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Ask HN: How to answer properly “Why we should hire you” question?

99 points by neurobot 10y ago

I've ask somewhere on the internet about this question. But, never receive good response and also the answer is not related on my field. This question, has make me failed on interview process on one of antivirus company, despite, it was long a ago, sometimes I cannot move on and still wondering what is the best answer for this typical question. Since, this site a lot of IT guys, it might be related and I hope I will received very good advice and answers. Thanks.

dinososs 10y ago
It may be easier to answer if you tell us how you have been answering the question. For example, what did you say to the antivirus company person that made you fail the interview?
krisroadruck 10y ago
"I have identified several key areas where I can bring value to the company. Here are a few: list things you can do for them that will make an impact Additionally, I am reliable, flexible, work well with others and will work hard to make a difference here wherever I can."
fluxic 10y ago
https://youtu.be/mJHvSp9AKYg?t=39 https://youtu.be/mJHvSp9AKYg?t=39
arghIdontwantto 10y ago
Because I will be the best fit for the team from all available candidates. If you think someone else is, then it is that person you should hire. Honest, to the point and not BS crap
rpeden 10y ago
Assuming they ask this at the end of the interview after you've shown your skills and discussed your experience: "I believe I've demonstrated that I'll deliver significantly more value with my work than I'll cost you in salary and benefits." That's pretty much the reason anyone should hire you, for any role, in any industry. Most interviews are really about demonstrating the value you'll deliver. Keep that in mind with every question you answer. When talking about your skills and experience, describe how you'd use them to help the company your're interviewing with. If you're being interviewed by the hiring manager, ask them questions to determine what his or her specific problems are, and talk about how you'll help solve those problems. If you've done that, you should probably skip the equivocating and just say: "You'll make more money from my work than I'll cost in salary and benefits." Because if you haven't already convinced your interviewer of that by the time you're asked the "why should I hire you?" question, you probably don't have a chance regardless of your answer. EDIT: I like the points some people have replied with! Answer #2 would probably work best if you're a short term contractor who has to deliver cold, hard value quickly. My initial responses were probably a bit of a grumpy off-the-cuff response to an interview question I think is a bit pointless. The general sentiment is true, but if the interview has been conducted with minimal competency by the interviewer, then you'll have already spent the whole interview talking about why they should hire you and the value you deliver. If instead they open with "why should I hire you?", that's probably not a sign that the interview is going to go well either.
- iamben 10y ago
  Yeah. "If you can't make considerably more money from my work for than the amount you're paying me, you have problems that I can't solve." That said, I'd judge the audience before I phrased it like that... (and you'd have to _actually_ be good)
  - rpeden 10y ago
    Yes, this is predicated on actually being able to deliver. If you're looking to edge your way into a BigCo role where you can look busy without actually doing much (hey, I'm not going to judge you if that's your cup of tea), you're more likely to succeed with equivocation, pontification, and bloviation (though not necessarily in that order).
- mosselman 10y ago
  This is solid. Not purely the phrase, but more so what you say about explaining how you'd add value. Thanks
  - rpeden 10y ago
    You're absolutely right; the specific phrasing should definitely be tailored to the person or people you're addressing. I decided to err on the side of bluntness because blunt, to-the-point statements are probably easier for people take and adapt to their own circumstances.
- kohanz 10y ago
  Your reasoning makes perfect sense, but the answer is a bit dry and, I don't know how to describe it, robotic? As someone who has sat in the hiring chair, if I heard "You'll make more money from my work than I'll cost in salary and benefits.", I'd get the impression of that person someone who maybe views themselves as a profit-generating widget in the grand scheme of the company. I'd wonder a bit what enjoyment/passion that person gets from their work. I know that's completely unfair, but it's just not a very natural-sounding response. I just think there are, I don't know, "warmer" ways to phrase it? Keep in mind, the person deciding to hire you is often somewhat removed from the bottom line of the company's financials. Even though the end-goal is to make the company more money, the hiring manager is often not primarily motivated by that. They're looking for someone who will deliver quality work while fitting in well with the rest of the team (this part is so important). So my advice would be to add a tinge of enthusiasm and a display of personality that you believe would mesh well with the "vibe" of the existing team. Something like "Given that you're working on projects A, B, and C, I think my experience with X, Y, and Z can really help improve both the velocity of the team, as well as the quality of our output". You're saying basically the same thing, but more in manager-speak (depends on the manager, of course). I know these are all qualitative/subjective things whereas your statement is very objective, but that's because I don't believe the hiring process is all about technical merit and productivity. As much as we might dislike it, it's about "fit", whatever that means.
