In the professional landscape, in general, and the corporate landscape, in particular, the question "What motivates you at work?" occupies a special place, being often associated with the more famous "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?". Both questions have a strong rhetorical and self-assessment character, being addressed to the self, but they are also part of the arsenal of job interview leaders, whether we are talking about managers or HR employees. That's why we decided to dedicate a blog article to it, in which we "dissect" it and find out which is the only wrong answer you can give.

The question "What motivates you at work?", addressed to yourself

First of all, it should be noted that if you end up asking yourself this question, it means that somewhere there is a problem, professionally speaking. Either you are unhappy at the end of a hard day's work, or you have had a conflict with a colleague or even with your manager and are re-evaluating your options, or you have simply lost the motivation that characterised you a few years ago, when you were younger and your current job - "fresher" and more interesting.

Of course, the answers can be multiple and depend both on the individual person and on the moment (context): salary, advancement opportunities, travel, extra benefits, etc.

The question "What motivates you at work?", asked at the interview

When this question is asked during a job interview, the person in front of you is not so much interested in the answer as in... the motivation behind it. In other words, it's a great opportunity to prove your strengths of perseverance, team spirit and the desire to always be the best version of yourself.

Thus, the answers can be: opportunities for advancement (you prove that you are ambitious and aim high), integration in the team (you show that you are not a "lone wolf", but a colleague in the true sense of the term), etc.

The only wrong answer to the question "What motivates you at work?"

As far as wrong answers go, in our view there is only one: "Nothing motivates me at work". Professional plateauing is a real danger, not only for the actual job performance, but also for the general mood of the employee. In practice, lack of incentives can translate into inertia and indolence, which are prone to mistakes.

Fortunately, however, there are solutions, and one of the most effective of them is our "Moment of Motivation" training! To turn a difficult period into a context of growth and development of key skills, it takes a boost like our course, which will generate the necessary internal energy and motivation for you or your team!

Participants will learn how to become aware of their psychological reactions, gain more self-confidence and critical thinking, while organisations will benefit by increasing synergy, result and solution orientation and discovering the best ways to adapt to change. We are waiting for you!