This article contains information on the best way to answer the question “Why should we hire you?”
While you are praying for one of your numerous job application to land you an invite for a job interview, I hope you’re equally getting prepared to answer the questions correctly?
It is no doubt that getting invitation for a job interview can be very exciting but what’s not exciting is going for the interview and performing woefully. Going for job interviews may be daunting especially when you’re not sure of the questions to expect. Well, in many cases, you can not say exactly what to expect as questions asked depends on the interviewer. Interviewers ask a variety of questions during an interview to determine if you are a good fit for the company, if you can be successful in the role and how you might contribute to their short- and long-term business goals.
One question you might be asked by employers is, “Why should we hire you?” While this might seem like a tough interview question, there are a few tips that can help you to prepare a convincing and impressive response.
Employers take this question very seriously, and you should, too.
WHY DO EMPLOYERS ASK, “WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?”
Employers might ask this question to learn a few different things about you. First, they want to know what differentiates you from other candidates they might be interviewing. Also, they want to know what they would gain by hiring you over other interviewees, etc.
Regardless of what their reason may be, this question allows you to pitch why you would be an asset to the company and answering it well will increase your chances of being hired.
Although this question may seem intimidating to answer, it can actually be quite simple by preparing a confident response ahead of time. Therefore, take time to plan an answer to this question before your interview. This question can be asked at any stage of the interview process, from pre-screen to final round interviews.
STEPS TO GIVE ANSWER TO “WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?”
When preparing, you might consider the following steps to craft a response:
- Study the job posting.
- Research the company.
- Tie your background to the job posting.
- Quantify your accomplishments.
- Go above and beyond.
1. STUDY THE JOB POSTING
Inorder to understand the specific skills, qualities and experience employers are looking for in an ideal candidate, review the job posting. Pay more attention to the job description and key sections like requirements, education and experience. Determine what’s common between what the employer is looking for and the skills, experiences and qualities you have. This will enable you to answer this question perfectly by dwelling more on the skills you have which fits the perfect picture of what the position requires
2. RESEARCH ABOUT THE COMPANY
Studying the job requirements is not enough to help you answer this question. Spending time studying the company’s mission, goals and recent announcements can help you to answer this question perfectly. You should use this information to explain how you are connected to their values and how you might help them accomplish major business goals.
3. CONNECT YOUR BACKGROUND TO THE JOB
Ensure you explain how your experiences, skills and attributes make you the best candidate for the job. You should address each of the requirements listed in the job posting, as well as any additional qualities that makes you a perfect candidate.
4. QUANTIFY YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
When possible, support your accomplishments with numerical results. For example, if you’re applying for a job as an accountant at a company that is looking for someone to streamline processes, you might explain what you did at your previous company.
For example:
I made use of Word, Excel, and Outlook since to maintain both financial and administrative records, to create and distribute internal reports for management, and to create and distribute the internal organizational newsletter which was sent to over 200 staff members twice a month.
The financial reports were created and maintained using Excel, and both newsletters were written using Microsoft Word, using templates that I developed. Those financial reports monitored employee activity and asset usage, used by 4 senior managers including the CEO. They were distributed using Microsoft Outlook.
I have taken several workshops on Microsoft Office products, and have worked with the newest version and previous versions, going back to the 1997 version. So, I am very comfortable with the Microsoft Office suite of products.
5. GO ABOVE AND BEYOND
Remember that you may have the same skillset as other applicants, but much of job interview success revolves around who does the best job at communicating their expertise in the interview.
With this in mind, think of any relevant qualities or experiences that distinguishes you from other candidates. For example, if you held a previous professional or volunteer position that gives you a unique perspective benefit to the job you’re applying for, that might be something that distinguishes you. Do not fail to mention it.
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN ANSWERING “WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?”
This is an open ended question and as such, many applicants who do not have a prior knowledge of this tend to flop terribly when it comes to answering a question such as this. However, there are a few things you should avoid in order not to get it wrong:
Memorizing your answer:
While there are examples on how to go about answering such questions, it is not professional and wise to have a canned response for every interview. Do not memorize the same response to present at different interviews. Spending some time to familiarise and get comfortable with common questions will help you give your best in an interview and not restrict yourself.
So, while it is good to prepare ahead of time, you do not want to memorize your answer word for word.
Coming across as arrogant or overly confident:
Confidence is important in your response, but it is equally important to remain humble. If it comes across to employers that you are being overly boastful it may raise some concerns about how you would be as an employee. Sounding overly boastful is a red flag and you must avoid sending such signals.