ohitsdom 10y ago
This answer is best tailored to the core company values. What questions have they been asking you? What traits and skills are they looking for? If you get this question early on, it might be difficult. But if it's later in the interview, you should have been able to pick up on a pattern or theme to the questions (flexibility, specific expertise, initiative/motivation, etc).
- neurobot 10y ago
  The question is on title I am asking about, because there is no technical question anymore, because I've pass this session on "skill assessment" that before the process interview is start. I apply for "vulnerability analyst" or "vulnerability security" kind of.. can't remember. sorry. btw, it's for junior (because it under 5 years experiences).
pwython 10y ago
The first result on Google has pretty much all the advice you should need: https://biginterview.com/blog/2013/04/why-should-we-hire-you.html https://biginterview.com/blog/2013/04/why-should-we-hire-you...
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b6 10y ago
I hope I'm not alone in thinking "why should we hire you" is a bit of a dumb question and a bit insulting. If I was asked that, I'd be thinking something like: We're all adults here. We know why you're trying to hire someone approximately like me, and why I'm trying to get the job. Let's be friends instead of you trying to get me to trot like a show pony. This isn't a game show. Or if you think it is, maybe I don't want the job after all, because I value my dignity.
- rl3 10y ago
  These mirror my sentiments exactly. Not that I'd ever ask the question myself, but I'd expect the best candidates to respond with indignation.
  - dpark 10y ago
    I wouldn't ask this question because it's pointless, but I would expect the best candidates to answer the question reasonably. Indignation is not a mature attitude to demonstrate in an interview.
    - tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
      The question is an insult to the interviewee. The interviewee can stammer around and say something about great fit, being a team player or whatever … basically re-iterating the requirements of the job and state how well he fulfils those. What is the honest answer? It all boils down to “I fulfil the requirements, and then some!” In my eyes, the question shows hostility towards the interviewee.
      - dpark 10y ago
        I completely agree it's not a good question. I don't think it's hostile, though, just stupid. Regardless, being unable to hold your temper in the face of a pointless/stupid/vaguely insulting question is a really bad sign for a candidate. If you can't handle this, how are you going to handle it when someone bluntly calls one of your designs terrible?
mydpy 10y ago
The answer to this will probably change based on where you are in your career.
- falsedan 10y ago
  I think devs at all levels can help a company reduce waste or increase output. The answer is always, "I will help your company be more effective (at making money/executing its non-profit work)".
rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
I have two microwave-ready answers for this kind of question. 1: "I am always learning. I am not afraid to try a new technique or even an entirely new framework and programming language. All I need is time to learn and trust that I will arrive to the level of competence required of me. I may not know everything now, but I will not stop learning. Even if I know everything I need to do my job today, I will continue to learn how to do my job tomorrow." Simple and truthful, although the second answer relates more to me as a person. 2: "I am not a math person. I can do math, but my brain is wired for language. That is why I became a programmer: I can speak to the machine just as I can speak to a customer. By hiring me, you are hiring a liaison between the technical people, the non-technical people, and the technology itself. I can understand non-technical people's technical needs and communicate my technical solutions better than most programmers. I can work with people as well as I can work with machines, and that is why I am a very effective developer." The second answer got me the job I have now.
- thinkloop 10y ago
  > I am not a math person. I can do math, but my brain is wired for language. Not a good time to introduce not's in my opinion. It might work (as it did for you), but it's high risk.
  - rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
    Like I said the second answer applies to me personally. I often say this to convey my honesty and to plainly state that I have a minor weakness that is compensated by a superior strength. If the job requires a math person to sit and code and not talk to non-technical people, then I am the wrong person for that job and both parties are better off if they hire someone else.
