THE PM CHRONICLE: Why Should We Hire You?

Monday, December 23, 2013

Why Should We Hire You?

Liz Ryan
CEO and Founder, Human Workplace

Answering the Question "Why Should We Hire You?"
June 17, 2013

There are job interview questions that strike terror into the hearts of job-seekers, and then there are interview questions that are merely depressing.

Certain interview questions are depressing because they cause a job-seeker to ask himself "The person could have constructed any number of thoughtful and provocative questions, and all s/he could come up with was this lame-ass leftover from 1963?"

There are interview questions that convey so loudly "The person who is interviewing you today has neither intellectual curiosity nor spark" that a switched-on job seeker, having heard the question, may not even want the job anymore.

One of those done-to-death and pointless interview questions is the one that goes "With all the talented candidates around, why should we hire you?" It's a horrible question, because well-brought-up people don't praise themselves, and well-brought-up people don't ask or expect other people to praise themselves, either.

Now, we're not castigating everybody who still asks this question, because some companies require it. That's not anything they should be proud of, but old traditions die hard. For some reason, the business world, which should be all about innovation and speed and experimentation, tends to develop a protocol once (a set of interview questions, for instance) and stick with it way past the point of usefulness.

We can do so much better, so easily! Why not ask an interview question like "From what you've learned about our business so far, what do you think we should be focusing our energy on, more than we are?" That question requires a job-seeker to rise up and see the business from altitude, and to show his or her brain working. We need to ask more eyes-open questions like this, and fewer boilerplate questions borrowed from the Mad Men era.

If we can step out of the frame that has deluded us for years into thinking "The employer is mighty, and I, a poor ordinary job-seeker, am an ant" then we can answer the interview question "Why should we hire you?" as a human being rather than as a servile drone.

Here's how.

MANAGER: So, that's interesting, you went directly from the Navy Seals into the Rockettes chorus line. Good, good. Apart from your Grammy and the climbing Mount Everest thing, is there anything else you want to tell me about your background?

JOB-SEEKER: Not really - I'm interested in what you guys are doing, here at Acme Explosvies. I have a lot of questions to ask you at the proper time about the business, and about your marketing plans specifically.

MANAGER: Sure, we'll get to that. But let me ask you - with so many talented people on the job market, why should we hire you?

JOB-SEEKER: (Oh God, no - really? Oh well.) That's a great question. I'm glad you brought it up. That is a big decision that you are going to make, and my take is that I don't envy you that decision process, and I'm not sure you should hire me.

MANAGER: Why not?

JOB-SEEKER: You know the company, and you know the role. You know yourself and your management style. I know me, but you know almost everything about what's needed here given what you're facing in the marketplace. And most importantly, you've met all the candidates for the job. I've only met me. So I don't know that you should hire me, but I know one thing.

MANAGER: What's that?

JOB-SEEKER: I know that when I find the job that is right for me and vice versa, I'll know it, and my hiring manager will know it, and everything will work out just the way it should. That could be this job, or it could be a different one. I have total confidence in me, you and the universe to get the right answer.

You don't have to grovel on a job interview, ever. You don't have to be evasive. You can say flat out, "I don't know that you should hire me - there may be someone in your interview roster who's a better fit for the job."

You can tell the truth, politely and forthrightly, on a job interview, and I hope that you will start to do that. Using our alternative answer to a job interview question that should have been retired long ago is one way to start reclaiming your power.

The more your mojo grows on your job search, the more appealing you will be to employers -- the ones who get you and therefore deserve you, which is to say the only employers we care about -- and the more you'll appreciate what you bring to the conversation. If you're going to get all dressed up, go on a job interview and spend time with people you don't know who also aren't paying you, don't you at least deserve to show up at the interview as yourself?

