"Why should I hire you?"
I don't know if this is a common question, but I heard many people use this question. In all the interviews I've been through, I never received this question, nor did I ask this question in any interviews I gave. But, there are a lot of people asking this question, so preparing for it is a must. To answer this question, you need to know exactly what they are looking for. With this information, tie it in with your strong traits. This will verify that you are completely qualified for the job. Second and more importantly, you need to stand out more than the other people interviewing for this position. I will give two examples for the long answers, one for a person with a lot of experience, and the other for a recent college graduate.
Short Answers
"I'm a perfect fit for this position. I have the experience and the traits you are looking for. On top of that, I'm a great team player that gets a long with everyone."
"I should be hired because I'm efficient, smart, and friendly. I'm great at solving problems and love challenges. Most importantly, I'm dependable and reliable."
"There are two reasons I should be hired. First, my qualifications match your needs perfectly. Second, I'm excited and passionate about this industry and will always give 100%."
"You should hire me because I'm confident and I'll do the best job. I have a proven track record of success starting from high school until now. I'm responsible and smart.
This position requires someone that will work well without supervision. I know how to manage my time and organize my work well. So, I'm confident I'll be the best candidate for this position."
Long Answers
"This position is for a quality assurance manager, I'm confident I'm the best person for this job because of my past experience. At ABC Software Company, I was in charge of a team that was responsible for the quality of three different applications. I have intimate knowledge of quality assurance, product support, and even some creative processes that will benefit a quality assurance team. I've built a team from scratch and fully understand the product development cycle. Finally, one of my traits is in developing and mentoring junior employees. I believe in transferring knowledge to everyone in the company and investing a little more effort into the people who work for me. So I strongly believe that I'll be the best candidate due to the combination of my experience, my managerial skills, and my desire to provide growth in employees."
"The reason I applied for this position is because the qualifications matched my strengths perfectly. I'm good at juggling multiple tasks, I'm very detail oriented, and I organize my time very efficiently. But the truth is that many people have these traits. But if I were in your position, I would hire myself because of the passion I have for this industry, and my optimistic personality. My education background and my strengths show that I can do this job. But I want to make more of an impact than just doing my job. I don't want to blend in with the company, I would rather want my addition to improve it."
The first answer is using experience and skills to convince the interviewer to hire him or her. In addition to talking about past experiences, this example also emphasizes the strong ability to mentor people. The second example is more on the personal level and definitely more creative. Everyone one will claim to have all the good traits. So this candidate says it by saying, "... the truth is that many people have these traits." On top of these traits, this candidate is including passion and excitement. This is very important during interviews. Finally, the last sentence is a good line that the interviewer will remember. It is creative and