about 30 seconds to prepare and up to three minutes to answer on HireVue,2 so walk in with a shape, not a script.
Beat one, the company. One specific thing you genuinely know: a product, a value they act on, a direction they are moving. Show you looked past the homepage.
Beat two, the connection. Why that specific thing matches what you want to do or are good at. This is the "why you" half, and it is the half candidates skip.
Beat three, the contribution. What you would bring to it. Short, concrete, forward-looking.
The STAR framework is overkill here. Three beats is enough, and three beats is what keeps you from rambling when the timer makes you nervous. When a different question does call for a full story, reach for the STAR method instead.
The Mistakes That Read as Generic
- Praising the company back to itself. "You are a leader in your space." They know. It tells them nothing about you.
- Making it all about you. "This role is a great step for my career." True, but it answers "why is this good for you," not "why are you good for this." The company is looking for a mutually beneficial relationship, and it already believes the role is good for you, so you do not need to prove that half.
- Reciting the About page. Facts anyone could pull in ten seconds signal you did the minimum. Connect yourself to their values instead of reciting them back to the camera. Connect your story to the company.
The fix for all three is the same: one specific detail, honestly connected to you.
Deliver It Like You Mean It
Content wins this question, but delivery carries it. Look at the lens, not your own face on the screen, so it reads as eye contact. Keep a steady pace, and cut the filler that creeps in when you rush, which our guide on how to stop saying "um" walks through. Voomer® platform data puts the average candidate at 110 words per minute, and this is an answer where slowing to that pace lets the specifics land.
Practice It on Camera First
You will not find your specific by staring at a blank page. You find it by saying it out loud and hearing whether it sounds true. Practice on real HireVue questions with Voomer®, record your answer to this exact question, and watch it back. The generic version is obvious the moment you hear yourself say it, and so is the real one.
Prepare this one alongside how to answer "tell me about yourself", the other opener you can walk in with cold. Walk in with a specific, connect it to you, and this softball becomes the answer that separates you from everyone who reached for safe. Walk in ready.
What candidates ask us
- How do I answer 'why do you want to work here' in a video interview?
Connect one specific, true detail about the company to something true about you, then say what you would bring. Avoid compliments and About-page facts. On camera, deliver it at a steady pace looking at the lens.
- What should I not say when asked why I want to work here?
Skip praise the company already knows ("you are a leader"), answers that are only about your career, and recited facts anyone could look up. None of them answer the real question, which is why you and this company fit.
- How long should my answer be on HireVue?
HireVue's candidate guide gives you up to three minutes, with about 30 seconds to prepare.2 A tight answer in the first minute beats filling all three with padding.
- Do I need to research the company for this question?
Yes, and past the homepage. The whole answer rests on one specific detail you genuinely know, so a few minutes on their product, blog, or recent announcements is what makes the difference.
- How can I practice answering this question on camera?
Record yourself answering it and watch it back. Voomer® lets you practice on real HireVue questions and see your pacing and delivery, so you can hear whether your answer sounds specific or generic before the real thing.
Footnotes
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Fortune, "HireVue drops facial monitoring amid A.I. algorithm audit," January 19, 2021, https://fortune.com/2021/01/19/hirevue-drops-facial-monitoring-amid-a-i-algorithm-audit/ (accessed August 2026). ↩
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HireVue, "How to Take a HireVue Interview," https://www.hirevue.com/blog/candidates/how-to-take-a-hirevue-interview (accessed August 2026). ↩ ↩2
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