In job interviews, the interviewer might ask you about your priorities and what’s important to you in order to get a better understanding of your work values, motivation and interest.
Here are some typical questions – and impressive ways to answer them!
Questions about your priorities
Here are some of the questions you might hear:
“Tell me what’s important to you in a job.”
“Why are you interested in this job?”
“What most interests you about this job?”
“What particularly motivates you about working in this sector?”
“Why do you want this job?”
“Would the salary / hours / location be a problem for you?”
“What would your ideal role be?”
Talking about your priorities
“The most important thing for me is that the job is challenging.”
“What’s really important to me is being able to learn something new.”
“The most crucial thing for me is to be valued by my colleagues.”
“The most vital thing is knowing that I am doing a good job.”
“As far as my priorities go, getting results is the most important.”
“At the top of my list of priorities is feeling appreciated.”
“In terms of priorities, I am most interested in getting results. In addition, I would like to develop my marketing skills.”
Ranking and comparing
“For me, teamwork is more important than working alone.”
“While the salary is important, it’s also important to work in a company with opportunities for progression.”
“If you asked me to name my top three priorities, they’d be…”
“Salary and opportunities for promotion are equally important to me.”
“The least important thing is salary.”
(See our page on how to make comparisons in English for more grammar help.)
Talking about your motivations
“What really motivates me is learning about new ways of doing something.”
“I’m extremely interested in learning more about the market.”
“I’m driven by success.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.”
“I’m the sort of person who … (won’t give up until they find a solution)”
Notes
After prepositions like “in”, use either a gerund or a noun.
“I’m interested in developing new markets.”
“I’m interested in the financial sector.”