Motivational language- your interview Superpower

What Makes You Tick?

Find Out Your Motivational Language

So, why do you do what you do? Only you truly know the answer—and maybe you don’t want to share it. But whether it’s at a dinner party, in a team meeting, or during a job interview, you’ll probably be asked to explain your motivations. For some, this is an opportunity to shine—a kind of social superpower. That’s why crafting good behavioral interview questions has become a cornerstone of many hiring processes.

We’re drawn to understanding what drives the people we work with, socialize with, and trust. We judge people (fairly or unfairly) by what we believe motivates them—whether they say it out loud or we just infer it. In fact, the way someone frames their motivations can completely change how we perceive them.

A Tale of Three Candidates

Imagine this: three people are being interviewed. Identical CVs. Identical experience. They all conducted the same internal audit. The interviewer asks: "Why did you carry out the audit?"

• Answer 1: "I could tell my boss was making a lot of stupid mistakes and getting away with it. I wanted to gather evidence to show the director so that he could get found out."
• Answer 2: "My boss asked me to."
• Answer 3: "I noticed inefficiencies leading to lost revenue. I wanted to quantify the problem and worked with colleagues to identify the root causes. We developed an action plan, presented it at our department meeting, and implemented changes that boosted revenue and improved customer satisfaction."

Who gets the job? The answer is obvious.

The third candidate demonstrates initiative, teamwork, alignment with organizational goals, and a results-oriented mindset. That kind of intrinsic motivation is seen as impressive and desirable. It’s a perfect example of how your motivation during a job interview can help distinguish you, especially when the rest of your resume looks just like everyone else’s.

When Motivations Go Sideways

You might think Answer 1 is extreme. But let me tell you about someone I know who once went into a job interview with no intention of getting the job. They didn’t like the look of the office and were ready to walk out—until another candidate warned that if they bailed, the recruiting agency might blacklist them.

So, they stayed—for the fun of it. And they sandbagged every response: “It’ll take me ages to get here.” “I’m not available for at least six months” (they were unemployed). “I don’t think my background is relevant to the job.”

Needless to say, they didn’t get the job—or another interview from that agency. But not all motivations are about getting the job. Sometimes, they're about avoiding conflict, or even just finding amusement in a dull afternoon.

The Power (and Pitfalls) of Stated Motivation

Not all goals are equal. Some motivations impress more than others. But push too far and you risk sounding insincere— like the classic Miss World contestant who wishes for world peace. Altruism is often admired, but if it's too public or theatrical, it can feel more like a performance than a principle.

Public generosity and virtue signalling can be strategic, even powerful. But genuine altruism is usually quiet. And ironically, the more visible your moral grandstanding, the more people may question your motives.

Bigger Than You

Some people say they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, or leave a legacy. There's something compelling about that. It might sound arrogant or even delusional, but it's often the psychology of highly successful individuals—especially in sport, science, or activism.

This aligns well with the upper tiers of Maslow’s need hierarchy, where self-actualization, legacy, and contribution to society become powerful inner drives.

There’s something admirable about pushing boundaries, breaking new ground, or improving a system beyond where it’s ever been before. These motivations are often infectious, rallying others around a shared sense of purpose.

Here’s a rough scale—not scientific, but socially resonant. It also mirrors many findings in motivational theory and interview advice about what kinds of answers stand out most during hiring conversations:

This kind of hierarchy can help frame better interview questions, improve interview tips, and even serve as a self-assessment tool when preparing to articulate your motivational drivers in high-stakes conversations.

The Five Motivational Domains

A Self-Check of your motivational language. Try the quiz below. (Truthful or Not...)

Reflect on how you usually frame your motivations. Would your answer land at the top of the hierarchy—or the bottom? Do you adapt based on your audience? Would your answer change if you were trying to impress, or trying to be honest?

In a world where how you're perceived shapes your opportunities, it’s worth being conscious of the motivational language you use. Even if your reason is simple, how you express it can say a lot more than you think.

The Motivational Language Questionnaire