    - thinkloop 10y ago
      "My brain is wired for language..." Omitting the first part keeps the message and sounds cleaner to me, without risking the person thinking "not good at math? like basic logic?" (rather than the cal 3 you had in mind or whatever). It's rarely beneficial to use up time highlighting anything you're bad at, rather than better emphasizing what you are good at.
jMyles 10y ago
The main thing that an interviewer is asking you when they ask you this is to essentially repeat back what you've heard them say. The best answer to this question is, "I've heard you say that you are looking for a, b and c, and I think that I can mesh well with your team and accomplish these things."
- Taylor_OD 10y ago
  This. Tell them what they want to hear. You should know what they want to hear from the conversation preceding this question.
- mosselman 10y ago
  Good advice, this works for any verbal communication; by repeating the issues the other person has first you show that you have in fact listened to them. People love it when they feel as if people are listening to them.
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nailer 10y ago
> This question, has make me failed on interview process on one of antivirus company, despite, it was long a ago, sometimes I cannot move on Stop. Hiring is sometimes stupidly arbitrary. Hirers are fallible and some of the best or most respected developers in the world have been rejected. It means nothing: http://rejected.us/ http://rejected.us/
planetjones 10y ago
I'd hope the interview / assessment process already gives the interviewer the answer. If not I doubt the interview process. A good answer to this question will mean very little.
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cheath 10y ago
For what it's worth, it's a horrid interview question. But I'll put that aside for a second. Having candor and talking as though you were the interviewer can show empathy for their thought process while deliberately disconnecting you from the answer. This can kinda disarm the awkwardness of selling yourself so blatantly. Example: "If I were in your shoes - I would be looking for someone who would be the best fit for the team and can demonstrate X, Y, and Z skills [Note: great time to demonstrate understanding of what they're hiring for and pander towards your specific skill set. The real important thing here is knowing what X, Y, and Z should be]. Hopefully I have demonstrated that I fulfill those requirements through our interview, but certainly let me know if there are any areas that I can provide additional clarity. [In a sales interview, sometimes someone goes for a close here. Asks the interviewer if they have any objections about moving them forward to the next step. That's too aggressive in an engineering interview, but this might eek out an additional question or two. But in all likelihood, they'll just move right along]".
bsvalley 10y ago
It' a non-technical way to see if it's a great fit or not. Before an interview, you should always prepare the following 3 key points: - My XXX will help your company succeed. - Your YYY will help me grow - I believe in your ZZZ XXX: skills, experience, etc. YYY: technology, project, product, etc. ZZZ: vision, culture, values.
- ashark 10y ago
  Bearing in mind (this part's tough to come to terms with for anyone raised to value honesty) that zero of those things need to be true—they just need to be what will get you the job, and they need to be said convincingly-enough for the person interviewing to accept what you've said (depending on the situation they may not even need to believe you—interviews are weird). It's not that they have to be false, but in the vast majority of all successful interviews ever where these things were asserted, some or all of them were. If they're not true and you're not willing to lie about them, it's typically not worth interviewing.
  - bsvalley 10y ago
    I'm %100 on your side. This is how the whole hiring process works though, on both sides. The employers make it sound like a dream job and they know it's not. So... it's a complete joke and that's why the process is very subjective anyway
niftich 10y ago
Was this question not originally intended as a nudge to drop some of the implicit formality of an interview -- where even if the atmosphere is colloquial, the power balance tilts in favor of the company -- and prompt the candidate to plainly speak about their thoughts? Some might propose that it's advantageous to play the mind games and construct an answer tailored to the culture fit of the company. I question the wisdom of this: this is akin to lying on a dating site, where the truth, irrespective of its subtlety, will come out in a relationship sooner or later. In my opinion, the point is to find a good employer-to-employee match, and you won't know what answer the interviewer is looking for -- so it's best to drop all pretenses and fall back to primal emotions: excitement, desire, etc. I want this. I want the challenge of working here. I think I'd be a great fit because <short but authentic personal anecdote>. I don't think this is akin to a retail employee reluctantly feeling pressured to pledge their allegiance to the brand, but rather a plain assessment of why you felt to apply there. Perhaps they're looking for a little reassurance that they're not an interchangeable cog in your plan, just like you want to feel like you're valued as a person, not just the sum of all your skills.
