Million dollar question – Why should I hire you?
You may be asked this question directly. You may not.
Either way, you should prepare to answer this head-on. Even if you aren’t asked this directly, preparing for it will be wildly helpful to you when answering other questions about your skills, experience, etc.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to get ready and help yourself stand out along the way.
Quick example
I remember the first time I was asked this.
I was interviewing for my first leadership role. After an otherwise pretty typical interview, the hiring manager said, “Alright, Josh – here’s the million dollar question: why should I hire you?”
This can really catch candidates off guard. Trust me – I’ve seen it more often than not.
Fortunately, in this case, I was prepared. Prior to the interview I had found out that the remaining candidates in the final interview round were existing leaders, but I, at the time, had no formal leadership experience. As a result, I prepared like crazy to address why I felt I was the best candidate despite this difference.
Even if you’re not asked
Whether you have intel like this or not, it is critical for you to think through a response to this. And not just any response. A good response.
A bad response to this question can significantly hurt your chances of getting the job offer.
Regardless, and this may surprise you, it’s actually better for you if you’re asked to answer this question directly. I find it to be way more helpful than if I’m not asked.
Why?
Because it gives you a perfect opportunity to straight up tell the hiring manager why you think you’re the best fit for the role without feeling like you’re bragging.
Isn’t this overkill?
In some cases, you won’t be asked at all. You still need to prepare. And not just in case you get the question. There’s a TON of benefit to simply thinking this through.
You might still be thinking, “Why is it important to prep for this question even if I’m not asked? Don’t I already know how to answer this if I’m preparing for the interview in general?” Isn’t this overkill??
The short answer is ‘no’. Most candidates simply aren’t fully prepared to answer this question – at least not enough to stand out for the right reasons. So many interviewees get this wrong. Don’t be among them!
Focusing on this answer will not only help you if asked, but will also prepare you to stand out from your competition across the board. It will build your confidence and give you clarity throughout the whole interview process.
Get this right by following my template “4 Steps to Confidently Answering “Why Should I Hire You?” below. But first, you may need some convincing.
So – here are 3 reasons it is critical to be ready to nail this question – even if you don’t have to answer it directly.
3 Reasons You Should Prep to Answer this question – no matter what
Reason #1: It will help you gain clarity in your own mind
You need clarity in your own mind why you’re a good fit for the role and what you specifically bring to the figurative table.
What’s your value proposition? Why should they hire you, anyway? You better understand the answer yourself if you want to clearly articulate it to someone else in an interview.
Separately, this always helps you navigate the the entire remaining part of the interview. You can always draw from your prep for this answer to help connect the dots for the hiring manager as to why you’re the best fit.
This kind of clarity always leads to a boost on confidence.
Reason #2: It will help you gain clarity on what skills you offer
As you’ll see in my 4-step template below, thinking through what skills this job requires is crucial to performing well in any stage of an interview.
Taking the time to think through what specific skills or experience you bring to a job helps you respond more succinctly and confidently when asked questions like, “Tell me about yourself” or the question we’re addressing now – “Why should I hire you?”
(Check out my post “4 Simple Strategies to Confidently Answer ‘Tell Me About Yourself‘” to boost your confidence on this critical question you will definitely be asked!)
Reason #3: It will force you to understand why you want the job (or if you don’t)
Why do I want this job?
I hope you’re thinking about that. You need it to come through in your words and on your face. You need to show your passion throughout the whole interview process. If you want to read more about that topic, check out my post “The Top 3 Things Every Hiring Manager is Looking For.“
After further reflection, you just might realize that you don’t want the job. That’s just as helpful as knowing why you do.
Now – time to dive head first into the best way to prepare for this. The good news is this isn’t complex. But it does require you to be intentional purposeful about your thought process.
What’s the best answer to ‘Why should I hire you’? Follow the template below and you can easily set yourself up for success.
4 steps to confidently answering ‘Why should I hire you’?
Following is a template to help you quickly and intentionally prepare to share why you are an ideal candidate for the role.
Simply write down your answers to the following questions or statements. When finished, craft them into a single response.
Step #1 – Focus on your skills
- What skills are the hiring managers looking for and which ones do I offer?
- What are my strengths? (Hint: If you want to take this a step further, make sure you’ve completed the StrengthsFinder Assessment. You’ll receive your top 5 strengths, which can add credibility to your claim to have a certain strength. You can find resources like this and more on my resources page.)
Step #2 – Focus on your passion and excitement
- Why do I want the job? What is it about this specific role, organization, or industry that attracted me to apply? Be specific here.
- Why does it excite me? What really fires me up about this opportunity?
Step #3 – Focus on the unique
What specific needs does the hiring manager have?
This could be a specific skill the team is lacking. It could be a personality fit that the team needs. It could be a particular type of experience unique to this team and this time. Ask someone in the organization, re-read the job description, etc. But find out something here – then write it down.
What specific skills do you uniquely offer?
This could be a unique combination of experience and skill you bring to the table. It could be a connection or network you bring to the role or organization. Maybe this is your second career and you bring a wealth of knowledge from a separate, but related industry.
Write down something that all or most other candidates won’t have.
Step #4 – Focus on making their decision easier
You may not realize, but the hiring manager has risk, too. They might be thinking “What if I make the wrong decision?” or, “I like this candidate, but what if I overlooked something in the interview process?”
Make their decision easier. Remove some of the common risks and hesitations on their mind. For example:
- Share why you will learn quickly, making it up the learning curve faster than other candidates.
- Explain how your unique background means they don’t have to train you on a particular system (which can be costly) or software program.
- Share how you transitioned seamlessly into a previous role, making things easier on your former manager.
Write down how you will make the hiring manager’s life easier by choosing you.
Putting it all together
Now that you have responses to each of the steps above, put it all together in a single statement.
Write and re-write until you craft a simple response to the question “Why should I hire you?”
Conclusion
I regularly ask this question when interviewing others. I also get asked this question quite frequently when being interviewed. You don’t want to get caught off-guard at any point during an interview – but it particularly stands out if you stumble here.
Think about it – it’s typically toward the end of the interview so if you pause for too long, the hiring manager may wonder if you know why you applied in the first place. On top of that, if this happens close to the end of the interview it could impact the last impression as your interviewers leave the room.
The best way to prepare is to intentionally think through the answers to the four steps above.
Keep in mind: even if you aren’t asked this question, you will have clarity on:
- Why you’re a good fit for the role
- What skills you offer
- Why you want the job
- What is unique about what you bring to the table.
All these things can be used during any portion of your interview.
Discussion question
I’d love to hear from you! Join the conversation with the Equipped Community – we’re in this together! In the comments section below, share your thoughts on the following question.
What is the hardest part for you when preparing to answer “Why should I hire you?” And do you have any suggestions for everyone else on how to overcome this?
