To deal in any job interview.

How to close the deal in any job interview.

After all, the whole interview process is about answering this question: Why should we hire you instead of one of the many other well-qualified applicants?
Every interview question is an attempt to gather information to inform this hiring decision.  Many interviewers will also specifically ask you to make your case with one of these questions:

• Why should we hire you?
• Why are you the best candidate for the job?
• Why are you the right fit for the position?
• What would you bring to the position?

To close the deal on a job offer, you MUST be prepared with a concise summary of the top reasons to choose you. Even if your interviewer doesn’t ask one of these question in so many words, you should have an answer prepared and be looking for ways to communicate your top reasons throughout the interview process.

Why Do Interviewers Ask This Question?

The interviewer’s job is to hire the best person for the position. Most of the candidates that make it to the interview stage are qualified for the job. The winning candidate must be more than qualified, especially in a very competitive job market.
Every hire is a risk for the company. Your interviewer will also be taking a personal career risk in recommending a particular candidate to hire. If the candidate performs well, Mr. Interviewer looks brilliant and gets a pat on the back (and maybe a bigger annual bonus).
If the candidate turns out to be a dud (doesn’t perform well, doesn’t get along with the team, leaves the job prematurely, etc.), the interviewer looks like a dummy and his professional reputation suffers.
With this question, your interviewer is asking you to sell him on you and your status as the best person for the position.

Make his job easier by convincing him that:

• You can do the work and deliver exceptional results
• You will fit in beautifully and be a great addition to the team
• You possess a combination of skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd
• Hiring you will make him look smart and make his life easier

 How to Answer: Why Should We Hire You?

• This is your chance to wow them with your highlight reel. 
• Your answer should summarize the top three or four best reasons to hire you. 
• It’s better to have three or four strong reasons with memorable descriptions and/or examples than to rattle off a laundry list of twelve strengths without context.
• This is an opportunity to reiterate your most impressive strengths and/or describe your most memorable selling points, tailored to align with the top requirements in the job description. 

Your 3-4 bullet points could include a combination of the following:

• Industry experience
• Experience in performing certain tasks or duties
• Technical skills
• Soft skills
• Key accomplishments
• Awards/accolades
• Education/training

Accomplishments and success stories are always good bets, especially if you can describe how a key accomplishment (a successful marketing campaign, for example) demonstrates a desired competency (creativity, results-orientation).

One approach is to mention any unique combination of skills(s) and experience that you possess.
 For example, many candidates may have strong programming skills, but what if you combine those with team leadership experience that others don’t have? Sounds like a great recipe for a senior programmer. Explain why in your answer.

Most job seekers should be able to develop a standard answer to this question that can be customized a bit for each opportunity.
Here’s how:

Step 1: Brainstorm
To get started, review the job description (or a representative job description if you don’t have an interview lined up right now) and your resume and ask yourself these questions:

• What are the most important qualifications for this position from the company’s perspective?
• In which of these areas do I really shine?
• What are my most impressive accomplishments?
• What makes me different from the typical candidate?
• Brainstorm and jot down everything that comes to mind.

Step 2: Structure Your Sales Pitch

• Next, choose the 3-4  bullet points that make the strongest argument for you. 
• Use those bullet points to structure your sales pitch. 
• Don’t write a script to memorize — simply capture the bullet points that you want to convey. 
• Each bullet will describe the selling point with a brief explanation and/or example for context.
• Keep it concise — you still want to keep your answer in the 1-2 minute range so you won’t be able to rattle off every skill and accomplishment on your resume. 
• You have to really think about what sets you apart from the competition.

Step 3: Practice
Once you feel pretty good about the points you want to make, it’s time to practice. Again, it’s not a good idea to memorize a script — you can end up sounding like a robot or feel more nervous because of pressure to remember specific wording.

• The better approach is to capture your bullet points, study them, and then practice until you feel comfortable talking about them off the cuff.  Your answer should come out a little bit different each time, but it should always cover the points that you want to make.
• Remember: It’s also very important to come across as confident and enthusiastic when you deliver your pitch.
• Make them believe in you — your abilities and your commitment.
• If you project confidence (even if you have to fake it a little), you’re more likely to make a strong impression. 
• As for enthusiasm, keep in mind that true passion for the work required is a pretty compelling selling point. Yes, experience and qualifications are important, but the right attitude can definitely give you an edge over those with similar professional backgrounds. After many years of experience in recruiting and hiring, I’d rather hire someone who has a little less experience, but who is driven and motivated to learn and succeed.