The episode emphasizes the importance of preparing for the interview question, "Why should I hire you?" and how this preparation can enhance your overall confidence and interview performance. Key strategies discussed include focusing on your skills, communicating your passion for the role, highlighting your unique qualifications, and making the hiring manager's decision easier.
Use the free resource mentioned in today's episode, the "Why Should I Hire You? 4-Step Template". Just download and fill it out to prep today!
Check out all of our Free Resources.
• Understanding the significance of the "Why should I hire you?" question
• Preparing for the question can enhance overall interview confidence
• Clarity on personal value proposition
• Focusing on relevant skills aligned with employer needs
• Communicating passion and excitement for the role
• Identifying unique qualities that differentiate you from other candidates
• Mitigating hiring manager concerns to make their decision easier
•
Don’t spend any more time searching through articles, lists, or websites.
Check out Equipped Essentials for your all-in-one, 35-page digital book that offers examples, tips, memory hooks, and easy to follow advice.
Don’t spend any more time searching through articles, lists, or websites.
Check out Equipped Essentials for your all-in-one, 35-page digital book that offers examples, tips, memory hooks, and easy to follow advice.
Episode Transcript
Hey everyone and welcome to the Equipped
Interview Podcast.
With a combined 30 plus yearsof being interviewed and
interviewing thousands of others, we're here to build your
confidence, help you stand outand get your dream job.
Your hosts are Joshua Tinkeyand Linda Kamali.
Let's get you equipped.
As a reminder, in these shortMonday episodes we bring you
some motivation to help you keepinterview prep top of mind, so
(00:37):
you can always be prepping.
We share quick, hit, practicaltips, reminders and steps you
can take to start your weekstrong.
For today's topic, we're goingto follow up on one of the top
five items from last week,digging in a little bit deeper
but also serving as a reminderto take action today.
So last week I gave the topfive interview secrets I tell my
younger self.
One of them was to prepare forcertain questions, even if I
(00:58):
didn't think I'd get asked.
The most important one of thesequestions that you should
prepare for, no matter what is,why should I hire you?
So we talked about that lastweek.
We're going to dive a littlebit deeper.
You may be asked this questiondirectly, you may not.
Either way, you should prepareto answer this head on.
Even if you aren't asked thisdirectly, preparing for it will
be wildly helpful to you whenanswering almost any other
(01:19):
interview question.
The good news is, there's someeasy ways to get ready and help
yourself stand out along the way, and it really is critical for
you to think through thisresponse and how to answer it,
and not just any response a goodresponse, a bad response,
obviously to this question canreally significantly hurt your
chances of getting the job offer, and so it really is a reason I
(01:39):
harp on this question.
It really helps set your mindand actually it might surprise
you.
It's actually better for you ifyou are asked this question.
It really helps set your mindand actually it might surprise
you.
It's actually better for you ifyou are asked this question
directly.
I find it way more helpful thanif I'm not asked.
So why is that?
Because it gives you a perfectopportunity to straight up tell
the hiring manager why you thinkyou're the best fit for the
role, without feeling likeyou're bragging.
Right.
Isn't this overkill?
(02:00):
I mean because in most cases,you won't be asked this question
directly.
Right, you may get the questionwhat?
Maybe 10, 20% of the time.
If that, you still need toprepare for it, and not just in
case you get the question.
There is a ton of benefit tosimply thinking this through
well.
You need clarity in your ownmind why you're a good fit for
the role and what youspecifically bring to the
(02:22):
figurative table.
What's your value proposition?
Why should they hire you?
Think about that.
You better understand theanswer yourself.
If you want to clearlyarticulate it to someone else in
a simple, efficient way in aninterview Separately, this
always helps you navigate theentire remaining part of the
interview.
You can always draw from yourprep for this answer to help
connect the dots for the hiringmanager as why you're the best
(02:44):
fit.
This kind of clarity alwaysleads to a boost in confidence.
So how should you prepare?
Prepare, as if you need toanswer, how would you answer it?
Then Do these next four steps.
Oh, and if you're driving,you're at the gym or somewhere,
you can't write these down, Ihave a free template you can
fill out that helps you fill inthe blanks.
So just go toequippedinterviewcom and go to
(03:05):
the free resources section andchoose the why should I hire you
four-step template.
It's just our website,equippedinterviewcom, free
resources.
Then choose the why should Ihire you template.
It's the first one on the list.
Promise you'll find it Okay.
Here are those four steps.
One focus on your skills.
What do I mean by that?
More specifically, think aboutit.
What skills are the hiringmanager looking for and which
(03:27):
ones do you offer?
What are your strengths?
I'll give you a hint.
If you want to take this alittle step further and add some
credibility to the strengthsand skills you talk about, make
sure you've completed somethinglike the StrengthsFinder
assessment.
When you receive your top fivestrengths, you can add that
credibility to your own claimthat you have a certain strength
, because you can say, hey, Itook this assessment, google it,
(03:50):
search for it or otherresources on our free resources
page.
Number two focus on your passionand excitement.
Why do I want the job?
What is it about this specificrole, organization, industry,
what attracted me to apply?
Be really specific here.
This is the framework foranswering the questions.
So the skills, the passion andexcitement, why you really want
(04:10):
it.
What excites you, what firesyou up about this opportunity?
Number three focus on the unique.
So what specific needs does thehiring manager have?
This could be a specific skillthe team is lacking.
It could be a personality fitthat the team needs somehow that
you might know if it's aninternal role you're going for,
it could be a particular type ofexperience unique to this team
(04:30):
in this time that they'relooking for, or something that
you have.
Ask someone in the organization.
Reread the job description.
Try to read between the lines.
Ask the recruiter, but find outsomething here.
Then write it down, somethingthat they need.
Also, what specific skills doyou uniquely offer?
This could be a uniquecombination of experience and
skill you bring to the table.
It could be a connection or anetwork you bring to the role or
(04:51):
organization.
Maybe this is your secondcareer and you bring a wealth of
knowledge from a separate butrelated industry.
Either way, write downsomething that all or most other
candidates won't have.
And then four, focus on makingtheir decision and life easier.
You may not realize it, but thehiring manager has risk, too
right.
They might be thinking what ifI make the wrong decision, or I
(05:12):
like this candidate, but what ifI overlooked something in the
interview process?
Make their decision easier.
Remove some of the common risksand hesitations on their mind.
So, for example, that could beshare why you'll learn quickly,
making it up that learning curvefaster than other candidates,
and why that would be true.
Explain how maybe your uniquebackground means they don't have
to train you on a particularsystem, which can be costly or a
(05:34):
software program, or adesignation, a license,
something you already have.
Focus on that.
Make sure to call it out.
Don't assume they'll connectthose dots.
Share how you transitionseamlessly into a previous role,
maybe a new job you took before, making things easier, how
quickly you got up to speed withyour former manager.
So write down how you'll makethe hiring manager's life easier
by choosing you.
(05:55):
So, to repeat those four steps,focus on your skills, focus on
your passion and excitement,focus on the unique and focus on
making the hiring manager'sdecision and life easier.
Well, hope you enjoyed thisQuick Hit Monday Motivation
episode.
Stay tuned for our regularepisodes on Wednesday and
another Quick Hit episode nextweek.
That's all for today, but let'skeep the conversation going.
(06:17):
Check out equippedinterviewcom,be intentional, do the work and
build your confidence to standout in your next job interview.
Thank you.
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