Are you out of work and in need of a job? Maybe you’re currently employed and looking 
for greener pastures, or at least a boss with whom you can get a long. Either way, if you want a job and I asked you, “Why should we hire you,” odds are you aren’t going to tell me that you’re lazy, unreliable and hard to get along with. You’re going to say the opposite of that right?
Let’s give it a shot. I’m offering you a position in which you can make twenty percent more than what you previously or currently earn. You have answered all my questions thus far and finally I ask, “Why should Super Awesome Technologies hire you?” Never mind the position for which you’re interviewing, it doesn’t matter. Just tell me right now why you are the right guy/gal for the job. More often than not here is what you might say.
“Super Awesome Technologies should hire me because I’m a hard worker. I’m reliable. I’m easy to get along with. I give 110% in everything I do. I like working with new people. I’m very adaptable to any situation and if you ask any of my references they will tell you how much effort I put into the tasks assigned to me.”
Sounds good right? Problem is four out of five candidates before you told me the exact same thing. Of course everyone applying for a new job is “a hard worker and reliable”. Sure you like “to meet new people”. I can’t imagine you not “giving 110%”. That’s all great but that still doesn’t tell me why I should hire you. You haven’t differentiated yourself. You haven’t told me anything genuine that is going to keep me awake.
So how should you answer this question?
First shy away from telling me why you want the job. Your enthusiasm for the job is certainly important and should be addressed but telling me how great my job is going to make your life is not the way to go. You should be telling me how great you are going to make mine.
Secondly, tell me what you have accomplished. The candidates that nail the “Why hire me?” question take their past successes and apply them to the position for which they are interviewing. They say things like, “I have ten years of experience managing multiple departments,” or “I have exceeded my quota each of the last seven years” or “I improved office operations efficiency by 20% my first three months in the job” and you believe you can do it for me. Hiring managers want to hear about your successes and how your success will benefit them.
Lastly consider the question differently. Rather than viewing it as, “Why hire me?” understand what the company really wants to know, which is, “How are you going to take our company to the next level?” When you view the question in this light you will be less inclined to discuss how the job is great for you but rather how you are great for the job.
If you are having difficulty answering the “Why hire me” question or any of the other more common interview questions encountered you should consider practicing your interviewing skills online and sharing with friends for feedback. Doing so will help you refine and deliver your answers more confidently.