(Photo credit: StockLite / Shutterstock.com)

Want to see this interview answer demonstrated? Watch Liz Ryan on Fox Business answering this interview question. Connect to Liz (liz@humanworkplace.com) on LinkedIn and if you do, send her a joke in the invitation! Join Human Workplace here. Join our LinkedIn Group, too! Twitter: @humanworkplace

COMMENTS:

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Lowell Nerenberg
Executive leadership coach, mentor and speaker. Former Inc. 500 company founder, CEO & entrepreneurWhile I didn’t read more than a few of the332 comments posted to date, I must risk being impolite and disagree with all the positive comments I read. I do not see any value in this blog post. Judging that the company and the job will probably be terrible because in your opinion the interviewer was a bad hire and asked a tired, outdated question is not wise and not relevant. Even if you get hired, it may be the last time you will ever see this interviewer anyway, and the advice here is to judge the company and the job based on the interviewer falling short of an expert’s expectations? Really? Grow up, job-seeker, and play the hand you are dealt. When you do get a job, you will find out you do not always work with good hires. Now for the “horrible” question: “…why should we hire you?” I may be rather simple, but I would love to hear every candidate’s response to that question. Stated another way the question essentially asks, “Based on what you understand this job requires, what is it about you that qualifies you for this job?” Do you also expect the interviewer to help with such clarifying hints as, “what is it about your personality, experience, skills, talents, history, intentions, habits, behavior, attitude, connections, and aspirations?” Not challenging a job-seeker to explain why they believe they are a good match for the job they are seeking? C’mon. One more not-nice comment and then I must leave you. “…well-brought-up people don’t praise themselves, and well-brought-up people don't ask or expect other people to praise themselves, either.” Who said that, Emily Post? If asked the question, “What are you good at?” a candidate who followed that advice might respond, “Aw, shucks, I don’t like to brag.”

Like(30)
Reply(1)6 months ago
Stephanie Jou, Ali Monge, Linda Horney, +27
1 Reply

Marianna Zelichenko
Connecting people and creating solutions.While I partially agree with what you say, I do feel you're putting companies in a way too powerful position. If - as job seeker - you can afford it, sure - answer the question if you must. But don't forget to ask some in return. You're not pleading for them to hire you, you're - hopefully - a great candidate and they should be happy as well that the company and you are a good fit.So sure, tell them why you think you are a good fit with what they want, but don't forget to ask them why they are a good fit with what yóú want. And don't settle for general stuff like "competitive sallary" and "growth opportunities". Be specific and expect the same in return. I do disagree completely that judging a company by the interviewer is wrong. It is the one business card they show. If they choose a bad one, that says a lot about the company.

Like(2)6 hours ago
Zirthang Lian Bawm and Alexandra Fedorova

Olivier Salmon
Technical Account Manager at Lithium TechnologiesI suppose you should say "Because I'm worth it" if it's a L'Oreal interview !!!

Like(23)
Reply6 months ago
Nick Antonopoulos, Stephanie Jou, Iftekhar Akoob, +20

John Koudela III
Offering research services for electronic design, compliance, patent decisions and breachesOh so diplomatic. I'll make this simple....'hire me because of the mix of talent I have that will blossom as I adapt it to your needs as they come up. I've looked at your products and services, studied your management and investor boards, read through your press releases....However, might we talk about a specific need you have in sight right now....I can focus best on specifics rather than such a broad and general reasoning that you might find of value. At least this way you might get the answers you need and can apply right away rather than waiting to see what can happen later.' - and then leave it at that. The employer has run through your app materials, resume, done their online checks. They already are partially convinced to bring you on board. The interview is the time to focus on specific needs of the company with a perspective of day to day work rather than what you'll turn into over the course of your first year.

Like(19)
Reply6 months ago
Angela Cucuietu, Angeline Hopkins, Leo Duren, +16

Lewis Lin ✈
Product management leader with 13+ years in tech industry | Google, Microsoft | MBA, Kellogg | BS Comp Sci, StanfordI like what Liz Ryan is saying about not groveling at the interview. It's a conversation. You need to be YOU, not a reactive question answerer on the other side of the table. However, I don't think interview candidates are well-served to give evasive answers to an interviewer's questions. Sometimes the interviewer is really wondering, "Why should I hire you?" And the reason they ask is because the job candidate has done a poor job articulating what they can bring to the table and how they're different from other candidates. It's very possible that the interviewer at that point could have written you off, but decided to give the job seeker one more chance to save him or herself. What Liz suggests is a high risk manuever. By not answering the question directly, it could take the candidate's job prospects from slim to none.

