r/ultracode

A few days ago, an interviewer asked me what made me want to join their company. Instead of giving the answer I had prepared, I told him the truth plainly, without sugarcoating it.
The role matched the kind of work I already know how to do, the pay range was higher than my current salary, and I would also gain experience working on projects I hadn't had the opportunity to work on in my current job. Those were the reasons I applied.
I also made it clear that I wasn't attached to their brand and hadn't spent years dreaming of working for that specific company. I simply wanted a place where I could contribute, earn a fair salary, and not feel like I was stuck doing the same tasks forever.
They went quiet for a second, then the interviewer smiled and said it was one of the most straightforward answers he had ever heard. After that, the whole tone of the conversation changed, and I no longer felt like I was being tested the way I had at first.
In the end, we spoke honestly about the workload, the training, what I wanted from my next step, and what they needed from the person they were going to hire. It was a much better conversation than the usual back-and-forth of rehearsed answers.
I still don't know what they decided, so maybe being that honest cost me the job. But either way, it felt good not to pretend that simply finding their job posting online had fulfilled one of my childhood dreams.