Why Did You Choose This Career?

 

Why Does The Interviewer Ask, “Why Did You Choose This Career?”

Employers want to hire applicants who will stick by the company for a long time. The interviewers ask this question out of interest to understand your motivations behind choosing this career. It is one of their ways to comprehend how much research and planning you did to make your career selection. 

So, to make the deal, you must be honest and give an impressive answer that makes you unique from the other candidates.

Sample Answers: Why Did You Choose This Career?

Here are some different ways to answer the HR interview question, “Why did you choose this career”:

You Developed An Interest With Time

At a point in school or college, we are encouraged to choose activities that interest us. The main reason behind these choices is our overall development. Many people generate interest in one particular thing. 

So, if you are one of those people who developed an interest in a specific thing over time, this is how you can answer, “Why did you choose this career?”:

I chose Art as an elective subject for extracurricular activities in high school. Over time, I was deeply interested in drawing. I learned various aspects of lines, shapes, colours, and how you can depict the emotions of an object on a piece of paper. 

It was that time when I knew I wanted to be an artist. With time I kept practising, applied for online courses, did better, and chose this as my profession. This field encourages me to learn more about the field and always brings out the best in me.

Your Family/Friends Encouraged You

It happens very often that our career choices are influenced and inspired by our family or close friends. To answer this question, you can talk about that particular person and how they encouraged you to choose this career path. 

A simple answer to “Why did you choose this career?” can be like this:

Since childhood, I have bonded with my maternal uncle, a software engineer. His skill in different programming languages has always fascinated me to learn more about it. We used to talk for hours about how engineers work. 

I started learning basic programming principles and later found my interest in it. I knew I could see my career in it, and my uncle guided me to make the right decision. I completed a BTech degree and gained experience in making applications. Throughout, I always knew this was my dream career.

A Movie/Documentary/Book Encouraged You

Books and movies are always the best companions. It inspires so many of us in many different ways. Watching or reading about other people’s lives, getting motivated to do the same, etc. However, it cannot happen without having the passion and persistence to achieve it. 

So, when HR asks you, “Why did you choose this career?” you can reply like this:

I was a theatre child and loved watching movies, documentaries, and reading books. With time I started writing and always dreamt of becoming a good writer. Today when I see myself, I know there is no other profession I would choose but this.

It Gives You Satisfaction

Many people get confused between monetary accomplishments and job satisfaction. However, from a long-term perspective, job satisfaction and motivation are two essential aspects that keep you going.  

Hence, when someone asks, “Why did you choose this career?” you can simply mention growth scope, motivation, etc., to justify your explanation. Here is an example: 

I have always found the scope and job satisfaction in banking, and from day one, I knew I wanted to become a banker. What keeps me satisfied is the growth, fixed working hours, teleworking, job diversification, etc. I believe it is one of the most powerful jobs in today’s world that offers numerous opportunities to employees, and it is one of my reasons to choose this profession.

Your Teacher/Mentor Encouraged You

We all have a person in our lives who we look up to. It can be our teachers, mentors, professors etc. Teachers are always good supporter who encourages students to do better at every step in life.  

So, when the interviewer asks, “Why did you choose this career?” you can simply answer like this:

My economics professor has been an incredible support throughout my college times. I used to love logistics, trades, exports, imports, etc., and I always wanted to build my career as an economist. She gave guidance and encouraged me to pass the hurdles with confidence. She has been my greatest support, and I am here today because of her.

What Not To Say In Answers To “Why Did You Choose This Career?” Job Interview Question

Here are some things that you should take into consideration and not mention during the interview:

• Avoid mentioning the money element when you discuss the story behind choosing the career path. It can make you look money-focused, who can quit the job for a higher-paying opportunity. 
• Do not mention any points like, “I joined the company because they offered remote job opportunities and flexible working.” It may lead the employing manager to believe that you joined the company because of the perks it offered to the employees. 
• Avoid responding that you struggled to find the job, and one of your contacts recommended it to you. It will make you sound like you chose this job out of convenience and lack of interest. 

How To Choose A Career.