Like(10)
Reply5 months ago
Tracye Dee, Linda Horney, Nancy P. Suárez, PHR, +7

Michael Valentino
Recruiter at People ScienceI think people read too much into "Why should I hire you?" It doesn't necessarily mean, "can you do the job for me?' The question asks the candidate, have you done your homework on the position and company? are you prepared? do you know the key elements/skills that are necessary to perform the responsibilities? Are you giving me rehearsed answers or genuine ones? Its a loaded question. It allows the interviewer to determine all of these, while allowing the candidate to self reflect. I don't see it as a bad question at all.

Like(15)
Reply6 months ago
Zirthang Lian Bawm, Avinash Kumar, Nancy R., +12

Michael Rana II
A/V Technician I at Quinsigamond Community CollegeHere's an interesting answer to "why should we hire you"? (It's probably not PC) "Allow me to answer that by asking a question: Out of your potential candidate pool, why did you choose to interview me?"

Like(26)
Reply6 months ago
Nick Antonopoulos, Robert J Sanders, Zirthang Lian Bawm, +23

Dennis Collins
Sales Health, Life, LTC, Medicare, Retirement at Insphere Insurance SolutionsLiz, no offense...this was not one of your best articles or responses. The whole process is designed to determine if two people (or more) who probably have never met before, determine if the "chemistry" between them is going to work. "Why should I hire you?" generally is a question asked after conversation regarding the job interview starts to wind down, approaching that make it or break it point of the interview. The question is designed not so much for a "bragging session", but rather an opportunity to elicit a spontaneous response from the applicant to determine their thoughts about what they have to offer. The applicant should take a moment to think clearly and summarize his/her ability to satisfy the requirements pertaining to the job. The whole process is to determine a good fit for both sides, neither party wants someone who is not going to fit in with company or department's "chemistry". Before any interview, do your research. Try to understand what the interviewer is looking for in you as a candidate: be honest, thoughtful, think before you speak, leave your "attitude" outside and concentrate on responding on how you can help the company succeed. After all, remember it is not about you! It is about "them" and what you can do to help "them" achieve what "they" are looking for to fill the "position" you are there for!

Like(21)
Reply(1)6 months ago
Susan Sierra, PHR, Kimberley Salter, Trea Pepmiller, +18
1 Reply

Angeline Hopkins
Labor Relations & Human Resources Graduate Student at Cleveland State University; IT Business Solutions at Tri-CI agree with the majority of your comment, but I believe an interview is not about "me" or "them", it is about "us". Do my skills and experience mesh well with the needs of the employer? Is the employer offering me an environment that is positive and challenging? In order to ensure that an organization receives maximum productivity and engagement from employees it has to have something to offer as well. A working relationship is exactly that - a relationship - where both sides bring something to the table and work together to create something larger (and hopefully greater) than themselves.

Like(1)25 days ago
Desi Cholakova

Pablo Yoachin
Director│Apparel Manufacturing Operations│Global Production Sourcing│Product Development│Garment Costing│Compliance│QA/QThis has been the most misleading Q&A article I have ever read. Follow it and you will unemployed for quite long.

Like(7)
Reply4 months ago
Desi Cholakova, Kimberley Salter, Hanna DeBruhl, +4

Anna Bobrovskaya
Specialist in HR International dept at IBM SpainAn interesting article with a fresh approach... but I think this honest and direct approach will work only in specific situations, when the interviewer has originality or honesty as their personal, not business priorities. This is good to be humble and well-educated, but we are living in the era of high competition where you should be able to promote and sell yourself. So the answer like "I know myself so you have to decide yourself" will not work in many circumstances, when you have a crowd of candidates willing to show their merits and rewards. Unless we are not speaking about some executive, exclusive positions.

Like(10)
Reply6 months ago
Ruchika Ruchika19840, Samuel Mburu, Kimberley Salter, +7

Syed Ali Mehdi
TeachingAnswer should be like that cause I do have experience ,education and cause I am quick learner to understand any problem and always tries to get the solution for it and I always tries to be creative where I am working and handle your company's problems from your & your customers prospective that's why should hire me.

