How to answer: 'Why should we hire you'?

Most often those on the interview board ask candidates the same set of questions and one of them that figures prominently on the list is ‘why should we hire you’?

And, here candidates make the mistake of just repeating what’s already mentioned on the CV. The recruiters are not looking for that. They want to hear a smart and witty answer than the old boring things like you are a hard working employee, sincere and well experienced.

On the contrary, your answer you should serve as an opportunity to let your employer know what you have to offer, why you are the perfect candidate for the job and can bring things to the table which other may not and this can be done in three steps.

Step 1# Research the role and the company

If you are shortlisted and called for an interview, the first thing is to do a thorough research of the company and the job applied for.

Quite often candidates just turn for the interview without even knowing what is expected of them and this will definitely show during the interview process.

The secret is to review the job description and the company and then match it with your resume and ask yourself some questions. What are the necessary qualifications for this position from the company’s perspective and do you meet them? In which areas of expertise do you really shine and if you are lacking something prepare some answers to cover that area? How your strengths far outweigh if something is missing?

Step 2# How are you different?

You have to come up with some convincing answers that make you different from the typical candidate. For example, if you’ve applied for a marketing job, you should have something more than a simple marketer can offer. It could be your presentation making skills, social media skills or a big network of clients and this is what could differentiate you from the crowd.  

Step 3# How are you passionate about the job?

An individual will do his best and succeed in his job only if he is passionate about the job. And, that’s what the employers want to hear from you. They want a candidate who is full of energy and looking forward to work for them. Blank statement like, “I like the company and its culture,” are too mundane and won’t sell you.

And, if you’ve researched the company and compared it with competitors in the market you will have an idea of how to differentiate it and why it makes an employer of choice.

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