“why should we hire you?”

And if you stay around until the end, I have a sample response that you can use and

tailor for your next interview.

If we've never met before, I'm Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career

Club on Facebook and on this channel I share simple solutions to help you build a business or launch a career

you love.

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And real quick, comment down below with what you biggest frustration is when it comes to

going on a job interview.

I've had the privilege of working with thousands of students over the years to help them refine

and perfect their interview skills.

And of one of the interview questions that we always tackle is “why should we

hire you?”

The reason we prepare for this interview question is because it's popular and interviewers love

to ask it.

They're asking it to gauge what sets you apart from the other candidates.

To make an impact with this question you really need to know

how to sell yourself to the interviewer.

The best way to approach this question is to think of it as a mini sales presentation.

You may here this question in a few different forms.

Such as

“what makes you a good fit for this role?”

“why are you the best candidate for this position?”

Either way, follow these fours steps to help you stand out from all the other candidates.

Step 1 - Do your research

Find out everything you can about the company and the position you are applying for.

Research the company's website, review their LinkedIn page, evaluate their activity on

social media.

This research will help you better understand what problems the company is facing and how

you can help them solve those problems in your new role.

It will also help you understand what the company values most in it's employees.

Therefore, you'll be able to compose a response that stands out from all the other candidates.

This leads us to tip #2 to answer the question “why should we hire you?”

And that is to make a direct correlation.

Now that you understand what the company's pain points are, you need to demonstrate how

your skills and expertise are the perfect match for the position.

To do this, carefully comb through the job description and highlight three key areas

that you know you demonstrate you excel in.

Most job descriptions are broken up into three separate parts, major key responsibilities, specific

job functions and qualifications.

Pinpoint one item from each area that you can match directly to your career accomplishments.

Here's a special note for students: it's okay if you don't have a lot of work experience.

You can match the job description to volunteer work or maybe your course work.

So the interview question, "why should we hire you?" is actually very similar to another popular interview question,

“What are your strengths?”

However, your answers are going to be structured slightly different.

To help you answer the popular interview question “what are your

strengths?” questions, I have a video all about that.

I'll go ahead and link it up below.

This leads us to tip #3 to answer the question “why should we hire you?”

Step 3 - Build your story

Have you ever heard  the saying “facts tell stories sell?”

To properly sell yourself to the employer you need to develop a story around each item

you highlighted in step #2.

For example, let's say that the job description calls for someone that has superb analytical

skills.

If that is one of the areas you excel in then think back to a situation that demonstrates

your analytical skills in action.

Be sure to explain the results that you achieved in that particular situation.

Which leads us to tip #4 to answer the question “why should we hire you?”

Step 4 - Show your uniqueness

Remember when I said earlier that the interviewer is asking this question because they want

to know what sets you apart from all the other candidates?

Now is the time to show what makes you different from everyone else that will be interviewing

for this position.

If you have a hard time pinpointing this, ask others that know you very well, that have seen you in action what

you do well.

You can ask close acquaintances, family members, coworkers, managers, even teachers.

With your own ideas in mind and the input you receive from others, jot down a statement

or two about what makes you unique.

Make sure that that your unique talent or skill relates directly to the position you

are applying for.

When it's time to answer this question, the last thing you want to say is “You should hire me because

I am a hard worker.”

or “You should hire me because I work well with others.”

Interviews are looking for exact situations that demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the position.

So here's another way you can answer the question.

From my understanding, one of the key requirements for this position is {xyz}. List one of the requirements.

You should hire me because I have a unique understanding and awareness of how {xyx} effects

our industry. So you'll fill that blank in there.

In my previous position, I had the privilege of {ensuring program success by motivating

and driving my team to execute strategic planning so that we could reach client sales objectives}.

Now, you'll pull a statement from the job posting

and your own experience to put in there.

I also learned through my research that your company values {xyz}. So list one of the values.

This is one of my greatest passions and I know without a doubt my experience in the

this area will sustain company standards and lead the team to greater success.

When you answer this question make sure it's not rehearsed.

You want to practice this response with family members and friends before interview day,

but you don't want it to sound like you memorized the script. So practice as much as possible.

If you haven't yet, join me over on Facebook in my private community The Career

Club, where you'll network with other business professionals, to learn

how to navigate your career.

I'll go ahead and link that up below.

If you know someone that might benefit from this video, please share it with them.

Don't forget to hit the like button below.

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and I'll see you guys next time.