You feel ready. After all, this isn’t your first rodeo. You’ve got half a dozen job interviews under your belt by now. You know what not to wear, what fragrances and flashy pieces of jewelry to avoid. You’ve got a firm grip on your strengths and weaknesses and feel ready to conquer just about any question that comes to pass.
However, sometimes it is the more subtle questions that carry the most weight. The sneaky opportunity that the hiring manager may take to determine what exactly you can offer the company. After all, this interview is less about you than you may realize. Your strengths, weaknesses, assets, and former glories are but a glimpse as to the promise you bring as a potential employee.
“Why Should I Hire You?” This is the question that seems as though it would be about you but it really centers more selfishly around the hiring manager. You are a means to filling a deficit within the infrastructure, and it will take only a few ill-prepared responses to convince he or she that you won’t fit the bill. Therefore, with this truth in mind, you must prepare yourself to answer this question from an atypical point of view. It’s necessary to step outside of what feels like a natural response and really think through what the company needs from this particular position.
Researching the company and really studying the characteristics of the job description give the applicant the best idea of how to adequately answer this question. You are seeking to be hired not only on your own merit but also because of your confidence that you can fulfill the role on the table. Your answer to this question must, therefore, target the heart of what the company is after and reflect the assurance that you are putting their needs above your own.
As you prepare for your big interview, just remember that the questions you face won’t be all about rehashing the company info you can find on their website but more about their bottom line, the work you can do to fill their current hole in operations. Take a hard look at where the company seems to be lacking and be alert as to cues at the first part of the interview that may lead you further in this direction. Considering these preparatory steps will help you to really nail your next interview and remain a major contender for the job of your dreams!