Interview seems like a scary battle to many, when the matter of fact is, it is only a general conversation where an interviewer (hiring manager) tries to collect more information about the qualified candidates (job seeker) to see if they are the right fit for their job and company.

The reason behind what makes an interview so scary to the candidates is the uncertainty about what the interviewer will ask them. To add up, the fact that someone is going to judge them on their etiquette during the interview such as appearance, manners, education and skills, how they talk or communicate etc. is what makes the situation scarier.

Besides, some companies deliberately design a stress interview where the situation is meant to be scary.

However, given that the candidate is well prepared and confident, interview, in reality is not as scary as it is perceived. After all, an interviewer is also another human being just like us.

Interview is just a question answer session where candidates need to be able to sell themselves (their skills and abilities) effectively. So self-awareness and confidence are two major factors that should be possessed by candidates to ace an interview.

Among many other questions that might be probably asked in an interview, one of the most prominent question asked by the hiring manager is “Why Should We Hire You?”

As prominent and common as this question maybe, the answer to this question is equally vital for the hiring managers to decide whether or not to hire you. So, it’s always better to keep the answer of this particular question handy without making it sound like you have mugged it up.

Also, take a note of the fact that the question “Why Should We Hire You?” is not really about you but about the company and its requirement. So, it is necessary to make sure that while answering this question, your answer should actually revolve around the company’s work culture and their need from the position you have applied for, and not really around how great you think you are.

Let us put it this way, when an organization announces a vacancy, it is in pain or in need of something. So, you answer should provide them with pain relief for that moment.

The article gives you tips and tricks on how to answer this question “Why Should We Hire You?”

However, before we get right into tips and tricks on answering this question, let us find out the similar or alternate questions that carries the same meaning. Some of them are:

• Why do you want to work for us?
• Why are you the right fit for the position?
• What would you bring to the position?
• What sets you apart from other candidates?
• Why are you the best candidate for the job?
• What can you do for us?

Your answer should be a summary of your industry experience, experience in performing certain tasks or duties, technical skills, soft skills, key accomplishment, awards, education and training in order to effectively answer these or similar questions. Besides these, few other factors should also be considered which you will find out as you read the full article.

Follow the steps below to prepare yourself a winning answer to “Why Should We Hire You?”:

1. Research
2. Brainstorm
3. Pick your Strengths
4. Practice

Research

First thing first, what’s the difference between qualified candidates and a winning candidate?

“They Research! “

Let’s admit it! The biggest drawback of many of the job seekers is that they jump to an interview without any kind of prior research about the company, interviewer and in some cases, even the requirements of the positions they have applied for.

In contrary, the interviewer always tries to find out if you have done your part of research. It lets the interviewer find out how serious or interested the candidate is about the job and company. A brief understanding about the company, work culture and requirement of job position beforehand could be a great advantage for the candidate as to get a green signal from the interviewer.

Hence, make sure you do know a brief history about the company, organization culture and most importantly, the profile of company executives and HR team as they are, most probably the ones you will be interviewing with.

Brainstorm

Now, as you have done your research and have a brief understanding about what the company and your job position requires, it’s time to brainstorm your ideas about yourself.

Brainstorming simply means the collection of any random ideas and understanding, which necessarily do not have to be great. Simply, list down all the qualities of yourself and try to access them with the company needs.

Pick your Strengths

This is the step where you need to identify your biggest strengths which you think the hiring manger must know about it. Carefully pick three to four qualities from the lists you have brainstormed earlier. And those qualities have to highlight your strengths above all others.

Try to blend these qualities with your industry, experience, job descriptions (You should find it out during your Research), skills, accomplishments, education and training while you prepare your answer.

Practice

Now, if your winning answer is prepared, it’s time to get into practice. You can either practice by yourself by looking standing in front of a mirror or do a role play with family or friends. Let them act as interviewer and answer professionally to them. You can also make use of flash cards to pick up random questions. It helps you get rid of questions listed serially and makes your answers sound more natural as you won’t know which questions would come up.

Note: The answer should be in between 1-2 minutes

Hence, take the question “Why Should We Hire You?” as an opportunity to squeeze all your qualities, strengths, experiences and skills into one answer. Rock this question with your effectively summarized answer to get hired.