Like(5)
Reply6 months ago
Tracy Mosher, Ramin Azizi, Joana-Jouri Al-Adhami, +2

Rami Rustom
Consultant • WriterHere's what I'd say. MANAGER: "Sure, we'll get to that. But let me ask you - with so many talented people on the job market, why should we hire you?" ME: "lol, you think there are a lot of talented people on the job market, or are you just testing me? In any case, I disagree. Most people on the job market are not thinkers. They are order-takers. They are 'yes men'."

Like(13)
Reply6 months ago
Rami Rustom, Karen M. Johannessen, Sandya Venugopal, MD, +10

Darlene Dunbar
Student at Kaplan University-AAS Health Information TechnologyI see the question "why should we hire you" more as a way to measure one's self esteem. Wouldn't it be better to answer more along this line,"I could answer that with the same cookie cutter answer that I presume most other candidates will use. But may I ask you a question first? Why would you hire anyone who answers that question with the same, "thinking within the box" kind of answer? As for me I should think you would hire me not only because I am a good fit for this position but because I will bring a different way of thinking to the table. I have the qualifications, education and skill of everyone else but more than that I am not afraid to be known as one who sees things from a slightly different perspective. I can bring fresh new ways of approaching old ideas setting myself and my employer ahead of the competition."

Like(17)
Reply6 months ago
Priya Nair, Karen M. Johannessen, Victoria A Lamb, MSHA, +14

Soemaya Worsdorfer
Catering/Gourmet /SpicesI absolutely loved this post, thank you for posting it Liz. This is the most dreaded question and a few others similiar to the famous 'Why should we hire you' Your honest replies reminded me of a job interview after being unemplyed for nearly two years. She asked me where I saw myself in the next five years within the organisation. I froze , I knew I had to give an intellegent answer, I wanted to burst into tears, beg her to refrain the question and just allow me to walk out with a touch of dignity. She waited, this was my answer. I have absolutely no idea.I cannot even think five years from now, Ive been unemployed for over a year which felt like 10 years. SO! what I see and wish for is a job NOW! I dont know the company, I DONT KNOW HOW GOOD I WILL BE in this position and if i would be here long enough to make it five years. Five years seems as long as the past year unemplyed, broke, scared, feeling worthless. and a reject in society. I can tell you what I see happening at the end of THIS MONTH. I could get THIS job not because im the best or even experienced, but im hard working, honest and a fast learner. I will then hold a pay slip at the end of this month and stock up my kitchen with food, take my kids to the movies and even throw in a pizza. I know im not giving you what you want right now. But I honestly cannot otherwise answer your question. Hire me and ask me that question in six months.But I can say this I know you will not regret it because right now i have nothing more to loose. I started the very next day. I stayed with the company 6 1/2 years. The Lady that interviewed me was my boss and we had a wonderful work and personal relationship. Today 4 years later she is my close and dear friend.

Like(28)
Reply6 months ago
Priya Nair, Mary Jane Lanning, Victoria A Lamb, MSHA, +25

Tracy Harris, SPHR, MA
Human Resources Generalist at Genesis Healthcare PartnersThank you, I love this article. In a previous interview, I said as much but not as eloquently. My response was more brash, so I can benefit from your suggestions. In this interview they knew my skill set and experience but they continued to point out how important having experience in their particular field was. I finally said, well if that is the most important thing to you, than you should probably hire another applicant with that experience. He laughed and then looked at me incredulously. I just got fed up with them spending the interview telling me over and over why they didn't think I could do the job. I have never been so relieved after 4 interviews with this company, that they did not select me. Your advice will help me in recruiting as well.