stevarino 10y ago
Ask yourself what you haven't covered. My go-to answer on this is cultural, not technical. Explain the perspective you approach problems with, how you interact with others, the experience you have that might not be obvious in a resume. Maybe even reach a little and go back to something a family member taught you, or how some life hardship improved your outlook. This is a great question to me as it provides so much opportunity. If you can't answer this with enthusiasm, then I think you should reflect on what makes you valuable. I promise that there is something...
RandomOpinion 10y ago
Businesses hire people to solve a problem. (Big surprise.) Therefore, to answer the question effectively, you need to figure out what problems they need to have solved[0]. Figuring this out includes the research on the company you've (hopefully) done before applying, reading and fully understanding the job description, and asking questions during the screening & interview loop along the lines of "What issues is your business trying to solve?", "What role(s) do you want the person that you hire to play?", "What pain points does your organization have?", etc. From there, the response should more or less write itself: "My experience/skills in X, Y, and Z are going to help you solve problems A, B, and C that you're having" or, for less senior applicants, "I'm very interested in learning more about the technologies/skills you need me to have to solve problems A, B, C and my past work in I, J, K shows that I can acquire those skills easily and will be effective in applying them to your problems." [0] This includes ones that they may not even know they needed to have solved.
patio11 10y ago
So what's your theory of the mind as to why they would ask this question. I have two scenarios: a) They don't want to hire you. b) They do want to hire you, but are incompetent at interviewing. A key realization from poker is that if you're in the a bucket your answer to this question _literally doesn't matter_, so you optimize for the case where they do want to hire you. I think that this would counsel a response which is chest-thumping by HN standards but still likely to be effective. (Think of how you would deliver the answer to that question if you were utterly indifferent to their approval, because it's so patently obvious, and a little bored before your next meeting.)
dpark 10y ago
> This question, has make me failed on interview process on one of antivirus company What was your answer? You'd have to bomb this question pretty badly for it to sink an interview. I'd guess that you didn't get the job for some other reason, which could be in your control or not. You could have had a poor technical showing that day. You might have been so awesome they thought you'd seen all the questions before. The interviewers could have been having a bad day. They might have had multiple candidates and had to pick one. They might have suddenly instituted a hiring freeze. You might have seemed like a poor cultural fit. They might have been racist. The hiring manager might have left the company suddenly and they decided to close the req. There are at least a hundred reasons you might not get a job and you generally have no visibility into the real reason.
Humdeee 10y ago
I'm a game-changer that can think outside the box. I bring forth a synergy that will leverage my ability to hit the ground running and go that extra mile. Pushing the envelope and reinforcing the company vision statement is what I'm all about. Goal setting and going after the low-hanging fruit is paramount to setting us up as a thought-leader and to pivot in a ruthless, competitive market. I understand that achieving this level of excellence is a byproduct of continuously moving the needle forward. Once the ducks are in a row, together we can unleash this unicorn to the world, and prove we are truly best of breed. Cue eye-twitch...
- ant6n 10y ago
  Wow, that's like a poem.
- djkrudy 10y ago
  As a hiring manager, I would never believe this response, because as an interviewee there isn't a company on the planet I could say all these things about AFTER working there for 30 years, much less before working there. I'd just laugh because anybody who says something like this has no idea how mucked up a simple task can get in the real world. Jeez, are you a second semester business administration UG student?
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - Humdeee 10y ago
    "So, did I get the position?"
    - djkrudy 10y ago
      "Do you have any questions for us?" "Um, how many days can I call in sick in a year before I get fired?"
