“Why should we hire you?” is still one of the most common, and yet difficult job interview questions in 2023.
What makes it so tough is that it’s a very open-ended question, and can be answered in a number of different ways.
You can, for example, go over your resume and explain how your work experience makes you a great fit for the role.
Alternatively, you can talk about how you possess certain skills that make you stand out from other candidates.
In this article, we’re going to teach you 10 different answers you can give to this complicated job interview question!
Read on to learn:
- Why Do Interviewers Ask “Why Should We Hire You?”
- How to Answer “Why Should We Hire You?”
- 10+ Why Should We Hire You Sample Answers
Let’s dive in.
Why Do Interviewers Ask “Why Should We Hire You?”
When the interviewer asks “why should we hire you?”, they want to measure exactly how qualified you are for the job and what makes you a good fit for the company.
So basically they’re asking you to do a short elevator pitch and to sell yourself as a professional.
As such, your answer can focus on several different components:
- Your work experience and achievements. You can talk about a specific accomplishment at a previous, relevant position and show the interviewer how you can achieve similar results for them.
- Your skills and qualifications. If you can prove that you’ve got all the skills that the company is looking for in a candidate, you’ll have effectively answered the question.
- Your passion and motivation. You can highlight how good of a company fit you’d be and how much you love working in your field or industry. When it comes to choosing between two applicants with similar skills and work experience, the employer will always go for the one who’s more motivated, sociable, and able to fit in with the company culture. So, talking about your passions and motivations can take you a long way!
Now that we’ve explained why interviewers ask this question, let’s talk about what’s important: how you can answer it in the best way possible!
Want a more comprehensive guide to job interview questions? Check out our article on 35 of the most common interview questions (and how to answer them)!
Interviewers can phrase the “why should we hire you?” interview question in several different ways, such as:
- Why are you the best candidate for this job?
- What makes you a good candidate for this position?
- Why are you a good fit for this position?
- Why should we hire you over other applicants?
- Why do you think this position is a good fit for you?
- Can you describe why you’re the ideal candidate for this position?
- Why should we hire you for this position?
So, in case you hear either of these questions in the interview, rest assured that they’re basically asking the same exact question!
How to Answer “Why Should We Hire You?”
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about tips!
There are 5 main tricks to getting this job interview question right, starting with:
#1. Show off your skills and experience
The first thing you should do when answering “why should we hire you?” is to highlight any skills and professional experience that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
To make your answer all the more valid, make sure to always back up everything you say with examples, experiences, and achievements.
- Because I’m very good at pay-per-click advertising! At my last job, I managed to improve return on ad spend by 12% within 3 months of taking over the account.
- I’m really good at advertising. Trust me, I am, I’m amazing.
See the difference?
Now, another aspect to answering this question right is ensuring that the skills/experiences you talk about are relevant to the job.
Applying for a job as an accountant? Then you should be talking about how great you are at numbers and staying organized, and not about your amazing sales skills.
#2. Highlight your ability to fit in and work in a team
Teamwork skills and adaptability comes in handy for practically every position out there.
No matter your profession, you’ll likely need to work alongside others and adapt to different people and situations, so these are two skills that employers are always on the lookout for.
Even if you’re a novelist - a predominantly solitary profession - you’ll still need to work with your publisher, a team of editors, and book designers to create a good book.
So, convincing the interviewer that you can adapt to the work environment, your colleagues, and even your supervisors, is an important part of answering “why should we hire you?”.
For example:
- I’m a great team player, and I really feel like that’s one skill that really sets me apart from other project managers. Whatever team I might be managing, I end up making fast friends. I’m also very effective at getting my teammates to be at their A-game without having to push them or be too micro-managing.
#3. Explain how you can help the company do more
At the end of the day, the goal of every job is to help an organization achieve a certain goal.
If you’re applying for a job in marketing, for example, your goal might be to generate leads. If you’re in customer support, it’s to provide excellent service to the company’s clients.
As such, one way to answer “why should we hire you?” is by explaining how, exactly, you can help the company achieve such a goal through your experience and skills.
Let’s say that you’re applying for a role as an event planner at a small company. From reading the job description, you know they’re looking for someone to organize events in their area and get the company’s name out there.
Now you have a clear understanding of what the company’s #1 goal in hiring you is! They want to find someone who can organize events successfully, promote the said events, and improve the company's brand awareness.
Now, when answering “why should we hire you,” you can explain how exactly you’ll be able to fulfill the company's goals.
For example:
- Because I have a lot of experience using event management to promote small startups such as your company! In my last role, I held a brainstorming event with the CEO and came up with over 30 different event ideas, out of which, we executed around 10. Most of the events turned out to be quite successful, driving over 50 participants each on average.
