Everyone goes through the hiring process at least once in their life.
Whether for a job or a club, you’ll have to undergo some form of recruitment at one point in your life.
The questions you’ll encounter can be daunting, but if you’re approaching them right, you’ll be fine.
One of the most common interview questions people encounter during the hiring process is, why should we hire you?
It’s a fair question, but since it’s open-ended, it’s complex to answer. Here are some interview tips and tricks to help answer that question and secure your position.
Why Do Interviews Ask “Why Should We Hire You?”
The main reason interviewers ask the question, “why should we hire you,” is because they want to see why you want to be a part of the company from your perspective.
You probably saw the title, requirements, and qualifications when searching for the position.
People who meet the prerequisites are probably gunning for the same position as you, so why should they pick you over the other potential hires?
They want you to separate yourself from the other hires.
That’s the main reason interviewers lean toward this question.
What is the Interviewer Looking For?
Overall, the interviewer is looking for a concise answer.
They’re wondering why you should be their overall choice for the position and want you to be the one to give them their answer.
Consider the key takeaways the interviewer wants to see, then answer the question with these points in mind.
- Your achievements: Interviewers will show interest in your accomplishments during your professional career, so talk about the great feats you’ve accomplished in a similar position.
- Your skills: Most organizations want to hire talent that will give them a competitive edge. Besides the core skills you need for the position, emphasize how your skillset will help provide value to them over your peers.
- Your motivation: The interviewer will want to know what drives you and how you keep going during stressful situations and work hours. Explain to the interviewer what drives you and how it positively impacts your performance.
- Your experience: Interviewers aren’t just looking for a list of previous jobs. They want you to demonstrate your experience through conversation and your knowledge. Consider talking about the important challenges of the position and how you deal with them.
How To Answer “Why Should We Hire You”
Generally speaking, the interviewer is looking for key points when asking, “why should we hire you.”
You don’t want to be caught off guard when answering this question, so here are some things to consider.
First, ask yourself why you want that position.
This question may appear during the interview, but your focus isn’t to answer this question for the interviewer; it’s to answer it yourself.
Ask yourself why you choose to go through the interview process for this particular position.
Consider your beliefs and what drives you to want that particular position.
From there, explain to the interviewer what motivates you and how you’ll impact their organization.
Once you have that in mind, you’ll have a clearer image of your intent.
What to Focus On When Answering This Question
Your key focus when answering this question is to emphasize your importance to their organization.
Remember, you’re competing with other people with similar experiences and meeting all the prerequisites.
The best way to tackle this question is to focus on your intent and the value you have to offer.
Consider your achievements and what you still want to achieve. Talk about how your particular skill set provides a competitive edge to the organization.
Discuss how well you work with others and how important collaborative efforts are for you. If this position doesn’t involve teamwork, don’t lay into that point too much, but if it does, focus on it.
What To Avoid When Answering This Question
There are some things to avoid saying, like rude comments and vulgar responses.
Beyond that, you don’t want to sound too desperate or talk about things you know nothing about.
If the interviewer picks up on any inconsistencies within your interviewer, they’ll become skeptical.
Essentially, you don’t want to seem unsure about anything.
The next thing to avoid is overselling. Never try to oversell yourself. Ground yourself and provide realistic expectations and what you can do.
Don’t talk about what you can potentially do; talk about what you can offer.
Remember, don’t treat your interview like a sales pitch, and don’t get into topics you know nothing about.
Stick to what you know and navigate each conversation in your favor.
Examples: How to Answer “Why Should We Hire You”
Your answer will depend on what position you’re going for and for what organization you’re trying to join.
To provide examples, we’ll be using an example scenario. In this situation, you’re trying to get a project management position in a digital marketing firm.
While these answers will be relevant to a project management position, there is a formula that will allow you to adjust each response to your position.
“My organization skills go beyond just work. I live by a schedule and constantly focus on minute details that others ignore. I plan everything out accordingly, and while not everything goes to plan, it comes pretty damn close.”
Why This Answer Works
If you’re going for a project management position, it’s important to emphasize that you’re a person that stays on track.
This response tackles key points, but you should adjust it depending on the interviewer’s energy.