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    As a hiring manager, I would never believe this response, Right - it was meant to be facetious.
chias 10y ago
This question is your friend. Don't view it as an "ok, so you did fine I guess, but you better justify your existence now and play mind games" type of thing. Instead, view it as an opportunity to end the interview with your best foot forward. Use it as an excuse to do three things. 1: Summarize what went particularly well in the interview. Your interview was probably not perfect, and this question lets you refresh the good parts in your interviewers' minds right before leaving. 2: Talk about why you think this job is something that you would enjoy. Your most valuable asset to this company is your enthusiasm. It's excited and enthused employees that drive the workplace. 3: Bring up stuff that you wish they had asked you but that didn't come up. Did you make something cool a while ago that showcases your skills, but it never came up in conversation? Now is the perfect time to show it off.
- FT_intern 10y ago
  > Your most valuable asset to this company is your enthusiasm. This makes me want to puke.
  - chias 10y ago
    Again, as responded to a separate (related comment): Sorry, I should have said: besides your competence, your enthusiasm is your most valuable asset. In more detail: assuming all other things equal, an employee who wants to be where he or she is will be more valuable than an employee who is bored. You have had your entire interview to demonstrate your competence. Assuming you have done so, when you're down to the final softball question, enthusiasm matters. Assuming you have not done so, no answer to this question is going to get you hired.
JSeymourATL 10y ago
> This question, has made me failed on interview process... I cannot move on. You MUST move on. It's an asenine question, the sign of a poor interviewer. And it's impossible to know for certain that your answer was the deciding factor why you did not get the job. Suggest replying with a question-- "Are there any areas lacking in my background or skill sets that you are concerned about or possibly feel isn't a good match for your team?" This helps foster more dialog-- probe for any perceived negatives and then address those concerns. Everyday big companies screw-up recruiting, missing-out on otherwise very qualified, even brilliant talent. Here's a take on Googles process > https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-02/book-review-work-rules-by-google-s-laszlo-bock https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-02/book-revi...
internalfx 10y ago
Respond with a very matter-of-fact tone saying: "If the answer to that question isn't obvious, then I'm not sure why I would choose to work here."
mc32 10y ago
I used to wonder why people would inject predictable boilerplate questions. Basically, they want to make sure you have the right skills as well as have the decency to be able to prepare correctly and not take things for granted or take anything too lightly. I mean, if you can't answer a boilerplate question, hoe can they expect you to fulfill the occasional proforma task?
LoonyBalloony 10y ago
"Why should I work for you?"
bluGill 10y ago
Since it is clear by the fact that you asked this question that you have no clue what you want or why you would hire anyone I no long want this job. Thank you for the interview practice. Perhaps we will meet again. Of course most people who are interviewing actually need a job and so they cannot afford to tell the truth. So you need to BS your way though, but this is not a useful question to ask in the first place and it reflects bad on them that they did. If you are lucky enough to get two offers this is a sign you should choose the other. This is the right question to frame the interview around: why should we hire (or not hire) this person. However interviewers need to ask the types of questions that a well prepared interviewee cannot lie and fool the interviewer. There is plenty of research on how to interview people: people who are interviewed have incentive to lie, and probably have done enough research to figure out what lies to tell. The problem with "Why should we hire you" is you learn one of two things: how good the candidate is at delivering a prepared statement; or how good the candidate is at lying himself out of a tricky situation when put on the spot. The first is interesting only if you are hiring an actor - but in this case you can get more information by giving the actor a short speech and a few minutes to prepare before delivering it. I guess the second is interesting if you are hiring a thief for a job where he might get caught.
fallous 10y ago
There are really only two things an employee can provide that makes them worth hiring. First you have to produce more value than your expense, which is the baseline minimum and for some roles is usually sufficient to at least qualify as a potential hire. The second is that you make the people and things around you better, which makes you someone that increases the value produced by other people and processes. The first is simply additive, the second is multiplicative.
awfgylbcxhrey 10y ago
That question is a symptom of the many problems in tech hiring. 1) interviewers spend all their time looking for any reason not to hire you, rather than looking for what value you can provide. Kind of odd for an industry with a supposed talent shortage. They'll make some claim about the cost of false positives, but it's nonsense, at least in America. 2) they expect you to be passionate about sitting in front of a computer all day (because, for some reason, it's not good enough to simply be competent and reliable) but during an interview they expect you to have sales skills and to sell yourself.
