Why should we hire you, and not one of the other job applicants?
In average, ten people apply for a new job opening in retail. People who will compete with you for the job have similar resume and background, and it is not easy for the interviewers to pick the best candidate (typically this will be decided by the answers to interview questions).
You can try to make a difference, following advice from this website. But you should count with a possibility that at least some other candidates will do exactly the same thing.
Many job seekers will actually use one of the following answers to the “why should we hire you” question:
- Because I am the best candidate for the job. (How can you say that? Have you met the other candidates in person? How can you tell that you are better?)
- Because I need this job desperately. I have four kids to feed. (Many of us face difficult situation in life. However, interviewers are not interested in you problems. They are not going to give you a job just because you desperately need one.)
- I do not know why you should hire me. (If you do not know, how can they know? You should show some confidence in an interview, and you should find a reason why it makes sense to hire you).
Right answer
We hear many bad answers to this particular question in the interviews. But how to do it the right way?
You should identify some value you can bring to the retail store. Try to find something that makes you unique. I know it is not easy. But if you think about it for long enough, or if you ask some friends, they should tell you what makes you unique, and simply marvelous :). In an ideal case, it should be something related to the work in retail. Check the sample answers below.
People say it is a pleasure to spend time with me. I make other people feel good on the workplace, and with my strong motivation to work hard, I believe to motivate them to deliver their best as well. Not many people have this attitude to work, and I believe you should hire me because of my attitude.
Honestly, I have not met other applicants, so I do not know anything about their qualities. But what speaks for me is definitely ten years of experience in this field. I know how to deal with all kinds of customers and situations that can happen in a retail store.
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