This response gives the interviewer plenty of insight about you and how you can add value to their team.
First, it shows you value organization and details, which is critical to the success of projects.
Second, saying that not everything goes according to plan shows you know some quirks about project management. Most plans will change and form over time.
Adding some humor to your response also shows some light-hearted confidence.
“I don’t believe in just clocking in and commanding people to do their jobs. In my previous position, my team was my heart and soul. Nothing got done without them, and their commitment to each project wasn’t only inspiring to the clients but also to me.”
Why This Answer Works
This answer shows how important collaboration is to you.
While people say how important teamwork is, you describe it and paint a picture to the interviewer.
Doing this will separate you from others who don’t discuss how important teamwork is to them.
The benefit of this response comes from tackling a few key points.
First, you show that this job isn’t just a nine-to-five to you.
Second, you show that you see your team members as humans, not just assets.
Finally, you show motivation and what keeps you going.
“Hiring me, in particular, ensures that your business stays strong and projects get done on time.
I don’t slack, and I don’t push impossible expectations on my team.
I help cultivate an environment that ensures projects are complete and people don’t burn out completing them.”
Why This Answer Works
This is the more direct and aggressive example.
This response is meant for a company that values a firm and direct response.
This response works well because it covers what you’ll provide for the organization and addresses common problems.
Saying that you don’t slack tells the interviewer you’re dependable and hold yourself to a higher standard than other candidates.
Additionally, while you hold yourself to a high standard, you don’t push your high standards onto your team.
You show that you understand that pushing your team too far will degrade the quality of your projects and reflect poorly on the business.
This response tells plenty; on top of that, it shows confidence and tells the interviewer that you are firm but fair.
Additional Tips for Impressing an Interviewer Asking Why Should We Hire You
Examples are all well and good, but there are still more things to consider when answering “why should we hire you.”
Here are some additional tips to consider that may help wow your interviewer.
- Be confident: The best way to impress your interviewer during your response is to show some confidence. Show that you’re positive about your response and that you mean every word from your mouth. While this may seem basic, it’s easier said than done.
- Include the interviewer: It’s easy to forget that you’re talking to someone when they’re the only ones asking you questions. Think of questions to ask an interviewer so you can include them and learn more about their business and what they want from their employees.
- Show some character: Don’t just answer the question as if it’s standard and routine. Try and answer the question like it’s the most important question in the world. Show some character and show the interviewer that you take this question to heart.
- Don’t be so intense: When formulating your response, relax a bit. Don’t get too nervous and respond like you rehearsed and practiced. You knew this question could come up and you’ve come prepared with what you need.
- Answer the question: This last tip may sound like a no-brainer, but people often ramble too much. When this happens, they get lost in their thoughts and never answer the question. Don’t be that person; stick to your practiced points.
Additional Questions to Be Aware Of
Obviously, the interviewer isn’t going to ask you only one question. Here are some other questions to be aware of during your interview.
- Tell Me About Yourself: This question comes up often as a way to break the ice. Answer this question with honesty to let the interviewer learn more about you on a personal level.
- Why Are You a Great Match for This Role?: This question comes up often and can be tricky to answer. Try and focus on your skill set and how it benefits the organization.
- Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?: Interviewers ask this question to see how deep people see into their careers. Additionally, it gauges if you’ll still be interested in your work or their organization in the future.
- What Makes You Unique?: There are plenty of people gunning for the same position, so what makes you different from them? Take some time to reflect on yourself and your accomplishments to answer this question better.
- What Do You Want From This Job?: Ultimately, the organization knows what they want from you, but the interviewer wants to know what you want. Money is the obvious answer but go into detail about the intrinsic value you want, not the extrinsic ones.
Wrapping Up
Open-ended questions will always be the bane of humankind but answering “why should we hire you” isn’t as daunting and scary as you might think.
Consider some of the example responses to help you formulate your response better.
Stay confident, be honest, show some character, and relax.
You’ll find yourself in a much better position to answer that question than yesterday.
Remember, there are more questions during your interview than “why should we hire you.”
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Practice and prepare with a friend and take the time to reflect on your responses. I’m sure you’ll find yourself more prepared than you think.
