cover letter why should we hire you

How to Answer “Why Should We Hire You?” in an Interview

by Joel Schwartzberg

Summary .   

At first glance, the popular interview question “Why should we hire you?” sounds similar to “ Why do you want to work here? ” but the shift in perspective requires a shift in your response because instead of starting with your hopes and expectations, you’re leading with theirs. In other words, this isn’t about what benefits you so much as what benefits them.

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You have an interview scheduled, but wait for a second. Do you have an answer to the most expected question, ‘why should we hire you?’

Interviewers will inevitably ask you this question irrespective of the position you are interviewing for. They want to gauge your response to determine if you are a good fit for the company.

While listing out the skills and unique qualities in your response, you need to be careful not to go overboard or sound like you are boasting. A clever response can give you an edge over other candidates and land you your dream job.

Read on to know more about how to answer why should we hire you question in an interview, along with the following topics related to it:

• Why do employers ask why should we hire you?
• What are some ways to ask why should we hire you interview question?
• How to answer why should we hire you question?
• Why should we hire you example answers
• How to answer why should we hire you with no experience
• Why should we hire you answer for freshers
• Tips for giving the best response to why should we hire you
• Common mistakes while answering why should we hire you interview questions

Why Do Employers Ask Why Should We Hire You?

Employers often ask why should we hire you question to know what distinguishes you from other candidates. They also want to test you with a challenging question to see how you would react to them.

Why should we hire you interview question checks the confidence level of the candidates. Most of the time, the question can baffle the candidates as they might not know how to answer without sounding overly arrogant or meek.

With this question, the interviewers want to know how you could be an asset to the organization, what sets you apart from other candidates, and what your strengths are in terms of the job description.

Also Read: How to answer why do you want to work here in an interview?

Ways to Ask Why Should We Hire You?

There can be different ways in which the interviewers can ask why should we hire you. These are mentioned below:

• Why are you a great match for this role?
• Why do you want this job and why should we hire you?
• What sets you apart fromy do you feel we should choose to hire you over other candidates?
• Explain why your background and experience would be a good fit for this job.
• What makes you a good candidate for this position?
• Why do you think you are qualified for this position?
• Why you are an ideal candidate for this position?

Also Read: How to impress the interviewers while answering why are you a good fit for this job?

How to Answer Why Should We Hire You Question?

Answering why should we hire you requires some work. Simply listing your skills won’t help much. You need to plan and prepare an answer that convinces the interviewer and hiring managers.

Given below are some steps that you should take if you want to come up with an effective answer to why should we hire you:

Go Through the Job Description

Studying the job description can be highly beneficial if you want to understand what the hiring managers are looking for in a candidate. Pay special attention to the key sections in the job description, such as experience, education, and requirements.

Going through the job description will help you locate the skills and knowledge required for the job you are applying for. You can use those skills, qualities, and knowledge while framing your response. It will also help in crafting the answers to other questions like tell me about yourself, how would you describe yourself, and what motivates you.

Learn About the Company

Researching the company can give you an edge over other candidates. If you understand the company goals, values, and vision, it will become easier for you to provide a convincing answer to why should we hire you.

Through your answer, you can tell them how you can add value to the company and help them achieve their overall goals. Companies always look for candidates who resonate with their mission and can take it to higher levels of success.

Recognize Your Skills

Possessing the right skills is crucial to impress the hiring managers. Refer to the job description to identify if you have the required skills.

Once you recognize your selling points, you can use them to answer the question why should we hire you. Remember that your skills will help you excel in the job and hence, speak of what you truly possess.

Also Read: What are the top skills that must be put on a resume?

Quantify Your Accomplishments

Simply listing your skills will not impress the interviewers. You must tell them how your skills helped you accomplish specific targets. For example, you can tell them how you increased the territory sales by 12% within two years and generated a revenue of 3 million in your previous job.

Quantifying your experience will suggest that you have a proven ability to utilize your skills efficiently Interviewers would like to have you on their team as you can be a safe bet for the company.

Create Bullet Points

Remember that you cannot give vague or general answers to why should we hire you. It is your chance to get selected, and your response should reflect that you have carefully considered answering every question.

You can jot down all the bullet points about your skills, experience, education, awards, etc., and frame an impressive answer for the question.

Practice Your Response

Once you are ready with your response, you must practice it in front of people. It can be your family, friends, or anyone who can offer you constructive feedback on improving your response or demeanor while answering.

