How to align interview questions & answers with your purpose & values
In today's competitive job market, finding the right fit goes beyond just skills and qualifications. Particularly in a post-COVID world, it's crucial to consider whether a potential employer's purpose and values align with your own.
As a career coach, helping clients align their life’s purpose and values to their work is some of the most important work I do because it is truly what matters most to people. It’s also why most people leave jobs that aren’t a good fit for them.
One effective way to assess this alignment is through the interview process. In this blog post, I’ll outline how I advise job seekers in identifying and navigating interview questions that resonate with their purpose and values.
Reflecting on Your Own Purpose and Values
Take some time to reflect on your own purpose and values. What motivates you? What type of work environment do you thrive in?
By understanding your own priorities, you can better assess whether a potential employer is the right fit for you. If you are new to career exploration and are still in a space where you are defining your purpose and value as it relates to work, you may want to consider hiring a career coach to deepen your reflection and understanding of yourself.
If you have a good mentor, now is the time to tag them into the conversation, too. If neither of those options is available to you, consider doing some self-assessment with ChatGPT—it’s free and available anytime!
Remember, the point of this step is just to get you thinking, feeling, and reflecting. However, or whoever helps you get there, it is entirely up to you!
Researching The Company
Before heading into an interview, it's essential to research the company thoroughly. Look into their mission statement, values, and any recent news or press releases, which are all typically found on a company’s website. Understanding the company's purpose and values will help you anticipate the types of questions they may ask during the interview.
I personally prefer to use LinkedIn to find inclusive employers who are likely to match my own values. Then, I do a social media audit of their content, their people, and their marketing collateral outside their website to truly determine if my values and purpose are reflected in the organization.
Common Interview Questions to Assess Alignment
Let’s get into some common behavior based interview questions that might come up in your next interview. As you prepare, it’s important to keep your interview responses short but powerful, especially when you want to convey purpose and value to your interviewer(s).
There are loads of common interview questions, but I’ve picked out three that focus on values:
One question you might be asked in an interview is, "Can you tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision at work? How did you approach it?".
This question can reveal how your decision-making process aligns with the company's values, such as integrity and accountability.
The second question you might get is, "What attracted you to our company?". This question allows you to demonstrate your alignment with the company's purpose and values by highlighting specific aspects of its mission or culture that resonate with you.
Lastly, you may be asked, “How do you prioritize your work when faced with multiple deadlines?". Your response to this question can showcase your alignment with the company's values, such as teamwork or a commitment to excellence.
Interviewing Is A Two-Way Street: Asking Your Own Questions
Don't forget that interviews are a two-way street, so as much as an organization is interviewing you, you are also interviewing them.
Use this opportunity to ask questions to help you further assess whether the company's purpose and values align with your own. For example, as a very broad starting point, you could ask about the company's approach to corporate social responsibility or its commitment to employee development.
If you have a specific identity you want to make sure is valued at your company, now is the time to ask. For example, I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman, so I really want to make sure my employer values those two identities I hold.
As part of my Pride Series, I wrote an article about 5 ways to authentically demonstrate inclusivity during job interviews where I outline some basic questions you might ask an employer about inclusion.
They include:
How does your organization recognize diversity and inclusion?
In what ways are you giving people the opportunity to create inclusive practices and culture on your team?
What are your inclusion goals for the year and how will you know you’ve reached them/
What are some of your cultural challenges and how do you envision me being influential in that space?
Remember, this is YOUR interview, so reflecting on who you are and what matters most to you will help you create interview questions that more genuinely and authentically represent your values and purpose.
Trust Your Instincts
Ultimately, you have to trust your instincts during the interview. Pay attention to how you feel about the company's purpose and values and how they conduct the interview. If something doesn't feel right, it's okay to walk away and continue your job search elsewhere.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking jobs are scarce and you have to take the first employer that shows interest, but trust me, there are new jobs posted every single day! Not every job is going to be a perfect 100% fit, but it shouldn’t feel like a square peg in a round hole either.
The interview is the time we determine just exactly how great a fit the organization and people are for you, listen to your gut and have a developed understanding on what you need to feel and hear in those interviews to move forward.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to finding the right job, purpose and values matter. Perhaps in a virtual first world, why we do what we do matters more now than it ever did before.
By preparing for interview questions that align with your own priorities and assessing employers too, you can ensure that you're pursuing opportunities that are meaningful and fulfilling, which in turn, will hopefully make the work you are doing a little more meaningful and fulfilling too!
Explore the signs that you may be outgrowing your current role or career path, from shifting values and fading motivation to feeling pulled toward something new.