Speaking for too long:
Remember there are others who are on the queue. So, keep your response concise, two minutes or less is ideal. If your response goes any longer than two minutes you risk losing the attention of the interviewer. Also, you’re at risk of saying things that may implicate you which might lead to further questions. You do not want to find yourself in such a situation.
BAD ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION
An answer that focuses on the benefits to you is a bad answer. They make you appear unprofessional. Such answers include:
- I need a job
- I need the money
- A friend used to work here and said you pay well
- This location is very close to where I live.
As important as those reasons are to you, they are not the reasons the employer will hire you. Frankly, nice as these people might be, they really don’t care about the benefits to you if they hire you. You need to understand that the interviewers do not hire based on sentiments and emotions. They are after professionals, those that can discharge their duties effectively and help the company achieve its goals
Therefore, your answer to this question should focus on the company, not on you! You are the seller in this situation, not the buyer. So, you need to focus on the benefits to this buyer.
Remember that the goal here is to entice this employer to offer you this job.
Do a careful analysis of the job’s requirements so you know:
- The requirements you meet.
- The requirements you exceed.
- The requirements you don’t meet.
In today’s job market, employers reportedly find candidates who are a 50 percent “fit” with the job’s specifications to be acceptable, although they prefer candidates who meet more of the requirements. The best strategy is to analyze the job and ensure your fit for it before applying.
Embrace that question as an opportunity to emphasize your value and to demonstrate your knowledge as they work together to show how well you could do the job.
In answering the question, sell yourself and demonstrate your knowledge of the company.
Start by doing your homework on the employer before the interview, even if it is “only” a telephone interview.
That research will likely include visiting their website, Googling their name, and performing an advanced search on LinkedIn long before you ever find yourself in the interview! [Read The Winning Difference: Pre-Interview Preparation for details.]
The question of, “Why should we hire you?” can take a variety of forms such as, “Why do you think you will be successful in this position?”
EXAMPLES ON HOW TO ANSWER “WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?”
Example 1: KITCHEN MANAGER
“My experience in accurately managing inventory intake and skills in creating effective, streamlined schedules make me perfectly qualified to succeed in this kitchen manager position.
I understand that you require a highly organized candidate with great attention to detail. In my previous job, I successfully handled schedules for 50 employees and reduced food waste by 20%. I’m excited about the prospect of bringing my organizational skills to your restaurant.
Why this is a good example: In this example, the job seeker did a great job of showcasing his enthusiasm for the role by highlighting the specific qualifications that will help them to excel and by mentioning his excitement for the opportunity.
Example 2: Social Worker
“You should hire me for this position because of my proven ability to maintain strong interpersonal relationships with many clients. I am passionate about providing care to those in need in my community. This keeps me motivated and excited about doing my best work.
I understand you need a candidate who can be consistently available for events in clients’ lives. I have a 101% attendance rate for weekly case proceedings and meetings for my clients. In addition, I can bring leadership experience to your team, having trained over 50 new hires to become familiar with day-to-day operations and to feel comfortable in their new roles.”
Why this is a good example: This example is thorough and thoughtful. The job seeker shows that they understand the requirements of the position. Also, the candidate included a quantifiable accomplishment and went above and beyond by talking about their leadership experience. No reasonable employer would want to miss this candidate.
Example 3: Recent college graduate
As I recently graduated with a bachelor’s in Communications, I can bring modern email marketing practices to your company. My internship as an email marketer for a digital software start-up equipped me with the experience of creating impactful content in a fast-paced environment. I was able to contribute to an email campaign that improved engagement rate by 8%.
This experience, in addition to the knowledge I gained in school about creating and promoting successful messages in traditional and digital fields makes me confident that I would be a valuable asset to your email marketing team.
Other possible answers you can elaborate on
- I have a passion for work and proven abilities.
- I have differentiated experience in this field.
- I possess exceptional drive and determination to succeed.
- I have unique skills that separate you from other candidates.
- I can elevate the teams current capabilities.
- I have a deep belief in the company mission.
- I feel a sense of connection to the company and team culture.
CONCLUSION
The good news is, despite how demanding and weird the question is, it’s actually a really great opportunity to sum up why you’re a good fit for the position. It allows you to talk about your skills, your fit with the culture, and everything about you. It is an invitation to sell yourself. It might just be the only opportunity you have to convince the employers to hire you.
- What more could you ask for in an interview?
- So, how exactly do you cover your bases for such an open question? Here are three strategies.
