The 'How Did You Learn About the Job' Interview Question Might Be a Trick

The “How did you learn about the job?” interview question seems harmless. You can naively believe this is a nice question designed to help the interviewer get to know you, but the real reason is much more insidious.

Here’s why “How did you learn about the job?” can become a trick question.

What the hiring manager wants to know when they ask, “How did you learn about the job?”

One of the goals of a hiring manager is to determine if you’re serious about the job. They will ask about your rationale for choosing the particular role and their company.

Hiring managers want to avoid candidates who are haphazardly dispatching their resumes everywhere and applying for any job they see on a company careers page or job board. These candidates are generally seen as not truly interested in the specific position.

How to answer the “How did you learn about the job?” question

The hiring manager wants to hear that you are relatively happy in your current job, get along well with your manager, are well-respected at work, are not currently active in a job hunt, but are open to hearing about a great opportunity.

You could answer: “I am doing very well in my current job, and my boss greatly appreciates my work. I heard about your open role from a recruiter who spoke highly about you and the role.”

Alternatively, you could also answer: “I am doing very well in my current job. I did some research and due diligence, and I recognized this is a great opportunity for my background, skills and interest.”

You could also say that you heard about the opening through a friend, colleague, employee, or news coverage about the company, whichever is true for your situation.

The bottom line

The hiring manager wants to be confident you are a realistic candidate for the open job and the company. Employers generally don’t want to hire people who just want any job and don’t care about the company they’re interviewing with. Hiring managers seek people who specifically want to work at their company and are motivated, enthusiastic and driven.

This article was written by Jack Kelly for Forbes and was lightly edited and published with permission.