Career Center - "Why Should We Hire You?"

"Besides you, we are considering two other candidates for this job. Both have better big company experience, better little company experience, better training, better qualifications, better contacts, cars, friends, tailors, etc., etc., etc..

This question is legitimate. Perhaps you have already encountered it. Let's prepare to ace it before you walk into your next job interview.

The underlying questions you need to ask yourself before answering any interview question: "Why would the interviewer ask me a given question? When would he or she ask it, and how would that affect my reply?"

Prepare with the goal of engaging in a useful dialogue

In job interviews, timing and appropriateness are as important as the content of your responses. Prepare with the goal of engaging in a useful dialogue, a mutual learning process, a possible working relationship. Don't answer or ask questions to get a job. Effective rapport building involves reading personal and political issues, underlying intentions, what is really being said.

How to present yourself

What are the underlying intentions of "Why should we hire you?" That depends somewhat on when and how the question is asked. Usually, this question is asked at the end of the interview. It is the Interviewer's test of your personal self-belief and confidence. It is his or her request for you to express how you see yourself.

Show him or her that:

• You've got the confidence to overcome internal and external adversity
  
• You've got the intelligence and resiliency to work through the interpersonal issues
  
• You know things about yourself, the work, the company and the interviewer; that you will add something unique to their work day.

Let's rule out what not to do:

• Don't agree with the Interviewer's point of view, not even mildly, facetiously or in any other way. Don't respond with surprise, confusion or frustration. In other words, don't say something like: "That's a good question." Discipline and care will help your cause immensely here.
  
• Don't immediately disagree with the Interviewer. "More experience than me? Preposterous!"
  If you start arguing the point, then you are completely missing it.
  
• Don't answer the question with another question. "How much experience do these competitors of mine have?"
  
• Don't think aloud for the Interviewer, either. "You wouldn't have flown me in from Toledo if you didn't think I could do the job."
  
• Don't re-hash material that's been covered . That's deadly boring: " As I stated earlier, I have over 15 years of blah-blah-blah experience."

The Interviewer challenged you to read his or her needs. Your job is to respond with what you already know, what you've learned during the meetings, and what you believe will work for the company.

Address all three: what you know (about yourself), what you 've learned about their needs, and what you believe will solve their problems. You have been called on to provide a closing argument. In effect, you will now close the sale.

Create a focused argument: G.A.S.A.V.I.P.

First, select a company you expect to interview with soon, or one you would like to interview with soon. Try this mnemonic device as a way to create a focused answer: G.A.S.A.V.I.P. What does this stand for? Try figuring it out from the following example.

Pretend that Dave, your Career Columnist, is interviewing for a Marketing Analyst position with ABC Widget Company.

Interviewer: " Dave, we like you. We see you have potential. However, there are two other candidates with more experience and training that we like. Why should we hire you over these other two candidates?"

Dave: "From our meeting today, we've agreed that your GOAL is to find a solid Marketing Analyst, proven in regression analysis, cross-tabs, modeling, research design. When you look at what I've ACCOMPLISHED professionally, you'll see that I posses the SKILLS and ABILITIES to do this job extremely well.

Moreover, I share the same values you look for in a member of your marketing team - detached, clear, concise and fun to have around. Putting all of that together, as well as the chemistry we share today, you'll see that it is in our mutual INTEREST that you hire me, for I am the PREFERABLE candidate.

Let's re-examine what just transpired. The interviewer asked for a final reason to select me, Dave, over more qualified candidates. Without boring the interviewer, I told him or her what I know about myself, what I believe in and what I learned during the interview process. Actually, I gave a cogent, fluid response that creatively taps into their stated and unstated hopes for making the right choice.

So why should they hire you? Because you've left the impression that, despite what objections they may have, whatever greater experience the competition may offer, you are the most intelligent, articulate, creative candidate, the one that eats, drinks, lives, loves and succeeds at this kind of work. You add something special. Without saying it, you are, in fact, better. That is the truth, right?