“What is your view on work?” is a question you might be asked in an interview.
People in charge of hiring often start the interview process by asking general questions about the candidates to learn more about them and how they work. The person interviewing you might ask you how you feel about work in general. Learning how to answer this question could help you get ready for an interview. We’ll talk about why interviewers ask, “What is your philosophy about work?” in this article. We’ll also show you some answers to give you ideas for your own.
People ask, “What is your work philosophy?” for what reason?
Employers often ask this question to find out how potential workers approach their work and what role their job plays in their lives. Employers can find out how much candidates care about their jobs and what motivates them from how they answer these questions. Interviewers can also learn a lot about how well a potential employee will fit into the company’s culture and if their values are in line with the company’s mission.
How to answer “What is your work philosophy?”
Think about these steps as you get ready to answer this interview question:
1. Prepare for the meeting
If you want to give a good answer to this question in your interview, you might want to think about it before you meet with the hiring manager. Think about your past jobs and come up with practice answers while you look over the job posting’s requirements. You could send an email to the person in charge of hiring to find out about your appointment, like the time, place, parking, or what to wear. You might also find it helpful to learn a lot about the company’s values and way of life by doing a lot of research on it.
It often helps to get off to a good start on the day of your interview. Make sure you get a full night’s sleep and eat breakfast before you go to the appointment. If you like to work out or meditate in the morning, it might be best to do these things before you leave the house. Follow these steps to make sure you do your best when answering questions.
2. Consider what you want to accomplish.
Often, a big part of an employee’s work philosophy is what drives them to do their job. As you prepare for your interview, think about what you want in a job and what’s most important to you. You might be interested in the technical side of your job, like your coworkers, want good pay and benefits, or want to help customers have fun. You might also value your free time and relationships and see your job as a way to pay for them.
Once you know what makes you happy and keeps you going, you can think about how that affects your work philosophy. If money and getting ahead are important to you, you might make your job the most important thing in your life and be driven to do well. If your relationships outside of work are what motivate you, you might work hard at your job to make your time away from work better.
3. Give some thought to why you want the job.
When trying to figure out your work philosophy, it can help to think about why you chose to work in your field and why you applied to a certain company. These things can help you relate your work philosophy to the interview setting. Think about what you like about your field, such as your job, your coworkers, your way of life, your salary, and the place where you work. In your answer, you can talk about what you like about your job by talking about these things.
You can also think about what you know about the company you want to work for. Think about their strengths, culture, and needs, and make a list of how they might help you reach your professional goals. These points can help you explain why you’d be a good fit for the company you want to work for.
4. Know what the company values.
Understanding the needs and goals of potential employers can help you shape your answers and make you a more competitive candidate. Talking to people who work at the company and finding out what it’s like to work there could be helpful. You can also look at the job description and figure out how you best fit the needs of the position.
Once you know what a company’s hiring managers might be looking for, you can include that information in your answer. You can talk about how your philosophy fits in with the company’s values and how it could help them reach their business and culture goals. You could also talk about the skills that are important to your goals and how they help you reach them.
5. Tell the truth
Even though it’s often important to tailor your answers to what the company needs, it’s also helpful to be honest about how you feel about your work. Think about giving an answer that your former bosses and coworkers could back up if a hiring manager called them for a reference. Think about how your work philosophy might affect how well you do your job in the future.
When you give an honest answer, the interviewer can also get a better idea of how you work with your boss and other employees. Even if your answer doesn’t fit their ideal profile exactly, being honest can show that you have good morals and respect others. This can help hiring managers figure out if a job candidate will fit in with their company’s culture.
6. Give examples
You can back up your answer with examples from your past work and show how qualified and experienced you are as a professional. Think about the jobs and responsibilities you’ve had in the past and how they may show how your work philosophy works in the real world. These details can add more weight to your answer and show the interviewer that you’ve given it careful and honest thought.
For example, if you want to show how committed you are to your job, you could talk about times when you took the initiative, worked extra hours, or took on a leadership role. If you talk about how much you like working with other people, you might want to tell the interviewers about times when you worked as a team to finish a project or solve a problem at work. You could also talk about times when you did the right thing or brought something unique to your team.
7. Avoid negativity
It usually helps to be upbeat when talking about your work philosophy and experiences. Think about how you can always say nice things about your old jobs, bosses, and coworkers. This can show interviewers that you get along well with people at work and can work well with others.
The way you say something can back up what you say and tell the interviewer more about your work philosophy. This is often important if your answer involves working with other people or loving what you do. You can also talk about how your former coworkers helped you do a better job and changed the way you worked.
8. Check that your answer is correct.
Most of the time, it’s a good idea to give your answer more credibility. You can do this by answering other questions in a way that supports your answer to “What is your work philosophy?” For example, if you talk about leadership, working with others, or feeling fulfilled in your answer, you may want to talk about these things again when answering other questions. This can show your future bosses that you care about these things in all of your work.
If you get the job, how well you do on the job can back up what you said about your work philosophy. Your answer could affect your chances of getting the job, and it’s often important to show that you live by the philosophy you talked about. This can show your new boss that they chose a good candidate, which can help you do well at your new job.
Here are some answers to the question, “What’s your work philosophy?”
Check out these answers to the question “What is your philosophy about work?” to get an idea of how you might answer it yourself.
Example 1: Nurse
“I wanted to be a nurse at first because I liked the idea of helping people who were sick. My goal at work is to help my patients get the best possible results so they can live their lives to the fullest. As a nurse anesthetist, I helped people have surgeries that saved their lives and made it possible for them to live healthier lives. Your hospital is known for having great anesthesiologists and surgeons, and I think I could make a big difference in this area if I worked there.”
Server
Example 2:
“My work philosophy is to work with people I like and give my customers experiences they will remember. For me, the best part of a job is getting to know the people I work with, so I take care of them. I also like giving customers memorable experiences that make them feel like they’ve done something special. I think you’d be good at this job because I know some of the people who work there and they all care about and respect each other. I also think that people have a great time here because the food and drinks are so good.”
Example 3: Remote sales associate
“My work philosophy is to do something I enjoy and that lets me do my most important job, which is being a parent. I’ve been a customer of yours for a long time, and I’d love to work for a company that I can really recommend to others. This job lets me work from home and spend time with my family, which is very important to me.”
Example #4: A lawyer
“The best thing about my job is that I can learn something new every day and get better at it. My philosophy is to hang out with people who are much more skilled than I am and always try to get to their level of skill and professionalism. At this firm, some of the best and most respected lawyers in the city work, and I would be proud to work with you.”
Example 5: Manager
“At work, my goal is to make everyone care as much about the company as I do. People I work with and my company are two of the main things that keep me going at work. I like to work with people I know well and who appreciate what I bring to the team. This company has been great in both of these ways, and if I am hired as a leader, I hope I can help other people feel the same way.”