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ebbv 10y ago
I don't think I can tell you the right answer since I don't know you personally. But I can tell you how I answer it; which is I think of my best traits that apply to the position I'm interviewing for. You should follow the same thought process prior to the interview; what do you bring to the table for this job. Are you experienced in the field? Do you have high productivity compared to other people you've worked with? Are you really enthusiastic about the work? If it's a team based environment, do you have experience working in or even teams in this field? That's how you answer that question.
tqkxzugoaupvwqr 10y ago
I think this question is insulting. You can either lie or tell the truth. Lying doesn’t reflect well and the truth is mostly “Well, I need money and this job seems okay.” Of course, no one wants to hear that – even though this answer is to be expected in most cases. You can manage (and diffuse) the situation by replying with humor. Make an over-the-top statement with a big smile to say something without saying anything. Like “Because I can do everything you need, and I can do it better than all the other candidates!”. Do not talk about money and especially not about costs. Just keep it light. A dumb question warrants a dumb answer.
tps5 10y ago
This question exists because it's hard. One reason it's hard because the true answer is always: "because you believe that I will complete more work and therefore generate more profits than the other 8 people you interviewed, and because you like me more than them based on the 40 minute conversation we just had." That is not a valid answer in most interviews I can imagine taking place. Another reason this question is hard is that questions which ask you to boast about yourself are always awkward to answer. I find it always comes off better to be humble in interviews, and this question seems like it's almost begging you to talk yourself up. Given this, I would approach this question by ignoring it (more or less) and answering a different question: "Why do you want to work here?" "This area genuinely interests me and I'm excited about this work." "This is the work I want to be doing. I prefer the work that goes on here to the work that goes on in the 3 other places I interviewed at last week." I think you can leave out the "...so therefore I will work very hard" bit, because that's a given. Convince them you actually want the job. If you succeed, that's a valid, though roundabout, way of giving them a reason to hire you.
VLM 10y ago
Some of the responses are a little over broad. Sometimes in an interview the discussion will revolve around current projects and challenges and the candidate needs to pay close attention and repeat back. Thats really all there is to it. It wasn't in the bland HR generated job req but todays task is we're trying to talk to the MQTT server and ... anyway five minutes later to see if the candidate is listening the interviewer asks why you ... If the candidate responds with something indicating the candidate heard the interviewer five minutes ago talk about MQTT servers or libraries or whatever, then awesome, thats exactly what the interviewer expected. If the candidate rambles about their resume its because they were not paying attention and in the workplace its annoying to tell someone what to do and then have them go off on a totally separate tangent. If the candidate panics and goes lost in space, they were daydreaming about lunch or the TV show they watched last night and that is also annoying in a professional workplace during a professional conversation. "Yo I heard you say in this interview you're working on X Y and Z right now and let me tell you all about how I can speed it up and lower risk by helping you out with X Y and Z." Oh and don't surprise the interviewer. They read your resume and expect an answer along the lines of what they read. Or heard. Even if its true don't suddenly shout out Holy Cow thats exactly like a programming assignment I did in class or some random thing. Before they even asked they already guessed what your response will be and you want them all warm and fuzzy by restating what they expect. You know take home projects? This question is like a take home project without the take home. You mention rabbitmq they freak out or go on a fizzbuzz tangent or talk about freebsd in general, not so good. If it were a take home assignment they'd fail or come back with a solution to a different problem, not so good. You mention rabbitmq and they respond rabbitmq ah now there's an attentive on task future employee whom if I HAD assigned a rabbitmq take home project would probably have returned with a solution to the rabbitmq problem as opposed to something else or nothing... Edited to add, think of it like the conversation you probably have with your boss on a regular basis. Especially if the interviewer might be your new boss. Boss says yo I'm getting a lot of heat about bug #15133 and feature request #126699 and then you talk about the weather for ten minutes and the conversation closes with some sort of what you're doing today? and it better revolve around #15133 and #126699 and I totally have a plan and the skills to handle it, definitely not oh shit I type meta-x panic-mode, or I have no idea, or how about that TV show last night, or whatever.