#4. Express dedication and enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is a critical component of workplace success.
According to the US Department of Labor, when employees look at prospective candidates, beyond skills, experience, and training, they look for those who demonstrate enthusiasm.
As per this study, some employers would rather train an enthusiastic but inexperienced worker than someone who is qualified but carries a negative attitude.
So, when answering this job interview question, make sure to show dedication and enthusiasm for the company or the role.
For example:
- I know I don’t have the most extensive work history, but what I lack in experience I make up for in enthusiasm and dedication. I’ve been into video games since I can remember and have always wanted to get into UI design! Other than my B.A. in Computer Science, I’ve also spent a big chunk of last year practicing. I even created 3 mock UI designs for some of my favorite games. I believe that under the right mentorship, I can apply the programming skills I’ve acquired during my studies and internships to meet the responsibilities of the role and more.
#5. Be honest
This tip applies to practically every common interview question, from “tell us more about yourself” to “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” and anything else the interviewer might throw at you.
At the end of the day, you don’t want to sell yourself as someone you’re not.
If you lie about your experience, credentials, or skills, you might get the job, but the experience will end up very unpleasant for both you and the employer.
Before we dive into some practical examples of everything we've covered so far, feel free to bookmark any of the following guides to take your interview skills to the next level:
10+ Why Should We Hire You Sample Answers
Time to put what we’ve learned into practice!
Below, we’ll cover 10 great sample answers to the “why should we hire you?” question that can help you structure yours successfully:
1) Operations Director Answer
- From what I understand based on what I've read about the company and what we've discussed so far, you're looking for an operations manager to oversee operational activities at every level organization to ensure higher efficiency and employee performance. Well, I believe I have the right skills to make that happen for you. To give you an example, in my previous role as a District Operations Manager, I oversaw more than 100 employees, ensuring consistency across policies, procedures, and the sorts in the assigned territory.
Why this works: It shows you have researched the company, it gives a specific example of how you possess the skills the company is looking for, and it highlights that you are aware of the company’s needs.
2) Digital Marketing Answer
- I am confident I possess the right soft and hard skills - communication and marketing, respectively - to help you grow your business and get your company to stand out from the competition. I helped my previous company increase its social media engagement by 24% by implementing a new content strategy. I am confident that I can bring that same innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to your company.
Why this works: It highlights your quantifiable achievements, it shows you have researched the company, and it insinuates that you’re enthusiastic about working with them specifically.
3) Tech Answer
- I believe that my experience with technology, specifically in the web design space, makes me the best match for this position. In my previous job, I was responsible for maintaining and updating our company website. This required keeping employee profiles updated and continuously posting information regarding upcoming events. I truly enjoyed what I was doing, which is what drew me to apply for this position. I would love to bring the coding and design skills I learned there to this new and more challenging role.
Why this works: It points to self-confidence and passion for the job, highlights that they have all the relevant skills for the position, and clarifies what gives them an advantage over other candidates through specific examples.
4) Sales Manager Answer
- You explained earlier that leadership qualities are a bonus for this position. Well, in my 10 years of experience as a sales manager, I have effectively managed teams of over 20 people. I developed motivational skills that helped many of the teams I personally managed consistently meet and exceed sales goals. In addition to all my other qualifications, I will also bring said leadership abilities to this position.
Why this works: Addresses how the candidate possesses some “bonus” skills that other candidates may not have, shows confidence and dependability and underlines their extensive work experience in the field.
5) No Experience Answer
- The job listing states that you are looking for someone with patience and superior communication skills. While volunteering and holding an office for the Special Olympics, I learned how to be patient with the athletes and participants at our state’s Special Olympics. Helping coordinate the event also helped me develop better communication and organization skills, which are imperative when performing the responsibilities you described are necessary for the role.
Why this works: This answer from a candidate with no experience in the industry takes advantage of the skills they acquired while volunteering to show they have what it takes to do the job.
6) Marketing Manager Answer
- I think my extensive experience in the field is the main reason I’m a perfect match for this role! I have held this exact same position at another, slightly smaller, organization for over eight years, where I successfully managed a team of twelve employees in our marketing department. Over the first 2 years of working at the company, I completely overhauled our marketing strategy, putting more emphasis on PPC advertising. This ended up paying off big-time, resulting in a company-wise revenue increase of over 52% over the coming years.
Why this works: It shows honesty and credibility, highlights long professional experience through quantifiable achievements, and conveys enthusiasm and self-confidence to tackle bigger challenges.
