One of the most important things you can do to prepare for a job interview is to learn everything that you can about the company before you go to the interview. Most interviewers ask job candidates why the want the job. Most people answer this question specifically in terms of their own skills, and why their skills are a good match for the essential functions of the job.

Having the right skills certainly is an important part of being qualified for a particular job. However, since employers screen resumes or applications before deciding who to interview, it is likely that the interviewer is already familiar with whether or not your skills are a good match for the position.

Telling the interviewer what skills you have only lets the interviewer know that you are interested in the type of job that is open, but doesn’t say anything about why you want to work for the company.

If you have conducted research about the company ahead of time, you can use this question to really want to set yourself apart from the other candidates. When you know specific information about the company, you can answer the interviewer’s question about why you want the job in terms that are customized for this interview.

When you know the company’s mission and general information about its products and services, it becomes much easier to convey a genuine desire for this particular job with this specific organization.

Interviewers want to hire people who are likely to stay with the company long-term, so they look favorably on candidates who seem genuinely interested in and knowledgeable about the organization as well as the type of job. The few minutes you spend browsing the Internet to find out about the company are well worth the benefits of making a positive impression on the interviewer.