Interview Questions About Motivation

Motivation is one of the most desired qualities in an employee. Thus, an interviewer would like to evaluate the spirit of true motivation in a candidate before hiring him. ‘What motivates you?’ is a common question that might be asked. But a question testing motivation can be in different forms. Such questions are asked to know if the candidate would fit into the company’s culture and contribute to its mission as an employee. When it comes to motivation, an employer seeks a candidate who is motivated and also has the potential to motivate other employees. It is also important for the recruiter to know what the candidate is motivated about. Here are the Interview Questions About Motivation.

Except for ‘What motivates you?’ some other questions relating to motivation can be: ‘What are the things you are passionate about?’ or ‘What are the challenges you want to face in your workplace?’ An interviewer also asks some behavioral questions to access motivation in the potential employee of his company. 

This article discusses some questions which test motivation and also analyses what an employee wants to know and some tips to approach such questions to succeed in an interview. 

What do you mean by motivation?

Motivation is a word derived from motive. Motivation can be the need or drive of a person or the reason why a person does something. Motivation can be of two types:

• Extrinsic Motivation: It included everything which is outside of a person and acts as a motivation. Some examples can be awards, money, scholarships. 
• Intrinsic Motivation: Intrinsic Motivation is a motivation that comes from within. A drive to do something for personal satisfaction.

Responding to the Questions:

• The interviewer wants to know that you are intrinsically motivated. The key is to research about the position and company. The responses can be custom-made according to what suits the job description well. 
• You can prepare your answer by:
• Focusing on what did you like about your previous position: Think about what were your responsibilities and how they can be linked to your interests. 
• Consider what you are best at: What kind of environment brings out the best in you? Is it having career-driven colleagues or cooperative colleagues? 
• Make sure you have real-life examples to back up your answer with.

How to answer ‘What motivates you?’:

• You can answer the question by saying you like to grow your problem-solving skill. Any company dealing with customers would like to have an employee who is a quick problem solver.
• You can also say you like dealing with numbers. Solving arithmetic problems gives you a sense of satisfaction. You can add up some examples where you were required to perform such tasks. This answer would suit many job profiles, it means that you bring in a relevant skill that adds value to the company. 

Sample Interview Questions About Motivation:

1. What is the kind of work culture you like working in? And why?

This question tests if you can thrive in the company’s working environment. You can answer the question by approaching it according to the environment that the company provided. You can also say you would like to work with colleagues who have good ethics. 

2. What did you want to become when you were below 10 years old?

Be honest. No one wanted to become an accountant when they were 10 years old. Talk about how driven you were back then and how you worked towards it in your own childish way. You can give some real-life examples to show your passion.

3. What is your definition of success? What do you need to have to feel successful?

Avoid mentioning that some position or some monetary value in your account as a definition of success. You can answer the question by saying that you would consider yourself successful if you develop some specific skills such as leadership skills, etc. 

4. What is the biggest dream that you want to achieve in your life?

Make sure the dream you mention is related to your job position. Always remember you have to focus on intrinsic motivation and not extrinsic motivation. Money or position should not be taken into account. 

5. What are some of the goals that you have set for yourself?

You can mention some of your weaknesses which you commit to work upon and convert into your strengths. This question would mainly deal with short-term goals. It can also include some habits that you want to change or want to inculcate in your routine. 

6. If you ever receive a national award, what would that award be for?

Mention a skill that you consider as your strength. It is only possible to get a national award if you are good at something. The skill should be in line with your work and should also be something you are passionate about. Add some enthusiasm to your answer.

7. What is your way of making sure that you are always high on motivation?

The answer may involve some day-to-day habits that you inculcate to have a positive mind frame. You can also say mention some small techniques which remind you of your goals. Inspiration to stay motivated can also be derived from some books or podcasts. 

Behavioral Questions to Access Motivation:

1. When there are a lot of things to do, how do you prioritize what is the most important?

Negotiation of the deadline, if possible, can be a way to go about it. In case a negotiation is not possible work can also be delegated. A priority list can be created to determine the consequences of the tasks.  

2. If required to, how do you manage to create a motivating work environment for your colleagues?

A motivating work environment can be created by applying the technique of extrinsic motivation. Let the interviewer know that you will appreciate every small effort of your colleagues. Sometimes, small goals also create a drive to achieve among the employees. You can also say the interviewer that you will act with confidence in stressful situations. 

3. How did you get over an event or actions of a person in your past that affected your motivation?

You can say that you apply a small technique in which you reward yourself with small rewards whenever you achieve small targets. You might cite an example where you motivated yourself by learning a new skill or investing your time in a hobby.

4. What are the actions of your superior to which you respond the best to?

You can mention that you do your best when the manager challenges you. It shows the recruiting manager that you thrive in pressure-built areas as most of the job profiles would require their employee to adapt to such situations. 

