How to Answer Job Interview Questions About Self-Motivation
Every day in the workplace, you’ll need to self-motivate. You’ll have to find a way to be productive without someone else telling you to do so. Most people can self-motivate a little, but many get burned out doing the same thing each and every day.
At job interviews, you may be asked about self-motivation. The question itself may be found in many different forms:
- What do you do to self-motivate?
- How do you stay productive?
- Are you okay working with tasks that may be described as tedious?
All of these interview questions are basically asking you some variation of the same thing. What do you do to make sure that you are able to keep working every day without first being yelled at by a boss or coworker.
Four Tips to Answer Interview Questions About Self-Motivation
Because these questions can vary, the answers might vary as well. But there are strategies that should go into your answer that can help you impress employers. These include:
1. Have a Plan
What do you actually do to self-motivate? If you don’t have a specific process, what CAN you do to make sure that you’re doing work every day? Some people give themselves short deadlines. Others turn their work into a game. Figure out what your answer to this question can be in terms of specifics.
2. Watch for “Overwhelmed” or “Boredom” Language
It’s not always the answer that matters, but the terms you use. Be careful of using any language that makes it sound like the work IS boring BUT you self motivate. For example, phrasing something like “When I am tired of a project I…” which gives the impression of being bored of work.
3. Reiterate Your Commitment
Make sure that in your answers, your commitment to working is clear. Throughout your answers, the idea that you’re going to work hard because that’s who you are should be obvious to anyone that listens.
4. Give Examples
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t act like the work was boring, but giving specific examples of past projects that you worked on that used your motivation can be a great way to say good things about your abilities.
Self-motivation is part of what makes a great employee. It is natural to prepare for these types of motivation questions, as companies may ask you about your abilities in order to see if you’ll be able to handle the tasks of the role.
So have a plan for how you’ll answer these questions, and make sure you frame your answer in a way that makes you look like a great employee.