Interview Chatter

You Against Them

by Darlene McDaniel on April 9th, 2007

Why Should We Hire You Over All The Other Candidates? This is one of those tough questions that most people are not prepared to answer. This is what I call a free ball in the game of interviewing. This is one of those questions that can set you apart from the competition or lump you in with everyone else.  Why, you may ask?

When the interviewer asks this question, they are looking for information from you that will differentiate you from the competition. I have asked this question and most people say something like, “I don’t why you should hire me over the other candidates. I don’t know them.” NOT!

It doesn’t matter what you know or don’t know about the competition. You DO know about YOU! And you better know what you will bring to their organization. That is the information they are looking for from you when they ask this question.

Based on your preparation, what information do know about the position you are interviewing for? What do you know about the company, department or team you may work for? How will you contribute and how can you help them go to the next level in their organization? What strengths do you have that will help you hit the ground running and ensure that you contribute to the new organization in the first 30, 60 or 90 days?

What challenges does this organization face in the immediate future? How can you help them navigate successfully through the challenges? These are just a few questions that you can prepare answers to prior to the interview.

One of the rules of engagement in the interview process is to ensure that you separate yourself from the competition. Here is a quick story that may help:

While working for AT&T years ago, their was an internal posting for temporary assignment. Many of the senior associates posted for the position. The person that got the job was one of the newer associates in the organization rather than one of the more tenured associates. In my effort to understand how come he got the job, I asked. The manager that made the hiring decision said, “he was the only candidate that actually put together a simple resume that illustrated his skills and abilities.” Now this story seems simple enough. But here is the catch, in the posting that was circulated in the organization it expressly said that it was not necessary to submit a resume and cover letter. All the hiring manager required was a note or email communicating why you would be the best candidate for the job. That was it!

The young man that got the temporary position differentiated himself from the other candidates by submitting a resume that illustrated his skills and abilities thereby communicating why he was the best candidate for the job. Whatever the others did was not wrong, but the other candidates did nothing to separate themselves from the competition.

This principle works no matter what level you are interviewing for, entry level or executive. It is you against them and in most games we play someone wins and someone loses. Usually, only one person will get hired unless they are looking for more than person to fill multiple positions. I challenge you to get creative in highlighting your skills and abilities that will differentiate you from those competing for the same position.

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POSTED IN: The Interview, Tough Questions