5. Have you ever gone beyond the expectations of your supervisor to get a job done?

This question asks an example from your workplace where you went out of your way to complete a task. You might say something like when you were required to prepare a presentation you, went ahead and collected primary data to support your aims. 

6. Talk about a situation in which you managed to motivate a co-worker. 

Unfold a chapter from your workplace where you lifted up the spirits of your co-worker. It would be a bonus if you can mention how this colleague went ahead and proved himself. 

How do you deal with the hurdles in your path when trying to achieve a goal?

You can say the first and foremost thing you try to avoid doing is to complain. You can give an example from your life where you had to do some introspection to remove the obstacle as it was coming from within. 

7. Can you describe a memorable day from your work, in a good way?

The answer to this question is straightforward. You need to mention a day where you had been the most productive or came up with an idea that was out of the box. You can also talk about how you motivated your coworker. 

8. How do you keep yourself motivated when the people around you are not?

You can say that you keep tracking your performance to see which dimension you are lagging behind in. Instead of dealing with tasks as a chore, you deal which them like a goal. You can also mention how you create short-term goals for yourself to stay motivated and feel worthy.

9. Which one from your job positions satisfied you the most and which one satisfied you the least?

Even though you have to mention your least favorite job avoid blaming your coworkers or supervisors. It creates a negative impression on the recruiting manager. You can choose your most favorite job position according to the growth you went through while working there. 

10. Can you tell us about a project which could be successful primarily because of your efforts?

The answer demands an example from your career journey. Be sure to mention the specific skills you used in order to make the project a success. 

11. When you find some time out of your work how do you work on your skills?

You can say referring to your resume that while working at a place you managed to learn a new skill. You can also say that you spend your time reading relevant documents or refining a skill. You might want to customize this answer according to your job position.

12. 1Have you ever contributed an idea that significantly helped the company you worked with?

Bring in a real-life situation where you worked on an idea. You can also narrate how you landed up on that idea. 

13. Did you ever have a positive impact on someone? Describe the situation. 

Here, you need to highlight your leadership skills. A leader is highly motivated and has an influence on the people around them. 

Tips to Answer Motivation Based Questions:

• Give Examples: Your answer can be based on a real-life example while you answer the question. You can talk about how a situation where you helped your colleague to get over his insecurity. Or you can say how you could manage multiple deadlines. 
• Honest Answer: You might give tailor-made answers which suit the company and the job position you have applied for. One thing you should make sure of is the answers should sound authentic. You can specifically select the experiences which work for your job position. 
• Relevance: Use your skills and interlink them to the job position you have applied for. You might have skills but you should be the one to be best suited for the position. 
• Irrelevant Skills: Do not mention skills that make you reliable for another position or which wouldn’t help you with the position that you are applying for. 
• Money: Try not to mention monetary compensations as your motivating factor. Also, do try to avoid other extrinsic motivation factors. 
• Vague Answers: Be specific about the skills you want to highlight. Try not to give a broad answer which doesn’t have any example to supplement. 

Communicating Nonverbally:

The interviewer would also make a note of what your body language says. You have to make sure you not only make an impression verbally but also give the right impression through your body language. 

• Confidence: Answer the questions with conviction. This creates an impression on the employer that the answers are honest. Modulate your voice. Do not speak too slow or too fast. Confident people use space to their advantage.
• Enthusiasm: While answering the questions, enthusiasm shows how passionate you are about your job. It shows that you possess the drive to further your skills. 
• You might be having a bad day, but that talks about probability. An interviewer would never settle for probability when motivation and drive can be found in others. 
• Motivated candidates add value to the company they work for. A recruiter would always make sure to add at least one question that would access how motivated you are. It is always advised to prepare yourself for the same.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What do you mean by motivational questions?

A recruiting manager puts some questions to his potential employee to access their motivation in them. The simplest motivational questions can be ‘What motivates you?’ or ‘What are you passionate about?’. However, there also exist different forms of questions, the objective of which is to test motivation. 

2. How can you stay motivated?

Always set goals. You can also find a mentor who is suitable for you and help you achieve the goals you set. The progress in goals has to be kept being monitored. Higher levels of progress can be achieved by surrounding yourself with positive people. Exercise should be included in your daily routine to be highly productive. 

3. What type of motivation is the most effective?

While extrinsic motivation might help you get back on track and in line with your goals many a time, it is intrinsic motivation that is more effective. When the motivation comes from within, it becomes difficult to lose it, and, thus intrinsic motivation is a long-term method to stay motivated. 

4. What is the importance of motivation?

When a person is motivated, he knows the importance of achieving small goals. Thus, it helps increase the efficiency level of a person. Motivation also helps a person to be confident in his own skin. This promotes the building of better workplace relations.