Answering The Big Interview Question
Tips And Tricks For Why Should We Hire You Questions
Gearing up for a job interview? Then you must be prepared to answer the big interview question: Why you should be hired. They can come in different forms, of course, such as why you are the best fit for the job or your traits. Needless to say, this is one of the most important interview questions for you to get the job. What is central is that you have to show a short summary as to why you are the best person for the job. Find part time jobs suited for you.
In today’s competitive market, someone who fits the qualifications is simply not enough. Employers are looking for someone who exceeds expectations! Essentially, an interview is a process where you sell yourself to the interviewers and persuade them that you are more than capable of the job and will complement the team or the company. Thus, hiring you would add value to the company.
How you should do it is mainly giving them three to four top reasons that will leave behind positive impressions on why they should hire you, and this is where you should pull out your best accolades and distinctions to impress them. Of course, these reasons should be aligned with what the company is looking for, so ensure that you do your research and be clear about them.
Your top reasons should include the basics, such as your previous experience, accolades and accomplishments, and your character strengths or any transferable soft skills. It would be a big bonus if you link your accomplishments with your character traits, such as being detail-oriented, for example.
What is key here, is to show off a balanced and complementary combination of your reasons so they play off each other. Having leadership experience with having the top sales a few years in a row is definitely stronger than either of them in isolation. Although the answer is different for everyone, there is a guideline you can follow to make sure you are on the right track.
What You Should Do
Why they should hire you
To ensure that you are a good fit for the company, always research the company and the job description, and analyze it alongside your resume. There are a few questions you should bear in mind while doing so:
What important qualities is the company looking for? Do I have the right passion that will suit the company’s needs?
Which part of this job description do I excel in?
What previous related experience do I have? If you are a fresh graduate, talk about some of the internship or part-time experience, along with your work ethics.
What makes me stand out from the rest?
A good attitude is like a cherry to top it off. Employers look for candidates that have the right passion and mindset to contribute to the company and this is one of the traits that will set you apart from the others.
2. Structure your answer
Once you have laid out all of your points, it’s time to choose the top three among them so that they form a strong, solid, and convincing answer. In order to remember what you want to say, use bullet points as your structure instead of writing an entire script to memorize. Each bullet point should contain an explanation and an example to illustrate. Make sure you keep it short and sweet because you don’t want to go off on tangents. A good estimate should be around one to two minutes. Take this chance to show how your background will make you shine from the rest.
3. Get some practice
Although you shouldn’t memorize a script because it might seem obvious that you are trying to remember your words, you should always practice what you want to say before the actual interview. Just be familiar enough with the essential points that your bullet points cover such that you don’t have to stop and think in between. As you practice, try to sound confident and relaxed, because they make you sound dependable and trustworthy. A good first impression is always crucial, as it could make or break you.
Mistakes To Avoid
With these guidelines, here are some of the mistakes that you should avoid in an interview. Don’t miss out on an opportunity when you could’ve clinched it.
Being unprepared
The biggest mistake is to be unprepared for an interview. Just because you think you are very qualified doesn’t mean you can slack off. Even after knowing your bullet points, always practice until you sound natural delivering your answers. Do it multiple times, in front of your mirror or your friends.
2. Being humble
Sure, we don’t like it when people toot their own horns usually. But this is not a usual situation. A job interview is not the situation for you to show how humble you are as a person. On the contrary, you should know how to deliver your strengths so that your employers know more about you. If you are shy, then take some practice with a few friends and imagine yourself in an interview.
Furthermore, you can show your experience and strengths without complimenting yourself. Talk about your years of experience and how it impacted your previous employers or companies, how you clinched several accolades, or even client feedback. Lastly, you could always quote referrals in your interviews, like how your previous employer valued you and how your reputation in the company was like.
3. Being vague
Sometimes, the answers to such interview questions can sound too vague or general. What employers are looking for is something that is uniquely you, and how you use your own way to describe it. This way, you are setting yourself apart from the others and making a lasting impression on your interviewers.
4. Talking a lot
As aforementioned, your answers should be short and sweet. Any rambling is usually frowned upon, no matter how many things you want to show off. Your interviewers are humans too, and will likely tune out your answers if they get a bit too long. No one has the attention span to listen through all of the details on your resume. Follow the one to two-minute rule for each question, excluding follow-ups. Instead, emphasize your biggest strengths and make them convincing. You will sound more believable being a master of a few trades instead of all of them.
Conclusion
After all this planning, you could be asking yourself what happens if your interviewers do not ask you this big interview question. Will all of your planning go to waste? Will you be unable to showcase your value? Well, you could always look for ways to pitch your answer in, such as through other interview questions. This could be in the form of the question where you have to introduce yourself, or your strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, you could add in your pitch at the end of the interview, to wrap up your interview in a clean and impressionable manner.