7) College Graduate Answer
- As a recent college graduate, I know that what I'm lacking is career experience. However, I have used my time at university to develop many of the required skills for this job. For example, after interning in four different organizations and managing a full course load while also working at the university's admissions office, I learned how to multitask and prioritize responsibilities. From what I understand, in your fast-paced organization, the abilities to effectively prioritize tasks and work with self-discipline are significant components of success.
Why this works: This entry-level candidate is honest about their lack of experience straight off the bat and focuses on what they can bring to the table in terms of soft skills through some real-life achievements. Moreover, their answer shows enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
8) Project Manager Answer
- For starters, I have all the skills and experience listed in the job description, and I'm confident that I can make an immediate impact on your company. It's not just my background in leading successful projects for Fortune 500 companies, but also my passion for the industry that drives me to succeed. If chosen for this role, I will continue to deliver high-quality work for the continued success of your organization.
Why this works: Shows determination, confidence, professionalism, experience in the field, and passion for the industry.
9) Career Change Answer
- With over 15 years of leadership experience in the agency world, I am confident that I can bring my creative and strategic marketing skills to the client side with your company. While I don’t have direct experience working in a corporate environment, I have delivered results above and beyond the ask from my clients in the agency where I’ve been a key stakeholder for over 20 years.
Why this works: This career-changer effectively highlights their transferable skills and explains how they can put them into use to meet the needs of the new company t where they’re applying successfully.
10) Medical Assistant Answer
- I believe that my resume and cover letter offer enough information about my professional experience as a medical assistant. So, I’d like to mention how passionate I am about my profession and how important I think that is for any successful employee in the medical field. Helping people and saving lives has always felt like my life’s calling and that allows me to do my job with dedication and patience. All in all, I think my passion in combination with my experience and desire to join your team to provide the best possible medical care to patients are what make me the perfect candidate to hire.
Why this works: This candidate aptly touches upon all the qualifications and skills they mentioned in their resume and cover letter and decides to focus on their passion, industry knowledge, and enthusiasm to set themselves apart from other candidates.
How NOT to Answer Why Should We Hire You
Now that we covered all the DOs of how to answer “why should we hire you?,” let’s go over some of the most crucial DON’Ts.
Avoid using any of the following topics as an answer and you’ll be in the clear:
- Money. Yes, salary is everyone’s motivation for getting up and going to work every morning. However, “because I need to get paid to buy things and exist” is not a practical answer to “why should we hire you?”. Companies are looking for workers who are motivated by more than just money, so just don’t mention the topic at all.
- Perks. Just like with the salary, saying that you’re in it for the perks that come with the position is not a valid reason as to why the company should hire you over other candidates.
- General interest. By general interest, we mean being generic. Giving some vague explanation as to why you got into the industry (e.g. “my parents chose this major for me and I just went along with it, so now I’m looking for jobs in the field”) won’t get you far - you need to show the interviewer what drives and motivates you to really make an impression.
- Desperation. “Because I really need it” is never a good answer. While the interviewer might feel bad for you, they’re not going to hire you just because of that.
Your answer will be more impactful if it sounds natural than if you learn it by heart. As such, we recommend you practice your pitch based on everything you learned in this article, instead of memorizing it.
Not to mention, if the interviewer hints at a specific skill that’s super important for the job during the interview, being able to incorporate it into your response on the spot will definitely come to your advantage.
Want to avoid other common interview mistakes? Check out this guide!
7+ Other Resources for Job-Seekers
To make it to the job interview, you first need to make an impact with your resume AND with your cover letter.
Fortunately, we’ve got a ton of helpful resources to teach you how to do both!
- Guide to Professional Networking. Learning how to network professionally can help you find your ideal job much faster than applying for jobs online.
- How to Make a Resume in 2023. This guide can teach you how to build an impactful resume that can help you stand out from the competition.
- Free Resume Templates. These tried-and-tested resume templates will save you the time and effort it takes to make a resume from scratch.
- Cover Letter Tips. Follow these 21 tips to take your cover letter from great to perfect.
- What to Wear on an Interview. First impressions matter. This guide can show you exactly how to make the right first impression on your job interview.
- Situational Interview Questions & Answers. Learn how to nail these common but sometimes tricky interview questions and get inspired by our sample answers.
- Behavioral Interview Questions. You’ll definitely need to answer at least one behavioral question during your interview. Learn how to do this effectively with our guide.
- Questions to Ask an Interviewer. Set yourself apart from other candidates not just by answering, but also asking the right questions to your interviewer.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap!
Practice all the tips we covered in this guide and get inspired by our answers, and you’ll be one step closer to nailing your job interview and landing that position you’ve been waiting for.
