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

“Why Should We Hire You?” – Doesn’t matter how confident you’re in your knowledge and skillset during an interview, when the interviewer asks this simple yet prominent question, most of the time candidates end up giving a not-so-justifying answer to this question, especially when they’re not already prepared for it. But, staying quiet can deliver a negative impact, and answering it confidently will help you stand out from the other candidates. So, for your help, we have written this article, where we’ll tell you the correct approach to prepare an impressive and accomplished answer to this question

Why the question  “Why Should We Hire You?” is asked in the Interview?

This question is generally asked by the employer to know or learn a few things about the person sitting in front of them. However, they can read everything in the resume but to differentiate you from other candidates, this question can assist them well. Also, to understand the significance of this question in an interview, you first need to understand what the employer or interviewer exactly wants to know from your side with this question. So, when asked ” Why Should We Hire You?” shed some light on various aspects such as:

• Your research for the particular job role and company
• Why are you the best candidate for this position?
• Your confidence in your skillset and learnings
• Why should they hire you instead of others?
• What’s that X-factor in you? etc.  

Now, to help you out in preparing a worthwhile response to “Why Should We Hire You?” – below we’ve mentioned the most effective approaches that you all can consider:

1. Show your Skills and Knowledge

The first and foremost thing is that you need to show the interviewer how your skills and knowledge can make you a great addition to the company and a perfect fit for the particular job role. To do this, you can do is read out the job description thoroughly and find out the required skills. Also, you need to identify how you used those skills in your previous projects, internships, or even in real life. And then, just tell that incident or story to the recruiter in an engaging manner, and it shouldn’t sound like you’re faking or bragging about it.

2. Highlight Educational Background

Start your answer by highlighting your educational background, skill set, and experience (if any) which are relevant and useful for the particular job role. Now, in general, you need to keep this part short and crisp but in case, if you’re asked this question at the very beginning or if the interviewer hasn’t read out your resume, you can opt to elaborate on these details to make things clear. By highlighting your educational background you can show your potential employee the knowledge you have and what are your further plans, as it helps them to get a clear picture of your upcoming plans and the company’s future. 

3. Enthusiasm and Dedication to Your New Job

You need to show your enthusiasm for your work and job responsibilities. Despite the relevant academic background & work experience, required skill set, and personal traits – what else matters to the interviewer is that if you’re interested and passionate about the work or not, so you need to let him/her know that you’re genuinely interested and willing to do the work. Also, as per many studies and surveys, it has been seen that enthusiastic employees, without any work experience can also get a good chance, rather than an experienced employee who has no interest in their new job role. 

4. You will be a Good Fit

You need to clear this concern of the interviewer why should he/she hire you among all other candidates. It is important to handle this part very carefully as here neither you’re expected to boast about yourself absurdly nor can you afford to keep quiet. So, what you can do here is tell your traits and strengths relevant to the job profile. Also, you can show some of your achievements, accreditation, etc. that you think can give you an edge over others. 

5. Speak Honestly

Being honest about yourself is important as it helps employers to get a perspective about you and also lets them know your thought process. Also, if you lie or say something other than your resume such as adding any skill, credentials, or experience, things can become a bit difficult and you might also lose the chance of getting your dream job.

So, you need to compile your answer to the question – “Why Should We Hire You?” considering all the above-mentioned points. For instance, after asking this question if the interviewer gets to know that you haven’t researched or explored the job description priorly and just applied randomly for the job – then your chances of getting hired will surely get reduced. To make things a bit convenient for you,-  let’s  take a look at an ideal sample answer to this question to understand things better:

Sample Answer

“Sir/mam, as you would’ve already seen in my resume that my degree program, major and minor there, my technical skill set, college projects, and previous 2 internships all coincide with this particular job role. And I’m a bit confident that all that I’ve done in my past will translate well into this job position.

However, it’s not just my educational background or past internships & projects that make me a good fit for this job role – but, as I read the job description before applying, it made me understand that this job role primarily requires an individual who can build logic and solve problems efficiently and optimally. *you can find out what the companies require from the individuals for the particular job roles by reading out their job description and prepare the answer accordingly* And this is an area I’m very good at. Just for an example, *tell any past incident where you justified your these skills or abilities in real-life, and it should sound genuine*.

Also, let me tell you sir that I may not be someone extraordinary or very special and there may be other candidates who’re possessing a similar skillset or educational background like me but some of my strengths like – I am a coachable person, my willingness to learn, my passion towards my work, team-oriented personality, delivering results on time, and a few others fit perfectly for this particular job role. *you can also opt to mention some of your accomplishments, recognitions, etc. here, relevant to the job profile, that can give you an edge over other candidates*”

Key Points to Remember While Answering – “Why Should We Hire You?”:

• Do extensive research about the particular company and job profile before preparing an answer to this question.
• Ensure that your answer should be true and honest as any fake information or story from your side can cost you the loss of the job opportunity.  
• Prepare beforehand but make sure that it should not look too rehearsed.
• Try not to appear overconfident or too modest while answering.  
• Avoid talking about general skills or achievements unrelated to the role.

Conclusion

So, this is the way you are expected to answer “Why Should We Hire You?” in an interview. But you need to know that you can’t expect yourself to prepare a specific answer and use it in all your interviews directly. The answer to this question depends on various situations – Is the question being asked at the start of the interview or the very end? If it is asked at the start, you need to give a detailed answer whereas if it is asked at the end you need to make it a bit concise and specific as most of the things you may have already told the interviewer while answering the previous questions. Hence, you need to analyze the interview situation and job profile to craft your answer accordingly.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

1. How to answer “How should we answer you without experience?”

Answering this question can also be tough as you need to highlight your skills and knowledge that match exactly with what the company requires. Show your enthusiasm and dedication to learning new things and answer all the questions with confidence. 

2. How not to answer “Why should we hire you?”

There are numerous things that you can answers when asked this particular question, but take a look at what you should not speak:

• Do not bring money in between your conversation
• Do not look desperate for getting the particular job
• Never ask about perks provided by the company
• Never do bad-mouthing about your precious company

3. How you can benefit the company?

When asked this question you need to think about your enthusiasm towards the new job, company, and the work that you are about to do. Showcase your qualities, such as your willingness to learn new things, and how you can demonstrate the same in your work.