You must ensure that you do not sound robotic or someone who is reciting a poem after memorizing it word to word. Practice until you sound natural, fluent, and confident. Your tailor-made response should flow like dripping honey.

Why Should We Hire You Sample Answers

Given below are some sample answers to the question of why should we hire you. You can use them as a guide to frame your response:

Example 1: For Administrative Assistant

Based on the job description, your organization is searching for an administrative assistant with both strong technical abilities and interpersonal skills, and I think my experience of working as an office assistant previously will align with the responsibilities that I would be shouldering. I have reduced office supply costs to 25% by reorganizing the supply closet. I am a good communicator with experience making phone calls, giving presentations in person, and exchanging emails. I'm also proficient in various pertinent software packages, such as spreadsheet applications and content management systems. If given a chance, I would like to contribute my broad range of skills to your organization.

Example 2: For Sales Manager

I am happy you asked this question. You mentioned before that this role requires strong leadership abilities. In my five years as a sales manager, I have successfully led teams of more than 15 people, and have been awarded manager of the year for my creative approaches to motivating colleagues to reach and exceed quarterly deadlines. I will apply my leadership skills and tactics to this post if hired.

Example 3: For Special Education Teacher

In the job description, you stated that you are seeking a special education teacher with a tonne of patience and compassion. For the past three years, I've worked as a special educator in an NGO with dyslexic children, where I have honed my skills to be incredibly patient while still helping my students make academic progress. I have tailor-made lesson plans per the children's needs that focus on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. My experience in teaching the English language to children between the ages of 6 and 15 has taught me how to interact positively with students of all ages and skill levels.

Example 4: For Kitchen Manager

I am particularly suited to thrive in this kitchen manager role due to my expertise in effectively controlling inventory input and designing efficient, simplified schedules. I am aware that you are looking for a candidate that is well organized and has a keen eye for detail. In my prior position, I effectively managed 15 employees' schedules and reduced food waste to 20%. I am eager to contribute my organizing abilities to your restaurant.

Example 5: For Social Worker

Because of my shown capacity to counsel and provide support to people who are socially excluded, you should consider me for this role. I realize you are looking for someone who is self-driven and empathetic. My commitment to helping people in need in my community keeps me inspired and driven to perform at my best. In addition, I can bring leadership experience to your team, having trained over 20 new hires to become familiar with day-to-day tasks and to feel comfortable in their new roles.

Example 6: For Marketing Manager

I successfully oversaw a team of 12 in our marketing department after spending more than five years in the same role with another company. I was in charge of approving and managing budgets and creating innovative campaigns. In fact, in one of the campaigns, I was in charge of increasing target audience awareness by 14%. I'm keen to utilize my leadership and creative skills for this role.

Also Read: What are the top marketing manager interview questions in 2022?

Answering Why Should We Hire You With No Experience

If you do not have any previous work experience and are wondering how to answer why should we hire you question, fret not; you can still create an impressive answer that will impress the interviewers.

You can talk about your academic experience in the absence of any work experience. However, try to highlight your relevant education to the job. This will convey the interviewers that you have the knowledge for the job and, given a chance, you will be able to bring that into practice.

Your response should contain information about the internships that you have done in your college time. Your internship will be your professional experience during the interview, and it will suggest that you have some real-world experience in doing a job.

You must also convey to the interviewers that you have done your research about the company and how the overall goals of the company align with your aspirations. Even though you do not have professional experience, you should be able to convince the interviewer that you are the most suitable person for the job due to your knowledge, internship experience, and skills.

As a fresher, you must go through the job description thoroughly to understand the job role and what the company is looking for in its ideal candidate. This will help you frame your answers in a better way and stand out from the crowd when you will execute them using effective communication.

Why Should We Hire You Answer for Freshers

If you are a fresher, you can draw out experience from internships or college events in which you volunteered. Given below are some responses that might inspire you to draft your own:

Example 1: For Software Engineer

I am a strong fit for this role because of my technical expertise and, in particular, because of my proficiency in updating and maintaining websites. My most recent volunteering experience in the college coder’s club required me to take care of our department's website. I had to do this by updating the student and teacher profiles and posting details about future activities. I studied JavaScript and Swift coding in my spare time and redesigned our webpage using my coding knowledge, for which the college dean praised me for taking the initiative. I want to contribute my coding talents and my zeal for learning new technologies to this role.

Example 2: For Digital Marketer

With my recent bachelor's degree in media communication, I can introduce cutting-edge email marketing techniques to your business. I gained the ability to write persuasive marketing copy during my internship as an email marketer for a digital software start-up. I was able to help out with an email campaign that increased interaction by 10%. I am convinced I would be a great addition to your digital marketing team based on my expertise and the knowledge I acquired in college about developing and promoting effective messaging in both traditional and digital contexts.