pizza 10y ago
It's a question about: - investment: showing why/how you maximize their profits amongst other candidates - relief: proving you will make their lives/jobs easier - simplifying the selection process: providing a means by which the employer orders the candidates through their own descriptions of the job - sanity-checking: giving bad candidates the opportunity to self-disqualify, or alternatively indicating a signal for the company to "re-think"
bitwize 10y ago
Why do you feel the need to impress an employer with a BS answer to a BS question. Companies should be willing to give you a fair shake if you made it as far as an interview. If you have to justify their decision to consider you during the interview process, how would they be on the actual job? My guess: not very pleasant.
mindcrime 10y ago
I don't think there's one "stock" answer to this, although @rpeden's response is pretty good. My take is that you should be doing values elicitation throughout the interview (that is, asking questions to find out what they are looking for) and then you just use that question as a chance to pitch yourself as the ideal candidate based on their criteria.
megamindbrian 10y ago
"You shouldn't. Instead you should hire all 10 other candidates to do the job that it would take me to do."
janbernhart 10y ago
There is no 1 answer that would be best in all cases. Depends in the company you're interviewing for, how the interview went so far and most importantly: who you are. Don't fall into the trap of overselling yourself because you think that's what they want to see. Most tech departments I know prefer modesty. The question might be a check to keep arrogant / over-confident folks out. Something along the lines of 'I love my craft/job and am very interested in the challenges your organizations has' is probably a safe bet. I hate this interviewing question btw, really don't know why you would ask it unless you're interviewing for sales positions.
telebone_man 10y ago
"I just want a business/client to take advantage of my enthusiasm" has worked well for me!
vorotato 10y ago
If you have to ask I'm going to put my time and effort into a company that already sees something valuable in me. Thanks for your time.

djkrudy 10y ago

This is not an answer to the question. The question is actually "Why should we hire you, INSTEAD of the next person in the door. I'd be weary about working for a company that fell for the "You give me money I give you work worth more money" answer. This question is asked to discern why or how you cannot be generalized into being just another grunt who will be the first to be laid off. What qualities, morals, connections, skills, perspectives do you bring? This is your chance to not be a piece of paper. Speaking to your resume is very dry, this is an opportunity to show your intrinsic value. Warren Buffet is just an investor, right? Elon Musk is just a business magnate, right? NO, these leaders have qualities that don't fit into work experience. The hiring process is 2 things really: 1, finding grunts to create slightly more value than they are paid(as told in above answer), and 2, a lot like venture capitalism. A good company is looking for people with high potential to pay back 10x, 100x, etc in innovation, or as leaders. If they hire the first 50 people in the door, they have a 1 in 50 chance (for example) but if they vet and press people to explain why a company should bet on them, instead of a random selection of "qualified applicants", they can improve those odds considerably. If you think the job search is literally luck of the draw in a pool of people with similar experience, or a comparison of who has the most degrees, you won't succeed in face-to-face interviews. I'll provide my stock response, paraphrased, but your answer should be true for you, this is an answer that MUST be truthful, because they're asking for your identity. "Why should we hire you" "Because of my dogged commitment to "right". I'm someone who will not be happy with the answer I get in the typical 9-5 if I know I can get a better one. I'm not content biting my tongue on a new idea, even if it creates more work for me. I will stand up for fair treatment of ALL of my coworkers, and I will gladly accept, and seek out criticism about my work and behavior. Integrity is the most important moral I have, and that means it stands above profit, job security, etc etc etc." Do you have a life experience that armed you with incredible empathy? This is when to break that out, without sounding whiny. Do you have skills that don't fit within the scope of experience, but provide you with an edge in day to day tasks, etc?

rpeden 10y ago
You make good and fair points. The first answer I wrote assume you've already described your unique qualities, skills, perspectives earlier in the interview. Because all of those non-monetary contributions absolutely provide value. And they definitely can be, and often are, the difference between success and failure for teams and companies. I think if you've spent the interview gently highlighting all of the ways you provide value, then when you're hit with a closing question like "Why should I hire you?", you likely won't need to spend too much time describing what that value is. Reiterating a few of the points would often be a good idea, though. The second, more blunt answer I wrote is probably most appropriate if you're a contractor who has to come in, deliver something valuable very quickly, and then go away.

