Going for a job interview is always nerve-wracking, whether it’s your first interview or your tenth. Hours were spent on searching and reading articles like “The Most Commonly Asked Interview Questions” and “10 Things That Would Ruin Your Job Interview”, you’re quite certain that there are some must-have questions about your skills, work experiences, and of course about yourself.
One of the most common and inevitable questions is “why should we hire you?”. The employer or hiring manager might ask this question in various forms such as:
- “why are you the best candidate for the job?”
- “why are you the right fit for the position?” or
- “what would you bring to the position?”
But, no matter how it was asked, you must be ready to answer.
Of course, it’s easier said than done. Here are some tips to prepare you for the question:
1. Highlight your attributes and skills that match he job description
Before going for the interview, look at the job description carefully then determine which among your strengths and skills can fit the requirements the most. From there, you can craft your pitch around these key advantages that set you apart from other candidates. This is a good way to impress your potential employer by focusing on your valuable attributes and skills that match with the position the company is offering.
2. Keep your answer concise
Perhaps you have a long list of achievements, skills and work experiences, you don’t need to enumerate every single one of them and bombard the interviewer with all the details. Choose 3 to 4 key points to structure your pitch. Your answer should not be more than one to two minutes. Companies want to have employees who are able to think critically and articulate their thoughts clearly without taking too much time. Hence, think about the few most redeeming qualities that sets you apart from competition and elaborate on that.
3. Find and focus on your uniqueness
Understandably, the interviewer would like to take less risk by hiring the best person for the position. Everyone who was called for an interview already passed the first round of screening and are qualified for the job, but in the end only the best fit for the job will be chosen. Show the interviewer that you are outstanding among other applicants and that you will be a valuable employee when they hire you. You can mention your good traits but illustrate them in a way that the interviewer will see your qualities that he/she cannot or might be difficult to find in other applicants.
4. Use anecdotes to strengthen your qualifications
Stories are a powerful communication tool to engage someone. When you already have a solid idea about your valuable and unique qualities, reflect and give concrete examples of the moments you used those qualities to achieve something. You can look back to your past working experience, or if you are a fresh graduate, recall the contribution you made in college organizations or during your internships.. It is easy to say that you have certain valuable skills, but the interviewer would like to know actual use case of how exactly you demonstrated those skills.
Your qualifications on paper might be impressive but without real life examples, those qualifications don’t carry much weight. Therefore, always back your redeeming qualities with solid evidence!
5. Practice, practice, practice!
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. So, start practicing once you got all your key points ready. But remember, do not memorize it word by word, you don’t want to sound like a robot during the interview. Or worse, you might experience mental block due to the pressure you put yourself under to memorize your pitch like a script.
The main goal here is to let your answers flow smoothly and as natural as possible. How to do that? Well, craft and review your points, then practice until you feel comfortable talking about them. The practice sessions might not be great every time but it’s important to cover the important details and anecdotes you want to convey. The key in delivering a good pitch is confidence. Present the best side of yourself and show the interviewer your value!
Read about: 5 Tips to Sound Smarter and More Professional When You Speak
6. Avoid the humble-brag
You might think that when being asked “why should we hire you?”, showing off your best qualities is a good way to impress the interviewer, think again. Your interview is more likely expecting a straightforward and precise answer emphasizing on the valuable skills which caused you apply for that position in the first place.
Avoid long winded response and don’t keep on babbling on irrelevant stuff. Go straight to the point, list your attributes, tell them what you can bring to the table, and stay away from the fluff. Answer all questions as carefully and honestly as possible, a good first impression can go a long way.
Hope you find these tips helpful! Yes, it’s daunting to go to any job interviews. However, you can learn to be resourceful and prepare yourself beforehand. The key takeaway here is to remember the importance of your own unique selling point. This will help you to stand out from the competition.
Good luck and happy job hunting!
Find these tips useful? We have more career advice, workplace tips, and job search tips on our blog. Don’t forget to check them out!
Photo by energepic.com from Pexels