Like(3)
Reply4 months ago
Victoria A Lamb, MSHA, Nyota Vargas, and Abigail Ulery

Merja H Lehtinen
Editor/writer, EducatorAny person who is asked that question --lame as it is -- should answer as briefly and honestly as possible: "because one can do the advertised job effectively, meet goals, and bring a positive force to your team" -- or any variation of this in your own words. But more telling is WHO in the 21st Century would ask such a question? It is a thinly-veiled negative and passive-aggressive question bound to engender answers that would turn off the interviewer. In my observations over three decades of hiring people, including irascible reporters who are great writers and researchers, and after being recruited for most if not all my posts, I would say that question is a dead give away for an insular team. Beware a company not focused on external goals but protecting their own paradigm within a "family." If you want that, you better marry the CEO. Smile, shake hands politely, and RUN to apply elsewhere! The power of companies in the 21st Century is in each of its employees who bring imagination, daring, and commitment to achieving goals while they get along with all who they meet on a professional level -- which means fairly superficial. It is the power of "one." And employers/ interviewers should be seeking what makes you special to them by reviewing your track record and asking pertinent questions to their challenges not silly ones.

Like(4)
Reply6 months ago
Vittorio Velasquez, Karen M. Johannessen, Victoria A Lamb, MSHA, +1

Sandeep Kumar Raju
Hardware & Networking Engineer at Yonearth Interactive Communications Technology (I) Pvt. LtdMy answer would be : I should be hired by the company because I will bring my experience and knowledge which will prove beneficial for the company.My presence will guarantee fresh ideas to the company which is positive in the long run.

Like(9)
Reply6 months ago
Avinash Kumar, Joana-Jouri Al-Adhami, P Asmita, +6

Deepak Bhootra (Dr) 2nd
LinkedIn one click connect [http://bit.ly/invitedeepakbhootra] Blog [http://deepakbhootra.blogspot.com]Excellent article...I like the sript and flow shown here. I had written about a different question that I saw interviewees struggling with --> "How would you describe yourself". http://deepakbhootra.blogspot.in/2013/02/how-would-you-describe-yourself.html

Like(2)
Reply6 months ago
Joana-Jouri Al-Adhami and P Asmita

Amit Dasgupta, PMP, ITIL
GIS Project Manager at EGIS-GEOPLAN PVT LTDIn one of the job interviews that we took to fill up the position of a senior manager the response to this question is as follows: "With my years of experience in the geospatial and IT industry, I have a distinct advantage over others in terms of adding value to the company. With my work experience background in Technical Marketing, I have the necessary experience in not only responding to RFP/RFQs, but I have been successful in winning high value bids. While Service Delivery experience is mainly in the domestic market, I will be able to bring best practices and lessons learned and implement them in the international scenario, where giving value to the customer determines customer satisfaction and more business. Similarly, there are other aspects of my work experience that I bring to the table that will not only help me discharge my job responsibilities optimally, but is also the reason that I should be the best candidate to be hired by your company." Suffice to say, we did hire him. Our take on this was, he answered honestly a very difficult question. Glad we did.

Like(4)
Reply6 months ago
Yolanda De Santiago, Catherine Malli-Dawson, Tiffany Whitelow, +1

Rajeev Rawat
Consultant, SpeakerOne right answer: I have acquired skills, knowledge, credentials, and experience to solve the typical challenges for this position. Respected professionals, who are my mentors, can attest to my passion for this work and my willingness to learn. I would like to explore how to participate and contribute. {Above all, be confident. If you are the right guy/gal (can be trusted to deliver results), the employer needs you more. If this is not a good fit, you don't want to invest your time, devalue your work, or restrain passion}

Like(12)
Reply6 months ago
Joana-Jouri Al-Adhami, P Asmita, Vinay Acharya, +9

Om Zho
Executive Creative Director - Greater China at BBDO Proximity ChinaI respectfully disagree with wishy-washing your way out of this question. Typically under any type of a question in an interview, one should feel confident and is sure that they are applying for the right job thus yielding an insightful view into that persons character. If a simple question such as "Why Should We Hire You?" can offend and knock you off your feet, I wonder how many other question this person has bombed before it? I understand this article may have the intentions to be "power-shifting, confidence building" for job-seekers but sees no gain as it will come off as offensive and people will lose opportunities for themselves. Trying to defend when there is no reason to defend serves no one good especially the jobseekers.

Like(5)
Reply6 months ago
Susan McTaggart, P Asmita, Melissa Trujillo, +2

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