That's a fair question and gives insight into the person's objectives/aspirations.
"I need a paycheck" is a great answer for some positions, but a person in demand would have choices, so it's valid to ask "why us?".
"I need a paycheck" is a great answer for some positions, but a person in demand would have choices, so it's valid to ask "why us?".
Not only that but it's not even clear the person he/she is responding to actually is part of an interview process as opposed to just explaining the reasoning behind the interview question.
Personally I found it needlessly rude and even rather bitter but if you feel like it provided some value then I'm glad it was useful.
When someone asks, "Why do you want to work here?" I might say, "Because I find the way your company puts input fields on a web page to be fascinating, and I want to be a part of it." The reality, however, is I want a damn paycheck and I couldn't care less what the company does.
The point here is that nobody answers these questions honestly. Nobody. So what on Earth is the point of asking them? There isn't one. These questions just fill up space during the allotted hour of interview time, and are used by the interviewer to justify the opinion they formed within the first few seconds of the interview.
On the other hand, what's the point of asking anything during an interview if people can lie then? I imagine these questions are still being asked because it's not all that easy to lie and still sound authentic. I also agree with you though. I think this whole idea of trying to find people to work at a company because this is their dream company is just a silly fantasy for 99.9% of companies. Unless you're Google, chances are slim that working is nothing more than a job.
This whole craze over wanting to love your work and being "passionate" and "excited" is getting out of hand. I feel like I see the word "excited" thrown around everywhere now.
I try to be more pragmatic in my interview process. I don't expect candidates to be passionate because the company isn't their dream. I expect the owner to be passionate, but the rest of us are just here to pay the bills. Therefore, I don't bother looking for passion. What I do want is somebody who has coding experience and someone I'd enjoy working with. I focus all my questions around those two goals, with a greater emphasis on the second.