The interview process can be one of the most stressful parts of moving to a new job. A big part of this anxiety can come from the sheer uncertainty of it all. Most interviewees go into a hiring meeting knowing some general things about the company, the position they are applying for, and what the manager will expect them to do. However, it isn’t always easy to predict what questions the interviewer will pose. This can lead to overthinking what to say in a meeting. It might result in overly detailed or rehearsed answers.
“Why Should We Hire You?” Best Answers
Fortunately, one of the most common questions almost every interviewer will pose simply asks the candidate why the company should hire them at all. While this question is broad enough to cause some stress, there are several ways one might answer it to the satisfaction of the hiring manager. You may be able to incorporate multiple answers in short formats into this one question. Doing so can showcase many of your positive qualities all at once. We will take you through some of the top answers to help you correctly discuss this question.
1. I am a very teachable individual – easy to correct and instruct
Most businesses expect to take some time training their new hires within the first few days or weeks of bringing them aboard. While this is indeed standard practice, no company wants to have to tell a new joiner how to do the same task over and over again. Make it clear to the hiring manager that it should be rare that you’ll need to be trained in the same steps for particular duties repeatedly. You are someone who pays close attention to the senior employee that you’ve been assigned to, and you will take great care to follow their guidelines in order to ensure that no time is wasted in telling you the same things.
On a related note, some people still mess up occasionally, which is normal for any business. Let your new company know that you are an approachable person. If there is anything off about how you’re doing things, they should feel very comfortable coming to you and asking about any corrections you might need to make. Having this trait within yourself gives the business the best of both worlds.
2. I am a very agreeable individual
Being agreeable doesn’t mean never bringing new ideas or ways of thinking to the company. In fact, many employers will look for creative individuals who might be able to do just that from time to time. The trick here is that they will also want to know that you’re good at working with others. This can be true even if you’re assigned to work alone on most of your daily tasks.
Companies have special teams that might work on projects, and you might find yourself brought on as a member of such a team. In these cases, it is essential to be someone who can agree with the other members on how to push forward and meet the corporation’s goals. This agreeableness holds true for team leadership positions or regular members. The business wants to know that you won’t hold things up by creating unnecessary conflicts that stall the completion of any projects.
3. I will work hard to complete the given assignment
These sorts of things might include doing assignments under the pressure of a short time constraint, trying to get several benchmarks for a project done on your own, or even working later than you might expect on occasion in order to get the job done. Combined, all of these things point to a worker who will give it their all and do each job with as much excellence as possible. In short, this answer to why you should be hired is one that lets the manager know that you are someone the business can count on. For within reason, their trust in you should be something that does not waver.
4. You won’t need to tell me twice what to do
This answer connects to the earlier point about being easy to correct or instruct. We noted that employees who need constant correction aren’t ideal. Repeating mistakes is a similar issue. The previous point focused on attention to detail and remembering duties. This point emphasizes being good at self-managing different aspects of the job effectively.
You won’t find an employer who is happy to micromanage any of their employees. Most managers, team leaders, or bosses have a lot of things on their own plates, and standing over employees who need to be told what to do more than once takes time away from the duties they should be covering as parts of their jobs. Let your hiring manager know that once you have a clear understanding of your duties, there will be no need to worry about double-checking everything you do. You’ll hear it once and be able to get it done. Further, you can let them know that you can manage your time efficiently. This means that they won’t have to keep coming after you to complete the same task that they wanted done hours or days ago.
5. I want to work at your company because…
This kind of answer is where you are free to talk about how your ideals or professional strengths align with those of the corporation to which you’re applying for work. It could be that you have the specific skills they need to fill the job opening. That means that they can rest assured that you’ll only need minimal training. Perhaps you can point to relevant past experience in a similar field that will help you along in this one. Let the interviewer know that you’re already a good fit for the position before you even start working there.
Similarly, you can talk about how impressed you are by what the company is doing or plans to do. Something like this might have you talking about the corporation’s commitment to better use of energy or resources, for example. Perhaps the whole mission statement of the business aligns with your ethics. While you shouldn’t go into too much personal detail about your own views here, it might be worth it to pepper in some facts about how what the company is doing is meaningful to you. That way, you can use some of this time to reassure the manager that you might have ways to move those things forward.
6. One of the things I would watch for if hired is…
This answer might seem quite broad at first, but it gives you a chance to get into specifics as to how you can improve the company in the short term. Tell the interviewer about different ways you can move the business into a higher tier within the industry. This could be something as simple as new marketing campaigns highlighting the corporation’s strengths or ways to restructure its prices, products, or quality standards to reinforce its dedication to all customers.
7. I am self-driven and goal-oriented
You are someone who manages their own time well, and you’re very capable of doing your job once you iron out all the specifics. Part of being both self-driven and goal-oriented is in looking ahead. You want your employer to know that you’re always able to check out the following task down the line. This could even apply to the next project that might be coming up for you. Make it clear that you have an internal motivation to complete your goals effectively and that you want to move to the next benchmark as soon as possible.
8. I have solved similar problems
It’s always a good idea to have at least one example of a specific problem that might come up in the daily operations of the job you are applying for. In this way, you can use your past experience to let the company know how you might handle specific circumstances. Be sure to give precise details that will let the interviewer know that problems like this already have solutions you’ve worked on. Once you do, they will understand that these issues will not hold you or the company back.
Conclusion
You cannot plan for every eventuality that happens in a job interview. Although there are many generic questions you can practice or turn over in your mind, there’s no denying that the process is a dynamic one. That said, you can almost always expect the interviewer to ask why they should hire you over other candidates. Some of the answers we’ve gone over above can help you stand out from the crowd.