"I really need a job"

People apply for a job for one of (mostly) three reasons:

1. They are out of work and need to get back to work.

2. They have a job and are seeking a new one for whatever reason.

3. They are showing the unemployment office that they are actively looking for work in order to receive their next unemployment check.

I've also learned that people who are applying for a job apply for a specific job for one of (mostly) three reasons:

1. It's related to experience they currently have and are looking to stay within that type of work.

2. It's completely unrelated to experience they have and are looking to try something new.

3. They're clicking willy-nilly on everything that pops up because why the hell not.

As a recruiter, we ask: “Why are you interested in this job?” If you submitted a resume, we can see if it relates to what you've done in the past. Or not. If it's related to work history, we want to know what interests you about this job. If it's not related, we want to know what interested you enough to apply.

Here are some common responses to the question:

1. I'm looking for a better opportunity (i.e. more pay).

2. I'm looking for career advancement (i.e. hit the ceiling in a prior position with no more room for promotion).

3. Relocation (i.e., working on my first divorce. Or second).

4. Looking to learn something new (i.e. sick of whatever industry in which they are currently working and want to get out).

5. I really need a job.

Interested in a Pro Tip? Don’t say #5 in an interview.

If you ARE sufficiently un-self-aware enough to think #5 is a good route to go, understand there are several things I almost immediately know about you without needing to delve further into the conversation:

1. You probably didn't read the job posting much past the job title, pay rate, and schedule/shift.

2. You're probably entirely uninterested in the actual job itself and are just flying by the seat of your pants and hoping someone, anyone, will hire you because you're behind on your bills.

3. You haven't been employed in a while (Yes, a resume will show that, but since we get a lot of applications with not up-to-date resumes or no resumes, I can conclude this simply by your 'I really need a job' comment.)

4. You're probably not someone who I'm going to hire.

I can hear the exclamations: "Not going to hire them? Just because of that comment?" Yes. Not only because of reasons #1, #2, and #3 above, but also because you are unable to expend even a modicum of effort to lie to me about why a particular job fit your particular needs. To me, that spells lazy and unmotivated.

Let's be real: I don't really care why you applied for a job. I'm honestly just seeing if you'll give me a decent reason.

Why?

Well, quid pro quo for one. You show some kind of effort in answering the question, and I'll show some kind of effort in conducting an interview. I've seriously had someone answer the "why are you interested in this job" with: "Because I'm real behind in child support for my baby momma." My curiosity was piqued, so that guy and I had a pretty decent conversation before I eventually decided he wasn't going to be a fit anyway. I was, however, impressed with an honest answer, which got him a helluva lot further along the interview process than he otherwise would have gotten.

[Sidebar: Full, 100% honesty is not necessarily the best route to go in an interview, especially if it's something along those lines or an "I need another job to pay off my drug dealer," but it does provide recruiters with some interesting stories.]

The moral of this story is that "I really need a job" is not a good response to "Why are you interested in this job". Make something up. It shows the recruiter you are either actually interested in the job or, at the very least, motivated enough to come up with a legitimate reason as to why you applied.