Once you have attracted the attention of a hiring manager and landed a job interview at your ideal company, it is time to prepare for the job interview. If you want to secure a job offer, you should begin considering each interview question that a hiring manager may pose. Preparing why we should hire you answers will be vital in conveying why you are the best person and fit for this position.

Why should I hire you is a favourite question of hiring managers, and a great answer will help you stand out against other job seekers.

Here we tackle how to answer this question and prove you are the best candidate for the job.

Why does a hiring manager ask why should I hire you?

If you have progressed to the interview stage of the hiring process, the hiring manager has already pegged you as having the specific skills they are looking for. They may already have determined that you are uniquely qualified with the type of track record they are seeking.

Often, the hiring manager asks the question to discover if you have a good understanding of their company and acquire further evidence that you are better than other candidates.

If many applicants have the same key skills, qualifications, soft skills, and people skills, these types of interview questions help recruiters and senior managers decide if you are not just a good candidate but a standout against stiff competition.

It is the candidates that can solve problems and fit the company culture that will have their job-hunting story come to a fruitful conclusion with the job offers they genuinely desire.

Resources for candidates and employers

Here we share free resources for candidates and employers. Employers and employees can gain valuable insights from these, and it can be helpful to discover what is going on, on the other side of the table:

1. The formatted interview structure

2. Questions not to ask in interviews

3. How to interview candidates

4. How to conduct phone interviews

5. How to conduct remote interviews

6. Questioning techniques

7. 3 great job interview questions and responses

8. Should salary be discussed in an interview

How to answer why should we hire you

Deliver an answer that is specific and unique

The hiring manager will not be impressed if you deliver a generic sales pitch that they have heard time and again. The perfect answer is one that most candidates would not give. A poor why we should hire you answer might be ‘because I have the right skills and experience’ or ‘because I am a fast learner and hard worker with a positive attitude.’

It would help if you looked to answer this interview question by getting specific about your technical skills and highlighting your most compelling selling points. Take the time to think in more detail about how your past experience in a previous job and your technical and communication skills will benefit the company if you are awarded a new job.

Use the job description and job posting to answer interview questions

It will make your life easier and help you secure your next position if you use the job description and job advert to your advantage. Read the job description carefully and pick out the skills and key qualifications specifically mentioned.

A job description is a fantastic tool for job seekers to leverage and reveal that they have all the skills the interviewer asks for.

Could you tie the sales manager, project manager, or leadership experience you gained with a previous company, with specific examples, to the new job?

Answer why, by describing how you will make their life easier

Good interview preparation requires company research. Visit the company website to discover the problems and challenges the company is facing. Search the company website and social media pages for interesting insights, and you will be able to answer why you would be a valuable addition with confidence.

Quantify job skills and past achievements with success stories

Whenever you are looking to answer an interview question and stand out against other candidates, you should aim to quantify your previous high-quality work by referencing past accomplishments.

Facts, figures, percentages, and other numbers will help you prove that you have the skills and experience for the job and that you are a great fit for this position.

If you can answer interview questions by saying you increased production by 30%, reduced expenses by 10%, or brought in ten new clients in the past year, your answer has the evidence that other candidates for the job may not be able to show.

It would help if you were prepared to answer follow up questions. At the same time, you want to show that you are the best person for the job and a better choice to other candidates; you should not answer an interview question with something that is not true.

Interview questions and answers that are untruthful will undoubtedly lead to a poor employer-employee relationship, where you can’t deliver high-quality work that will help you progress your career.

Simply put, if you do not have project management experience or leadership abilities, for example, don’t say you have and join the fake it until you make it mindset.

Show you fit the company culture

Employers are looking for more than just practical skills when filling a vacant job role. Many interview techniques are in place to see if you will be a fit for the company team.

When you think about how you might answer these good interview questions, consider if you can show the personal traits and attributes that you might find revealed in the job description of the careers page of the company’s website.

How to answer why should we hire you: sample answers

Sample answer 1

Your job advert says that you are searching for someone with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, coupled with empathy and patience. In a volunteer job working with elderly and lonely adults, I have learned the value of patience and compassion and have followed a career blog to enhance my interpersonal and communication mastery.

Explanation

This sample answer is excellent for recent school leavers and those who do not have a great deal of work experience, focusing on volunteer work to prove a valuable skillset.

Example answer 2

From what you are saying and the research I have conducted, you are seeking to stand out from competitors by embracing engagement across social media. At my previous job, I was able to engage customers through social media and increase activity by 22%. I plan to utilise those same skills and share my ideas in this job.

Explanation

The answer above uses a percentage to quantify the statement and show that you are a good candidate for the job. It further indicates that you recognise the values, vision, and challenges of the company.

Sample answer 3

During our conversation today, we talked about how my skills and qualifications meet your job requirements. I feel that my ten years of experience in the industry has set me up for success in this crucial role.

Explanation

In this example answer, you highlight the positive areas of your discussion and once again draw attention to your skills and abilities. You could check to see if the interviewer wants to cover anything again or in more detail at this point of the meeting.

Example answer 4

You expressed earlier that you were looking for someone with leadership skills, and I have managed and mentored teams of up to twenty people as a department head. I have developed crucial management abilities over ten years and thrive on motivating others and helping them with their development.

