In a job interview, the question “Why should we hire you?” is a tricky one. It can feel like an attack on your integrity if you don’t give an answer that isn’t positive – but it also risks giving away that you don’t really know why they should hire you. The good news is there are more than enough positive answers to this question and if you follow some simple steps, the answer will become easier to come up with as well. Here’s how:
Think about your answer before the interview.
If you’re going to answer the “Why should we hire you?” question well, it’s important to have an answer in mind before you sit down with the hiring manager. You should have a few things in mind. First, you have to think about the culture of the company. What are the values and culture of the company like? If you can’t imagine yourself fitting in with those values and culture, then you might not be the right person for the job. Maybe you think the culture is too casual and don’t have a good picture of how the office operates. You might not be able to picture yourself fitting in. Next, you have to think about the job itself. What does the job actually entail? Asking “Why should we hire you?” is just the beginning of the conversation about the job. Unfortunately, there isn’t much room for discussion about the job itself. That’s a fact of job-hunting life, and you have to accept that and make the most of it.
Reiterate what you’ve already said.
When the hiring manager asks you “Why should we hire you?” they’re really talking about why they should hire you. They want to know why they should hire you, rather than why they should hire you. This is a great opportunity to highlight the reasons you’re hiring right now. You can do this by reiterating the main points from your resume and any interview answers you’ve already given. The hiring manager is probably reviewing these as well and might be thinking of how you can complement the team and improve a bit on things you’ve already talked about. If you’ve already emphasized your work experience, you can now point out how those experiences relate to the job. If the job involves a lot of planning and on-the-spot decision-making, we’ve all seen how situational experience can be helpful. You can now discuss how having that experience on your resume and in your career path makes you an excellent fit.
Take a minute to sum up your experience.
When the hiring manager asks “Why should we hire you?” they’re really asking “Why should we hire someone with these experiences?” A good way to answer this is to take a minute to sum up your experience and show how it relates to the job. You don’t have to go into detail about every job you’ve had, but you do need to give a basic overview. Start by talking about your career path. How did you get from job to job? Let the hiring manager know about any major opportunities or challenges along the way. These can be things you had to overcome, like a difficult boss, or things you experienced, like unemployment.
Show how you match the job requirements.
Lastly, you want to show how you match the job requirements. This is a bit of a tricky one and it usually depends on the job requirements. Most companies have a list of requirements they’re looking for in a hire – factors like relevant experience, skills, and personality. You’re trying to show that you meet the requirements for the job. You can do this by briefly mentioning any skills or experiences that might help you demonstrate that. For example, if the job requires a specific skill, like Excel, you can mention that skill or explain how you’ve learned the skill in your past jobs.
Don’t be afraid to talk about salary discussions.
If the hiring manager brings up salary, don’t be afraid to use it as an opportunity to show how you can contribute. You can say something like “I feel like salary is the first thing that should be discussed during an interview.” Many companies will have salary expectations or guidelines for the position. If they don’t, you can either bring it up yourself or ask the hiring manager what they expect. If you don’t know what salary range the job is in, you can always say “I’d be happy to talk salary if that’s something you’d like us to discuss.” Most hiring managers will respond positively to that. You can also bring up salary during the end of the interview if the hiring manager raises it.
Conclusion
The “Why should we hire you?” question is a tricky one. It can feel like an attack on your integrity if you don’t give an answer that isn’t positive – but it also risks giving away that you don’t really know why they should hire you. If you follow these tips, you can answer this question confidently and confidently show off your qualifications. You can do well in this job interview question if you have a solid answer.