Example 3: For Nurse

Since you are looking for an applicant who can handle pressure and succeed in a fast-paced environment while delivering first-rate patient care, I believe I possess the mentioned qualities. As a recent nursing graduate who had to work under time constraints to complete my internship and acquire my degree, I am accustomed to handling pressure. In addition, I'm truly driven to help my colleagues and patients to the best of my capacity.

Example 4: For Graphic Designer

By going through the job description, I could understand that you are looking for someone highly creative and possesses technical skills. I can create original designs as I have a solid grasp of themes, typography, and color schemes. Additionally, I’m proficient in using designing applications like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. As part of college coursework, I created original artworks for inter-college contests and have won awards too. Because I have the necessary skills, potential, and desire to learn, I think I should be hired.

Example 5 For Project Manager

Though I just completed my graduation and don’t have any corporate project management experience, I successfully managed multiple team projects in my last year of university. I took the role of project leader for various projects after three different teams concluded that I would be the best person to lead and assign duties. In every project, we produced top-notch work and received an ‘A’ grade. As a result, my confidence and public speaking abilities have improved, which I think will help me in my professional career.

Also Read: What kind of questions are asked in a project manager interview?

Tips for Giving the Best Response to Why Should We Hire You

Given below are some tips that you can consider while answering why should we hire you:

Express How You Add Value

For every skill that you mentioned, you must convey how you utilized it in a circumstance to get desired results. Ensure to mention any achievement, volunteer activity, or previous professional experience that suits the job you are applying for. After all, you must convey that you are an excellent fit for the company.

Tell a Story

Use your qualifications to tell a story about how you used them in your previous job. Going through the job description can be extremely helpful in understanding what the employer is looking for, and then you can tell them how you fulfill that need.

Keep Your Response Short

Pick one or two of the most relevant skills from the job description and use them in your answer. You must keep in mind that your response should not be over two minutes long. You do not want to bore the interviewers by bragging endlessly about yourself.

Add Your Hard and Soft Skills

Skills are an essential factor that can decide your suitability for the job. While answering, ensure that you elaborate on both hard and soft skills for the job.

For example, if you are interviewing for an executive assistant job, you can elaborate upon how you used MS office knowledge to make the most of your time. It will convey that you have the technical skills required to be an executive assistant and time management abilities as well.

Also Read: What are the necessary soft skills to put on the resume?

Convey Excitement

Another important but lesser focussed aspect during an interview is your energy level. You wouldn’t want to come off as a person who is least interested in the job.

While answering the questions, you must sound confident and enthusiastic so that the interviewers can perceive you as a candidate who is passionate about responsibilities.

Common Mistakes Answering Why Should We Hire You

While giving why should we hire you answer, you also need to avoid common mistakes that candidates generally make. These are mentioned below:

Memorizing the Answer

Do not present your answer in a memorized manner. While practicing, be flexible to change your response if required and present it coherently.

Being Arrogant

While stating your skills, achievements, and education, do not sound arrogant. Try to be humble and respectful in expressing how much you have accomplished and what you can offer to the company.

Exaggerating Your Achievements

You might have accomplished a lot in your life, but you don't need to state it all in your interview. Think of the job description and one or two essential qualities or achievements that make you the most suitable person for the job.

Giving a Long Answer

You wouldn’t want to bore the interviewers by giving a long, never-ending answer to why should we hire you. Keep your response short, to the point, and relevant.

Key Takeaways

Interviewers ask why should we hire you to understand what makes you different from others. If you are preparing an answer to this question, keep the points mentioned below in mind:

• Answering why should we hire you would help the interviewers understand how you can benefit the company , and an impressive response can take you to the next selection stage.
• Go through the job description to understand the skills, experience, and qualifications required for the job you want.
• Ensure to quantify your skills and experience as it suggests that you can adequately use your abilities.
• Focussing on both hard and soft skills will be an added advantage while responding to why should we hire you question.
• Keeping your response brief to about a maximum of two minutes and pertinent to the questions will keep the interviewers interested in listening to you.
• Rehearsing in front of people and seeking feedback can help to improve your confidence level and increase your chances of selection in the interview.

Visit Hiration's Career Activator Platform for round-the-clock chat support if you need assistance crafting a tailored response to the interview question why should we hire you.

You may also get in touch with us via email at [email protected] .

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