What are the 3 Things You Look for in an Ideal Job? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

This is one of the most common questions that is asked in an interview. An interviewer can ask this question in multiple ways like, “What are you looking for in a job?”, “What are the key aspects of a job that makes you want to work for someone else rather than being own boss and establishing a business?”, “Other than a paycheck, what factors make you do this job?” and so on.

Yes indeed, a great amount of paycheck is the main reason why a candidate applies for a job to fulfill his financial needs. But deep inside every candidate has multiple reasons that make him want to do a job. Maslow has given us a hierarchy of five needs that needs to be fulfilled for an individual. A paycheck just fulfills that basic need for survival. There are other needs like social needs, self-actualization needs, esteem needs that a candidate seeks in a job.

“Describe your ideal job. Go into detail about how you would feel, what experiences you would have, and how you would be treated”. – Richard Brodie

There are a number of factors that a candidate looks for in an ideal job.

Consider These Factors Before Choosing A Company

1. Size of the paycheck
2. Building a network
3. To feel trusted
4. To feel appreciated
5. To make a difference in one’s life
6. To feel valued
7. For self-growth
8. Bringing balance to life
9. The job matches your interest and fits well with your personality
10. The company’s values perfectly align with your work ethics
11. Brings you social recognition
12. Good opportunity for a candidate to showcase his skills
13. It is your dream job
14. Flexible working hours
15. The company focuses on employee’s welfare
16. A great working environment
17. The company provides great benefits
18. The candidate loves to work as a team
19. The company is reputed
20. The workplace cultures

Things to keep in mind to Answer this Question

Be honest with your answer

Don’t give vague replies to the employer, try to be authentic with your answers and tell them what factors honestly make you want to do this work, other than a steady amount of paycheck.

Elaborate your answer

Unless the employer mentions listing down the factors in 3 words, do not give short answers. Explain why do you think that job is ideal for you, back up to your answer with strong reasons. The answer you give should make you sound motivated, energetic, and enthusiastic about your work.

Don’t forget the key role of the question

The employer asks you a question to see how your answers match the ideal candidate for the vacant position. You are answering this question because you want to be hired for that job. Keep your answer detailed but also specific.

The list of these reasons varies from individual to individual. In this article, we will look at the top 10 sample answers to the above question. Align your answer with your ability to be the perfect fit for the role that you have applied for.

What Are the 3 Things that You Look for in an Ideal Job?

Sample Answer One

“Three things that I look for in an ideal job are self-growth, the benefits that company offers other than a paycheck, and a positive work environment. I believe that any company can offer a great number of checks, the most important thing for me is a positive work environment. Especially, in the current situation where everyone is doomed to negativity all around them, I always look for a company that takes care of employee’s mental health and provides them with training for the overall development of an individual.

 The work I am doing should make me want to feel that it is helping me grow and learn new things. The benefits that a company provides like flexible working hours, housing facilities if a candidate comes from another city, etc. are equally important to me as it shows that the company really cares for its employees.”

Sample Answer Two

“I am a bit of a hard worker and an overachiever and that is why I love taking challenges, and an ideal job should challenge me in the field I excel in as challenges make me feel like I am responsible enough for a job. This will also contribute to enhancing my skill set which is another factor I look for in an ideal job. I also look forward to learning new skills in my time span with a job. Hence, three ideal things I look for in a job are challenges, to be able to learn new skills and a feeling of being valued and responsible”.

Sample Answer Three

“I love expanding my network. Yes, doing a sole proprietor business is fun but what makes working more fun and easier is working with co-workers as a team. The victory achieved by working as a team is the best feeling you can get. I enjoy working with people, so the positive crowd working in the company and the work environment are two of the three ideal things I look for in a job as it is good to have people that cheer for you and support you other than your family in your work life. And to be honest, a steady paycheck is also one of the three things I look for in a job”.

Sample Answer Four

“I love leading and supervising, so, one thing I look for in an ideal job is the opportunity to work at a higher level of management. I also look for challenges in a job as it stimulates my personal growth. I love delegating projects and tasks to my team, so according to me an ideal job will be a mixture of all these three factors and so, I am hoping to do that in my next position”.

Sample Answer Five

“Three things that I look for in an ideal job are:

1. It should be aligned with my passion because without my passion for my work, the job would be meaningless.

 2. Collaborative superiors and subordinates because in order for me to understand their needs they need to focus on my needs and development too.

3. To be valued and respected in the organization as every individual wants to feel that way.”

Sample Answer Six

“My ideal job is one that provides me stability and great supervision. The ideal job is where I am able to make most of my skills and qualifications that will help me to give my 100 percent to the organization because if my skills will be fully utilized, it will allow me to grow within the organization”.  

Sample Answer Seven

“Three things that I look for in an ideal job is the freedom to communicate, superiors that are approachable and where I am able to express my thoughts freely and communicate my ideas clearly.”

Sample Answer Eight

“I work best in an environment where there is trust because where there is trust, there is efficiency which leads to advancement. My ideal job also consists of a workplace that gives their employees enough space to grow, giving each other honest feedback and where the co-worker doesn’t want to bring their fellow co-workers down so that we can grow together as a team”.

Sample Answer nine

“Ideal job for me would be where I am valued and where my absence would matter, where the competition is healthy. I flourish in a work environment where my skills are paid attention to. A workplace where there is the value of individual’s ideas and appreciation for efforts”.

Sample Answer ten

“My idea of an ideal job is where there is learn by fun trainings provided for skill enhancement as training is a most crucial part for a new candidate in an organization, rather than making it stressing and hectic for an employee, it should be designed in a way that reduces the work stress and helps an individual learn more.

I would also love a job where the work environment is professional yet friendly to be open to communication because many of the subordinates fear their superiors and hide the brilliant ideas they have in their mind for the benefit of the company.

The third thing I want in my ideal job is global exposure to each and every candidate so that we can understand how certain foreign industries work. Globalization helps an individual to get the bigger picture about his or her work”.

Conclusion

These were some sample answers for the question – “What are the 3 things that you look for in an ideal job?” Apart from these answers, you could you the STAR method of the interview to give an explanation for the factors that affect your job decisions. Keep in your mind that employers look for honesty and be honest with your answer describing your own views and your picture of an ideal job.

References

https://journals.lww.com/jorthotrauma/Fulltext/2012/09001/Finding_Your_Ideal_Job_and_Negotiating_Your.4.aspx