How to Answer the Interview Question: "Why Do You Want to Be a…?"

Whether you are preparing for your first or your 100th job interview, one question you can almost guarantee will be asked is, "Why do you want to be a…?"

Your interviewer will have already looked at your resume and cover letter, and they'll be well aware of your skills and experience.

But they want to know more about who you are as a person and what attracted you to the profession.

This is an opportunity for you to showcase your interests and your personality.

The question, "Why do you want to be a…?" is different from "What interests you about this job?"

It's also different from "Why are you applying for this position?"

It's less about the employer and more about your interest in the wider sector.

For example:

• A nurse might answer "Why do you want to be a nurse?" by saying they have an innate calling to help people.
• A teacher might answer "Why do you want to be a teacher?" by explaining how their personality and life were shaped by someone inspirational.

There are no right or wrong answers to this question. After all, it's your life story. It’s your explanation for why you were attracted to a specific career path over and above other opportunities.

However, that doesn't mean there aren't ways to enhance your response and impress the recruiter.

What Are Employers Looking For in Your Answer?

When you are asked the question, "Why do you want to be a…?", the recruiter is looking to find out about your inspirations.

It's an opportunity to showcase your personality and your motivational drivers. In addition, it helps them to understand the person behind the credentials.

As this question is highly likely to arise in your next job interview, it's one you can prepare for in advance.

Before your interview, you should take the time to consider what an employer wants to hear and how this relates to you and your life experience.

You may wish to break down your answer into three distinct subsections:

1. Your Motivation

What drew you to that specific career? This shouldn't be about money or remuneration, but your interest in the wider sector.

For example, suppose you are applying for a marketing job. You could explain how you are interested in communications, or the psychology behind working with different audiences, or the growing advances in technology.

Similarly, if you are applying for a healthcare role, you may want to talk about why you are driven to look after and support others. Perhaps there was someone hugely influential in your life who encouraged or inspired you to follow in their footsteps.

This is your opportunity to talk about your affiliation with the profession and discuss your interest in the area.

2. Your Understanding of the Profession

You should also show that you know what the profession expects (far beyond the remit of the individual job role).

If we use the marketing role example again, your response should show that you're well aware of how the marketing sector is rapidly changing.

It should show that you understand the different skills required within the profession, and you can then further direct your answer to show that you have these skills.

3. What Can You Bring to the Role?

This part of your answer is about returning to how you have the necessary attributes that meet the profession's requirements.

Remember, this question is not about the specific job role – it's much broader than that.

For example, a nurse would need to have general character traits (compassion, advocacy, empathy) that would show they are a potential match for the profession.

Now you know what you should be incorporating into your answer, let's break it down so you know how to prepare your response.

What to Avoid When Answering

We mentioned earlier that, although there's no right or wrong answer to this question, it's beneficial to stay as positive as possible.

It may sound obvious, but you don't want to mention any previous failures within your answer, such as, "I'm considering this career choice because I didn't get the grades to study my preferred option".

You also don't want to say, “I'm planning a midlife career change because I wasn't suited to xxx".

Instead, you want to be as positive as possible.

Even if you are primarily attracted to a specific profession or sector because it's widely known to have excellent employee benefits or a generous paid time-off allowance, you should avoid saying that you're only there for these aspects, or the money.

Although certain professions may be attractive to those solely motivated by money (investment banking or the stock market are good examples), most disciplines want more altruistic employees.

Your potential employer wants to see that you are excited and passionate about your chosen sector's job role.

Example Answers

Now that we've broken down exactly how to answer the question, let's look at a few examples in practice.

Why Do You Want to Be a Nurse?

Nursing is a profession that is often considered a 'calling'.

Many people interested in this sector know from a very young age that they want to work in healthcare. Or, they may have experienced support from a nurse and want to pass on to others that feeling of helping and caring.

This is a profession where you should tell a personal story about your motivations and your ambitions.

For example:

Why Do You Want to Be a Marketing Manager?

In contrast, marketing is often an option that people consider as they start to apply for college or consider using their communications major.

Marketing is a thriving industry with great career progression and plenty of opportunities to expand into new areas and learn new skills.

Try to incorporate these elements into your answer, for example:

Why Do You Want to Be a Social Worker?

Similar to nursing, social work is a profession that involves helping and supporting others.

It's about working with vulnerable people and facilitating change so that they can live as independently as possible.

Social workers tend to come to the profession late in life, often as a career change.

They usually have extensive life experience and may have worked in voluntary roles or community positions to gain relevant work experience.

An example answer might be:

Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher?

Whether an elementary school or high school teacher, or even a college lecturer, teachers are responsible for shaping the minds of their students.

They need to be able to inspire and excite others, and encourage a lifelong love of learning.

It's a profession that relies on excellent communication skills, good people-management capabilities and the ability to help others find their potential.

Many teachers are inspired to join the profession because they want to honor someone who made a massive difference in their lives while they were at school.

Try to incorporate these elements into your answer, for example:

Take a look at some more common interview questions for teachers in our dedicated article.

Why Do You Want to Be a Manager?

This is slightly different from the previous examples as it's more about your leadership skills and capabilities than wanting to work in a specific industry.

However, you should tailor your answer to your profession. Highlight your leadership skills and show that you have the makings of an excellent supervisor.

Try to give examples of moments where you have established clear management skills.

For example:

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the question, "Why do you want to be a…?" isn't necessarily a complicated one to answer.

There is no right or wrong approach. However, it is beneficial to prepare in advance so that you can figure out the best way to maximize the impact of your answer.

Hopefully, the tips in this article and the suggested examples will help to clarify what employers are looking for. With the right preparation, you should be able to impress recruiters in your next job interview.