rl3 10y ago

>... being unable to hold your temper ... I didn't mean to suggest the candidate should launch into a tirade or anything, just that the indignation would ideally be evident yet subtle. >If you can't handle this, how are you going to handle it when someone bluntly calls one of your designs terrible? The flip side of this is that candidates who find nothing wrong with the question are far more likely to not mete out such critiques. The last thing you want is your organization rotting from within because nobody's speaking their mind.

dpark 10y ago
> I didn't mean to suggest the candidate should launch into a tirade or anything, just that the indignation would ideally be evident yet subtle. I don't think that subtle indignation is a healthy response. If you're so bothered by this question, I think you should say so. A direct, honest response is far more mature way to handle it than acting annoyed by the question. I could respect a candidate telling me directly that the question is insulting. It would be harder to respect a candidate who responds to the question with snark or sarcasm or an eye roll or any other indication of "subtle indignation". > The flip side of this is that candidates who find nothing wrong with the question are far more likely to not mete out such critiques. The last thing you want is your organization rotting from within because nobody's speaking their mind. I don't follow this connection at all. I don't think that being annoyed by this question is very related to giving blunt feedback.
- rl3 10y ago
  >A direct, honest response is far more mature way to handle it than being acting annoyed by the question. I could respect a candidate telling me directly that the question is insulting. Then the interview quickly turns into a robotic caricature straight out of an HR manual. Why make the whole situation awkward and probably tank the interview just to state the obvious.
  - dpark 10y ago
    Instead be snarky and annoyed and tank the interview by being a passive aggressive jerk?
    - rl3 10y ago
      On the contrary, I was merely suggesting high-caliber people should be rightfully disconcerted if asked that question. Subtle indignation doesn't automatically mean passive-aggressive asshole. Besides, the entire scenario largely depends on context. I'm sure most people would find it far more beneign if the question was posed by an HR person at BigCo, rather than by the founder of a smaller company.

mythobit 10y ago

I wonder if you wouldn't be justified in following up their question with your own of "Why should I choose to work for you?". Seems only fair that they should try and sell you on being part of their team as well.

awinder 10y ago
I've always asked teams why someone should come work there during the interview process. For one, a lot of employees are not terribly good actors, so you can read the room if you see people stammer through this question. Two, by even just asking that question, you can flip the tenor & tone of an interview by nicely showcasing that: you have options, so you're looking to understand why this is a fit for you and not just a fit for the hiring side.
- ryandrake 10y ago
  That's pretty bold. I would imagine most companies' honest response would be "Well, you don't HAVE to come work here, we have 10 other people interviewing after you." I mean, congratulations if you have options, but in most employer-applicant relationships, there is a huge power imbalance benefiting the employer.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
    Please, please, please don't think this. It's not bold, it's a perfectly reasonable question. In most parts of the US, it's a developer's market. Exploit that while you can. FWIW, every time I've asked this question, the response is always for the interviewer (sometimes with a slight smile) to try to sell me on working there. Never have I gotten a response like you predicted, and I'd be very surprised if I ever do. You're not a fungible assembly line worker; you're a highly skilled individual in great demand. Even if you don't really believe that, find a way to convince yourself of it temporarily before the interview: it will have positive results.
  - jjpe 10y ago
    Power imbalances often arise solely because the people involved perceive it as such (i.e. it's a purely psychological effect). Therefore, simply perceiving the situation differently and then acting on that can make a lot of difference.
  - jjpe 10y ago
    Power imbalances most often arise solely because the people involved perceive it as such. Therefore, simply perceiving the situation differently and then acting on that can make a lot of difference.
HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
Of course you would. In fact, it doesn't have to be in response to anything they say. I think both questions are valid for both interviewer and interviewee. There's only one of me to go around, so I'm pretty particular about where I am.