How do I answer 'why do you want to work here'?

Find one true, specific thing and build the answer on it. You don't have to pretend it's your lifelong dream — you have to demonstrate you chose them deliberately rather than mass-applying, which is what the question actually screens for. **The structure**: something specific about them + how it connects to what you want + why you're a fit for this particular role. 'You're solving [specific problem] and the way you've approached [specific thing] is unusual — most companies in this space do [alternative]. I've spent the last two years working on [related area], and the parts I've enjoyed most are exactly the ones this role centres on.' **Where to find the specific thing** — spend twenty minutes and you'll have plenty: - Their product. Use it if you can. Having an actual opinion about it, including a mild criticism, is memorable and rare. - Their engineering blog, changelog, or public writing. - A recent announcement, funding round, product launch or strategic shift. - The job description itself — if it emphasises something unusual, that's a hook. - The interviewers' own work, if it's public. - The market position: why this company rather than the obvious competitor. **True things you're allowed to say**, which people wrongly think are disqualifying: - The problem domain interests you. - The role is a step toward something specific you want. - The team's technical approach appeals to you. - You want to work at this size or stage of company, and why. - Growth in a specific area you can name. **What to avoid:** - Generic flattery: 'you're a leader in the industry', 'great culture', 'I love your values'. Contentless, and interviewers hear them constantly. - Anything purely about what you get: salary, brand name for your resume, remote policy. True, but not an answer to this question. - Reciting their About page back to them. - Obvious fabrication of passion. It reads as inauthentic and undermines everything else you said. **If you genuinely have no strong reason** — and sometimes that's honest — build the answer around the *role* rather than the company. 'The work itself is what drew me: this is the first posting I've seen that combines X and Y, which is exactly the direction I want.' That's true, specific and perfectly acceptable. The underlying test is simple: did you bother to look? Twenty minutes of research is the difference between an answer that passes and one that quietly ends your candidacy.