How to Answer ‘Why should I employ you?’

When anyone enters an interview situation, they understand they are about to be asked several different questions which give the interviewer a good indication of whether you can do the job and if you are the right fit for the company.

Each question will have a specific aim for the interviewer, they will range in difficulty and they will be varying questions, including open questions, probing questions, and potentially competency-based questions.

The good thing is you can prepare for most of the questions they ask. However, there is one question that even with good preparation seems to make the best, most confident candidate look like a deer-in-the-headlights.

Do not worry, as I said it happens to the best of us. In this blog I am going to show you exactly how to answer this question in a confident way without sounding conceited, cocky, or too self-assured.

Why they ask this question?

There are several different reasons why any company would and should ask this question. If you break it down every recruitment process is a competition. A direct competition between you and every other candidate who makes the cut into the process.

The ‘why should I hire you?’ question is a direct comparable question for each candidate. This single question will highlight what differentiates you from all the other candidates and will have a big say on whether you make it through to the next stage and whether you get the job. They want to understand what they would gain by hiring you over the other candidates.

I said above that this question can catch out the best of us, that is another reason why they will ask the question. They want to understand how you handle difficult situations, as it can be difficult to answer this question basically saying you are the best person for the job in a confident and humble manner.

How to answer the Question

Do Your Preparation and Research

Firstly, you need to fully understand the skills, experience and qualities that the company is looking for in their ideal candidate. Review the job description, print it off, annotate it, hell, sleep next to it at night if you want! But, you need to know exactly what they’re looking for. Find commonalities between what the employer wants and the skills, experiences and qualities you have to offer.

You obviously, and I say “obviously” because you should do this for every single interview, should research the company, use their website, social media, and news articles you can find to get a complete understanding of their mission, their goals, and what it is they want to achieve.

I would also recommend reaching out to current employees in the business on LinkedIn to find out what upcoming projects they have and a deeper insight in to where the company wants to go and how they are going to get there.

Show that you have the Skills and Experience

You have no idea what calibre of candidates you are up against in any recruitment process, but you do know you. Well hopefully you should. You need to utilise your full skill set in regard to what it was they were looking for on the job description. Emphasize your key skills, strengths, talents, work experience and professional achievements that are fundamental to getting great things done in this position for this company.

Make your Results Tangible

This is the element that could set you apart from all other candidates. If possible, you should without fail make your achievements tangible for the interviewer.

Example:

Do Not Say

I worked on multiple design projects for the company where we were tasked with modifying existing products or processes to increase efficiency.

Do Say

I worked on a massive project for the company which involved reviewing and modifying the design of 10 products they build on-site. Across the product portfolio we produced a 10% saving on the cost per unit. This in-turn over the following 12-month period created a saving of over ￡250,000.

You need to understand that there are 2 purposes for every employee, either you make the business money, or you save the business money. You need to make your achievements tangible by focussing on either of those 2 goals.

Highlight that you’ll be a great cultural fit for the team

Culture has become a huge consideration in the recruitment process and is only going to continue to grow in importance. For both small and large businesses.

Show the interviewer that you have corresponding personal and professional traits that make you a great addition to the team. Identify the company’s culture and the department’s characteristic features and tell the interviewer how you will fit in.

Describe how hiring you will help them achieve more

Determine what problems they had so far, what new issues or goals they have now, and how your specific skills and experience can come in handy. Scour the company’s website and social media channels to research their roadmap and history. Google their media mentions and case studies. Reread the job ad you applied to. Use all of the research you have gathered.

Conclusion

You need to expect this question and more importantly you need to prepare for it. Do your research, align your skills with what the company want, and make your achievements tangible.

If you do want any assistance or interview prep coaching, please feel free to reach out.

Good luck in your interview!