I have contributed significantly to the success of the department, helping it exceed its customer satisfaction goals for three years in a row, and I would like to bring similar success to your company through this job.

Explanation

In this answer, you focus on the core requirement of the job and additional skills that will set you apart from other applicants.

Career expert interview tips

Whether you are in the infancy of your career, a recent college graduate, or senior managers alike, it helps to begin your preparation by listing your strengths and highlighting those that the employer is seeking.

Formulate each answer around these strengths.

How to answer if you are switching career

The critical part of creating a response if you are switching career is to assess how your background and past work experience will facilitate your success in the future role.

To accomplish this task when switching career, evaluate your personal traits and abilities, rather than focusing on the duties and tasks of the prior job.

Example answer

From reviewing my CV, you will have noticed that my background is in retail management. The retail management role has given me a deep understanding of how to manage and motivate a team to reach the business’s goals.

I can see from your job advert that you are looking for a person who can manage, motivate, and guide an internal sales team to success. As a retail manager, I was responsible for organising a team, tracking targets, mentoring staff, and helping individuals overcome challenges.

I am confident that this experience will translate well into this position, and I am excited to start a new chapter in my career.

Questions to ask yourself when preparing an answer

Once you have secured a job interview, it is time to prepare a response to the why should I hire you question, which a hiring manager is likely to ask.

It will help your preparations if you ask yourself the following questions:

1. What value will I bring to this role?

2. What do I offer that will enhance the company’s brand or team?

3. What can I bring to the company that other applicants cannot?

4. Why am I a good fit for the role and the company?

Common mistakes to avoid in a job interview

When you are getting ready for an upcoming meeting with a prospective employer, there are common mistakes that you should be aware of.

Avoid making these interviewee mistakes to appear confident, well informed, and give yourself the best chance of securing the role:

1. Do not give too many reasons for why the company should hire you

It is easy to think of a hundred reasons why a company should hire you. However, creating a long and convoluted response to questions can dilute the impact you need to make.

To convince hiring managers that you are an ideal applicant, we recommend narrowing down the focus of your response. A concise answer, emphasising one or two points, will say a lot about your aptitude while delivering a powerful and positive hiring message.

2. Do not give a sarcastic answer

Sarcasm and jokes rarely go down well in an interview setting, so it is best to avoid this approach.

The hiring manager is searching for meaningful information during your conversation. Formulate a direct answer that is serious and to the point. Remember, you are looking to show the interviewer that your background qualifies you for the role.

3. Do not respond to interview questions by saying I do not know

If your response to any question posed by the hiring manager is I do not know, then you are likely to fail the interview.

A don’t know response highlights that you were unprepared and have not taken the time to research the company and the role. The hiring manager will be looking for information such as why you want the job and for evidence that you can do it.

To ensure you can give confident answers that will make you stand out against other applicants, research the company, read the job description, and highlight the work skills and attributes you have that match those the employer desires.

4. Speak honestly and do not lie

Do not fall into the trap of telling lies, creating untruthful stories, or embellishing past achievements. You should stay honest and remain true to who you are. Use your job and company research to guide your responses and ensure that you can answer the interviewer’s questions with confidence.

Be enthusiastic and show that you are passionate about taking on the role. However, do not lie or exaggerate.

Topics to avoid when answering why we should hire you

When formulating the best response to the question of why should I hire you, there are specific topics and answers to avoid giving.

Our interviewee tip is not to answer the question using one of these subjects:

Financial compensation or perks

Of course, earning more money is one reason for moving company or applying for a different or more senior position. You know this, and so does the hiring manager, but making it your response will not help you secure the pay cheque you are looking for.

Steer away from mentioning the perks you want, and the company offers. Perks and compensation are poor topics to include in answers.

Desperation

You may be struggling to pay your mortgage or meet this month’s rent, but do not let this show through during your interview. This may be a motive similar to the financial compensation point we have just made, but it will not help you get the outcome you are after.

Vague interest in the role

Get precise and void answering the question by saying something along the lines of this kind of work interests me.

Further questions you should prepare to answer

There are many questions that a hiring manager may pose during a job interview. It is a very good idea to consider at least a representation of these. By dedicating a little time and thought to these, you significantly increase your odds of getting hired.

Popular interview questions to prepare for include:

• What are your career goals?
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• Where do you see yourself in three years?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What is the achievement you are most proud of?
• Tell me about yourself?
• How do you overcome conflicts and differences of opinion at work?
• How do you accomplish tasks when you have a tight deadline?
• How would you ensure a project runs smoothly and achieves its goals?
• What would you do if a teammate was unable to complete part of their job?
• How would you handle an angry customer or client?
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond at work?
• Tell me about a time when you made a mistake and how you handled it?
• How would you handle doing a task you have never done before?
• Can you describe an instance when you took your own initiative to fix an issue or problem?

To discover further excellent interview questions that a hiring manager may ask, read our article: Key Questions to Ask Candidates in Interviews.

Next, read A Guide On How To Hire Employees.

Job interview FAQs

A hiring manager is an expert in picking the questions to ask in an interview. Below we answer the questions you may have if you are preparing for an interview.