- Why should I hire you? If you're preparing for a job interview, you need to make like a hammer and nail this common question. This is Self Made Millennial, I'm Madeline Mann, and you'll learn exactly how to answer why should I hire you in three steps.
You'll see examples of how you can use this question to your advantage, and we'll cover some of the biggest mistakes I see people make time and time again. If you're new here, you've stumbled upon an award-winning career YouTube channel, and you may have seen me in all of these places. I'm a human resources leader bringing you new videos on Thursdays.
The last time I shared this formula, a bunch of people posted success stories. And Sandy shared how she had never thought of answering this question this way, and wrote down her answer a few hours before the interview, and then completely rocked it. So get your document or your notebook ready to go to craft your game changing answer.
Make sure to stick around to the end of this video, where I'll show you exactly what to say to shift this question into a conversation to guarantee your answer is the best it can be. First things first, you need to rethink the way you've been viewing this question why should we hire you? It might feel like your interviewer is Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wars Prada," looking over her glasses, questioning if you have what it takes, and your gut reaction may be to projectile vomit your sales pitch.
- I'm smart, I learn fast, and I will work very hard. - I got the exclusive on the Cavali for Gwyneth. - Thank you for your time.
- Forget all that. This manager ain't Meryl. What the interviewer is actually saying is give me some solid reasons to hire you, so that I can go back and tell the rest of the hiring panel why you are the one that we can give that final rose to.
Guess what, they want to root for you. They don't want to interview a dozen more candidates. They want you to be the one.
And so when you think about it this way, you realize you're both on the same team. And your purpose for answering this question is to help summarize all of the great things they already think about you to make their decision easy to articulate. Now that we've established that you're ready for the good stuff.
I am going to show you the biggest mistake I see in interviews, then the three step formula to nailing your answer to why should I hire you? And an example answer to put this all into action. Let's talk about how to not answer this question.
Here is the most common mistake I see when folks answer the question why should we hire you in a job interview. Do not describe yourself without giving any examples or context. How many people have described themselves as detailed oriented, or a self starter.
That is a Kroger brand answer. AKA it is generic. I once had a candidate say to me "You won't find anyone better than me, "I pick up learning new things quickly.
"People love working with me, "and every place I work I succeed. " This crosses the line from confident to cocky. I know I tell you to talk yourself up, and you for sure should.
I mean have you seen yourself? You are one in 1,000. A corner of the jigsaw puzzle baby.
But empty answers like this are not going to impress your interviewer. You need to give examples of you displaying these traits. Instead of saying you're a fast learner, tell them about a specific challenge that required you to think on your feet.
And how that experience will translate to the role you're interviewing for. Folks are making the same crucial mistakes with common interview questions like this over and over again. So I went ahead and made an entire playlist of all of the top interview questions, and the absolute best way to answer each of them.
So I will link that full playlist in the comments and description. All right, as promised, here is the three step formula to answer why should I hire you, and an example answer of it in action. Step one, review the role.
When asked this question, resist the urge to immediately talk about yourself. Rather than dive into who you are, take this time to reiterate what you know about the role and the challenges you'll be facing if hired. This tells them that you're business focused and you did your homework.
For example, you might say something like from what I understand, this role is meant to streamline the process for X, and help clients with Y, with the biggest challenge being Z. Now there is a time and place to review your past experience with the interviewer, and they will most likely ask you tell me about yourself. And this question takes even more thought and preparation.
So I have a free worksheet that you can use to craft your perfect answer to that question. I'll link it in the comments and in the description. Step two, tell them about your relevant experience and skills.
Don't be a generic Eric here. Tell them about specific skills you have that address the specific challenges in this role. This should sound something like based on those business goals, I can bring my experience doing X in Y industry to achieve Z goal.
And then drive it home and move your answer from mild to fire to diabolo. Give them a few examples of experience that you have that's relevant to the challenges you'll face. Now ease up there sport and remember you don't need to list everything seemingly relevant.
Being clear and concise here beats long and rambling. Remember, this person has to relay this information back to the hiring panel so let's make their job a little bit easier. On that note, I am curious because there's often two camps of people.
Do you feel like you struggle with talking too much or too little in the interview? Let me know in the comments by saying too much or too little. Step three, ask your interviewer.
Now for the grand finale, here is how to turn your answer to why should I hire you into a conversation, and make absolutely sure that you aced it. After answering it following the first two steps, flip that question, and ask the interviewer, is this how you see me in this role? Seriously, this approach is so powerful.
It keeps the interview flowing naturally like a conversation, and it gives your interviewer the opportunity to either agree that you're the perfect fit, and hear themselves say it out loud, okay music to my ears. Or address where you're misaligned so that you can address any concerns right there immediately. Right away you'll know if you flubbed your answer or not based on their response.
And then you'll get a chance to expand further if you were a little off. Sample answer time for answering why should I hire you in the job interview. With this formula in mind, your answer should clearly review the role, share relevant experience, and flip the question.
Here's an example. As I understand, this creative project manager role will handle anywhere from 10 to 15 projects at any given time. And balancing client expectations and creative deadlines is one of the biggest focuses, especially as we near the end of the fiscal year, and all of these last minute client requests are likely to ramp up.
I can see that impeccable organizational skills are key for a position like this, which is something I mastered during my time at agency A, where I implemented an entirely new project management flow that was more automated and transparent, which reduced our client management time by five hours a week. As an account manager at agency B, I learned how to put my clients first, without ever compromising our creative team, or setting unrealistic expectations. I believe my experience with tough clients and tight deadlines sets me up perfectly for this role, and I would be very believe to jump in and use my skills to make things easier on your creative team, and more accessible for your clients.
Is that how you see me in this role? Did I miss any key challenges you think I'll be facing? And just like that your new nickname is beaver because dam.
Be sure to like this video, and subscribe to this channel. You've got this. Wi-fi high five.
