“Why Should I Hire You?”

BOOM!!! The Infamous Question is here again. There’s probably no way you can escape this question as a job seeker. Every interviewer will ask you. This is the “ghen ghen” moment. The moment everyone expects you to come up with some Martin Luther King “I have a dream” speech and get that round of applause or probably the appointment letter on the spot. Many have fallen at this stage. Many have survived several minutes of questions only to stumble and fall to the “Why Should I hire you?” giant. How do you walk into the interview room and come out standing after being asked that? Lets dive into it.

Do your research:Work out what they want. Study the job specification and fully digest it. Regurgitate it and digest again. Never walk into an interview unprepared – YOU WILL FALL. Figure out what your potential employer is expecting. Take a look at the usual avenues, quarterly reports, websites and industry or company news. This way you’ll be able to get a good idea of the kind of needs the company have, gain some insight into the focus of the business, and understand important growth areas across the industry or sector.Once you’ve got a complete understanding, you can then start to tailor your answer to the interview. This is a chance to demonstrate that you’ve researched and care about the company, and you increase your chance that you’re saying what they want to hear.
Listen: It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your answers that you forget to listen, but this is probably the most important skill in a job interview. Listen carefully to everything that’s been said and you should get a clear idea of what they want to hear from you. This will also help you tailor your answer as there’s a good chance the interviewer(s) will give a hint as regards who they want to hire. It might be vague but if you’re paying attention, you should pick it and quickly tailor your answer in that fashion.
Have Something up your Sleeves: This is where you stand out from the crowd.Save something special. Once you’ve established your ability to deliver on core competencies of the job you can consider yourself at least as impressive as the best qualified candidate. You’ve demonstrated that you’re safe and there’s minimal risk associated with hiring you. Now the question is why should you be considered before anyone else..You have to figure out what sets you apart. Your ability to sell yourself goes a long way. Trust me, the interviewers have heard interesting and big grammar from the other candidates. In simple, plain terms, do one thing, SELL YOURSELF. Whether this is the fact that you have some coding experience despite coming in under a marketing remit or that you are fluent in a foreign language which could allow the sales team to develop into an emerging market, try to finish your answer off with something impressive, relevant and interesting.

What else do you think job seekers should do? Share your comments.