Why should I hire you?
IHAVE a question to ask, which may seem infantile, but I was asked and I stammered through and managed to formulate an answer. I should have known the answer. But I wasn’t too confident in my response at all. I was asked: “Why should I hire you?” I had practised a version of it during my preparation, but when asked, so bluntly and starkly, it caught me off guard.
– Alex
Thank you for the question. It is literally the most essential one to answer going into an interview, whether the interviewer asks it straight out or not. It is a killer question that, if you are not thoroughly prepared for it, can be your undoing.
It is quite unfortunate that you just managed an unimaginative response.
Don’t be hard on yourself, though. You are learning from the experience, so it is not a waste. What is past, is past; you can’t change it.
Let me reiterate something that I’ve written about in this column from time to time. It is that before a jobseeker goes before an interview panel, there are some answers they should practise and be able to repeat them at the drop of a hat, while not coming across as rehearsed. This answer to this question is one such.
In formulating your response, you should research the interviewer’s needs before and make your answer fit the need. Regardless of what the interviewer is asking, the central question they want answered is: Should I hire this individual?
The interviewer will have some criteria that have to do with the needs of the organisation. The candidate who can answer it most emphatically and cogently will have the job. You want that to be you. To put the above in a real-world scenario, here is one way to answer the question:
“As I understand your need, you need someone with a working knowledge of AutoCAD 2019 and its electrical features. I am also comfortable working in and collaborating with colleagues in using Trello and Evernote. You will appreciate that I don’t need any special training in those areas as I am up to speed with those already. I’ve spent approximately 10 years working in the environment. You also need someone who can readily coordinate with senior staff at several levels, again without the need for massive training. I have excellent interpersonal skills, with a knowledge of the software. I am confident that I could be the person you’re looking for.” This is for a technical post, someone being hired for an electrical engineering position. But you can extrapolate to your field. The essential thing is to know about the interviewer’s need, articulate your suitability and be confident. Remember to practise and know the answer before you go to the interview. It is the best way to get ahead of your competition.