I'd wonder a bit what enjoyment/passion that person gets from their work. Why can't someone just be a professional who generates value?
Because your enthusiasm is your most valuable asset. Enthused employees tend to be a lot more productive, and also drive up the morale among their peers.
Because your enthusiasm is your most valuable asset.
Wow, no, that's not even remotely true. My years of experience and track record of delivering completed products is my most valuable asset.
Enthusiasm doesn't get the job done. Enthusiasm and passion are fleeting.
Honestly, I cannot express how horrified I am by your reply.
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 wi…
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?
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 wi…
There may be multiple candidates who fit this criteria. How do you set yourself apart?
In reality?
You spend the entire interview being friendly, likable, and at ease while fluidly and competently answering the interviewer's questions.
I know that sounds like a trite answer, sort of like the How to Draw an Owl instructions[1]. But interviewing is something you can practice for and become good at. Or at least better at. There are quite a few good books on the topic.
That's not to say the candidates you're competing against won't also be likable. But I've interviewed lots of developers over the years, though, and if you're a developer who is competent technically who also interviews well, you'll be far ahead of most of the people you're competing against.
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 w…
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.
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.
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 wi…
This is solid. Not purely the phrase, but more so what you say about explaining how you'd add value. Thanks
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.
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?
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/passi…
I'd wonder a bit what enjoyment/passion that person gets from their work. Why can't someone just be a professional who generates value?
Thank you. What's with this expectation that unless we have sweet passionate love for web portals or accounting app middleware, or whatever the product is, we won't be competent professionals?
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.
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/passi…
I'd wonder a bit what enjoyment/passion that person gets from their work. Why can't someone just be a professional who generates value?
Why can't someone just be a professional who generates value?
Because fit. Because duty has limits, but passion can be exploited. In the words of Leonard Cohen: "He taught that the duty of lovers / is to tarnish the golden rule."