Tell Me a Story

“Why should we hire you?” It is one of the most frequently asked questions in a job interview and is sometimes the hardest to answer. Before you begin, ask yourself what that question really means.

If you have made it to the interview process, your potential employer already knows that your past work history and skill set qualify you to do the work needed. What your potential employer does not know is what sets you apart from other equally skilled and qualified candidates. When your interviewer asks, “Why should we hire you?” you need to be prepared to answer the real question, “Why should we hire you rather than another candidate with the same experience and competence?”

Taylor King, Senior Vice President of Superior Search & Staffing, says, “Think about the number one quality you bring to the table; tell a story about it. Brag on yourself, but be ready to back it up with an example.”

If your best quality is your ability to organize, say so. Then tell a story about a time your organizational skills made a difference. If your best quality is your ability to build rapport, tell a story about a time you made a relationship and used that to your company’s advantage. If you are a great problem solver, tell a story about the time you saved the day when your boss called you from a taxi in Japan, lost and unable to transcend the language barrier.

Whatever your talents and experience, be ready to share, but also be ready to give the abridged version of your epic tale. Studies show that the best interview answers are 90 seconds or less in length. Most interviewers lose interest in answers that are over two minutes long.

“I tell people to have five short stories ready,” says Lynne Stewart, President of Superior Search & Staffing. “If you are in an hour long interview, being prepared with five examples of what make you the best candidate for a position will more than get you through.”