Whether you are changing your career path or starting a new one, it’s important to take a moment to analyse your skill sets, educational background and interests to follow the right path before applying randomly for any job position available. In this competitive job market, where there are many job roles in various industries to choose from, how do you pick the right career for you? Well, if you are looking for the answer to this question, you have landed on the right page. Here, we will share a few steps you can take to choose the right career for you. Steps To Choose A Career Administer A Self-Assessment Test It’s important to be interested in your line of work. So, choose a field where your interest lies. For instance, let’s say you are passionate about reading and writing, you could become a blogger or even a novelist. You need to analyse all your traits, values, qualifications, experience, skill sets, etc. For instance, ask yourself where your interests lie, what soft skills or technical skills you have or what kind of job would best suit your personality. Identify your personality type There are many online personality type tests that you can take. Taking a personality test will help you in determining your personality traits such as interests and strengths, which will help you in easing your decision making. Review your skillset Choosing a career path that best utilizes your skillset is the most logical approach. So, make a list of the skills you possess and take reviews from your colleagues or close friends. The skills should include both hard and soft skills. This will help you in choosing a career path that will not require you to give much strenuous efforts. Identify your interests and values Working in an environment that holds the same values as yours goes a long way in determining whether you fit in with the company or not. So, identify your core values and ensure that the company or industry you are looking into has the ideal values and work culture for you. However, if you are not sure of what you want to do in life because you haven’t found your passion or interest just yet, do not fret. You see, there are many online career and self-assessment tools you can utilise to collect information about your skills and traits, which will help you in narrowing down which job positions would fit you best. Clarify Your Career Objective Next, you will have to determine which career path you’d like to follow. To do that, you have to define your career objective. Here are a few tips that will help you finding just that – What are your career goals? What are the skills you possess? What are your strengths? Roles and positions you wish to hold How much salary do you expect to get? Once you have gathered all the information through your online or offline self-assessment test, and you are sure about what your career objective is, you should have a list of jobs that would suit you. Make A List After completing the first two steps, you should have an idea of what you want to do by now or which sector you would like to build a career in. For instance, if your interests lie in Arts and Entertainment, there are many career paths to choose from. You could go for an artistic and creative occupation or even in film, television or music, among many others. Make a list of the job positions that you believe are best suited for you that are in line with the results of the self-assessment and your career objective. Explore all job profiles by doing thorough research for each. For this, you can simply type in the job position on your search bar and add “job description” next to it. Check all the requirements (education, skills, certificates, etc) for each job profile. Next, shortlist the ones that you are qualified for and eliminate the ones that you are not interested in. Now, after making a list of occupations and eliminating the ones that you are not interested in or are not qualified for, we can move on to the next step. Conduct An Informal Interview Now that you have narrowed down the list of jobs you want to pursue, the next step is to get more insights into each job profile. The internet alone won’t be enough as you will need to have first-hand experience of each job and the best way to get that would be to talk to people who currently hold or have held the position. This would be the perfect time to utilise your social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Reach out to your old school or college mates or join online communities dedicated to jobs to broaden your network. Ask them if you could call them or meet them up for coffee. They will be able to shed a light on each job profile and what the industry is like. Choose Your Career Now that you have done in-depth research on all the job profiles, it’s time to choose your career. If you are a fresher, know that you would probably have to take entry-level jobs to kickstart your career. And if you feel anxious about finalising your career choice, know that you can always change your career path again. Draft Long-Term Plans Ask yourself the question “Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?” You need to create a milestone. Do a thorough research on the position, company and industry you are interested in. Learn how people in your field of interest are advancing in their career. Study the roles and responsibilities they hold in their career and see if they are in alignment with your career objectives. This will help you in calculating your annual progress. Create Or Update Your Resume Next step is for you to create a compelling resume and cover letter. Depending on the position you are looking for, highlight all the essential skills you have and are needed for the particular role. If you are applying for various jobs, know that the skill sets required will not be the same for all of them. So, you cannot send the same resume to different recruiters. Modify your resume and cover letter to meet the requirements mentioned for the specific role. Ensure that it is well-written, neat and that you review and proofread before sending it out. Begin Your Job Hunt There are many ways to look and apply for jobs: 1. Online Job Portals Visit as many online job portals, such as contract-jobs.com and create your job seeker profile on them.The profile should be complete in every respect, providing clear cut details about your skill sets, awards, certifications, internships or any other information about you which can increase your relevancy for the job position. There are thousands of applicants for a job post on job portals, and in order to stand out among them, your profile has to be complete in every manner. After your profile is verified & updated on job portals, use relevant job specific keywords to apply for jobs. Using these relevant keywords will help you in finding what you are looking for and will give you a faster result rather than randomly searching for jobs on the search bar. 2. Social Media Platforms Social media platforms, such as LinkedIn or Facebook are perfect for finding jobs. They are the ideal places for job seekers and recruiters to network. When creating your profile, ensure that you add important details such as your educational qualifications and background plus, your current status and location. Make it look as professional as possible. Join as many job communities as possible and connect with recruiters who belong to the industry you want to work in. Engage with their posts. The more you make your online presence known to these recruiters, the higher your chances of them approaching you when there are any job openings. Also, always be on the lookout for new job postings on these sites. 3. Job Fairs Job fairs are the perfect place to find employment opportunities. You will get to meet many recruiters from different organizations/industry and get the chance to network with them. As there will be hundreds others like you who are looking for jobs at these fairs, so apart from your resume and cover letter, carry a card that has all your contact information and links to your social media sites. Hand out as many as you can and follow up with them to let them know that you are interested in working with them. Top-notch companies tend to scout for new talents at these job fairs. 4. Job Referrals Reach out to people you know who are working for the company or industry you are interested in and ask them if they can refer you. This will also benefit your referral as many organisations ask their employees to refer their friends and in return they get incentives. 5. Walk-in Interviews Walk-in interviews are announced on various social media platforms or on newspaper ads. Specific date and timing for the interview will be mentioned. You do not need any appointment. All you have to do is show up at the given location at the given time. For freshers, it is the perfect place to face interviews and learn from them. 6. Company Website Now, you may have a particular company in mind that you want to work for. Simply, go to their website and see whether they have any job openings and apply for it on their website itself. You can find job openings on the career page of their website. Fill in the necessary information and send in your application. Applying for jobs on the company website shows that you are interested in them and that you personally reached out to them. If luck is on your side, they just might call you for an interview within a few days. Conclusion: The decision-making process of choosing a career can take days or months and for some, even years. So, do not be discouraged if you feel you are not where you thought you would be in life by now. Remember that you are not alone and with hard-work, determination and Contract-jobs’ 8 steps on How to Choose a Career, you will surely get there. We will leave you here with our best wishes! Good luck!