How to Tell Them You're the Best Candidate for the Job

You know you're the best person for this job. But you probably never expected to explain why you're ideal.

Welcome to the curveball question!

"Why are you the best candidate for this job?" or its close cousin question, "Why should we hire you?" tend to appear in late-stage employment interviews. You've reached the stage at which the team absolutely must choose between a few different applicants. This question allows you to boil down your resume into a few hard-hitting sentences.

There are several different ways you can pitch your answer, depending on the company, your research and your experience. Come prepared to answer this question and you’ll leave a lasting impression on your prospective employers.

Every company has a goal or two in sight. If you've been through an interview or two with the company, you might know just what those goals are. (Insider tip: "What goals are you trying to reach in the next six months?" is a great response to their query: "Do you have any questions for us?")

• Money. Higher prices, a larger profit margin, or better stock performance are all common business goals.
• Reputation. Fewer complaints, better online reviews, and no lawsuits might get mentioned.
• Speed. Pushing orders out the door faster or cycling through customers rapidly could show up on to-do lists.
• Consistency. Less employee turnover, a stable client base, and solid orders could all help a company stay on good financial footing.

Think about how the position you're applying for helps support that goal, and then think about how something you've done in the past proves you can deliver the goods.

• Handling speed as a hairdresser. I know you're hoping to increase turnover by 50%. In my last job with ClipsALot, I took in twice as many clients as my colleagues, and I never had a complaint about my cuts or my service. I feel confident I could do the same thing for you.
• Managing reputation in a sales position. I know you've been struggling with reputation issues, and I know you want to reclaim your four-star Yelp rating. While sales aren't directly related to customer satisfaction, I think smoothing the transition between sales and customer service can go a long way toward increasing customer happiness. In my last job, I created a 12-point handoff document to introduce my clients to their reps, and it resulted in a 50% increase in high customer satisfaction scores. I'd love to try a similar program here.
• Driving income in retail. I know you're in a tough market, and you hope to boost sales by 10% year over year. I think my combination of speed, efficiency, and market knowledge could help with that. I'd love to meet with your reps and talk about your products. I did that with my last company, and we saw our sales jump by 40% due to adding a few new product lines.

It's common for nonprofit agencies to lean on a mission rather than a goal, when talking about plans for the next year. You'll find copies of the mission statement online, and when you do, you'll have a goldmine of data to build on.

Analyze the language in that mission statement, and figure out how your position can help turn it into a reality. Think about how that mission relates to you as a person, and why you'd like to make it your own. Bonus points if you can add some of their language into your answer, because that shows you've really done your homework.

For example, imagine that you're heading to work for a local humane society. The published mission statement says, the group exists to: "Celebrate the lives of animals and end cruelty."

If you're going to work the customer service desk, you could say something like this: "I'm a lifelong animal lover, and ending cruelty to animals is a personal passion. I believe education is at the heart of this issue, and I look forward to working with families both when they need to surrender pets and when they hope to adopt. My knowledge of the industry, as well as my personal compassion, can help us celebrate the victories and move past the sad moments together."

Your interview was scheduled because you demonstrated some core ability to do the job well. Your education, work history, volunteer background, or some other attribute made the team feel at least a little confident that you could handle the work. If you're sure your skills are above and beyond what's expected, showcase that in your answer.

• You hold an advanced degree. The job listing demands a bachelor's degree, but you have your master's. Explain why that advanced education makes you a bit more knowledgeable than others.
• You have years of experience. You know the competition considers this an entry-level position. Explain why your years of service make you the best choice.
• You've continued your education. Explain the webinars you follow, the blogs you read, or the conferences you attend to keep your skills sharp. Highlight how you do this on your time and your budget because you're passionate about the field.
• You volunteer. You don't have strict work experience, but you have been donating your time to an organization, and you've learned some skills there which can be applied to the job you're interested in.

Don't just rattle off words to explain your skills. Go deeper and give concrete examples of how you have applied your knowledge in the past and how you plan to do so again in the future.

Here's a concrete example. You're applying for a dental receptionist job, but you have a degree in dental hygiene. You could say: "As you've seen on my resume, I hold a degree in dental hygiene. I know what your team goes through on a regular basis, and I understand the ins and outs of the field. I would never give patients advice or recommendations, but I might be able to point out appointment calls that seem urgent, so you could speed up the triage process and make your patients happier."

Social media makes it easy for you to dig into the company's client base. Head to sites like Facebook, Yelp, and Google. Read the reviews, parse the language, and determine who works with this company as well as how they feel about the relationship. Put that research to work in your answer.

• Complaints. Highlight a recent comment with a concern, and explain why your background and passion could keep it from coming up again.
• Common interests. Notice that you're similar to the company's client base, or ask yourself if you've worked for companies that your new position might serve. Highlight those connections and explain why they make you uniquely qualified to help.
• Compliments. Find out one thing your company does really well, and explain why you'll keep that trend going.

Here's an example of this plan in action. You're applying for a grocery store management job. You could say, "I grew up in this community, and I have connections with some of your biggest social media fans. They know me, and they feel comfortable talking with me. I will keep those lines of communication open. If they’re upset with something in the store, they can talk with me privately instead of complaining publicly on Facebook.”

Imagine that your skills, education, background, and certifications make you just the same as everyone else. What might set you apart? A history of going the extra mile.

• Hours on the job
• Willingness to work overtime
• Performance reviews
• Efficiency

This is a very tailored answer, depending on where you have worked and what you did. Your answer should reflect your willingness to do more than the average person.

The right answer in this model sounds something like this: "I have the educational expertise and background to do this job well, which you can see that on my resume, but you might not see evidence of my work ethic. In my last job, I was known for being the first person in the office in the morning and I was the last to leave at night. I always volunteered to take extra shifts and I never complained about my workload. My performance reviews about my work ethic were glowing. I know this is a busy position with a lot of responsibilities, but I feel I'm well positioned to do the work well without ever causing you a scheduling problem."

No matter what approach you choose, you'll need to follow a few general recommendations to ensure that your message comes through loud and clear.

• Explain. A one-word answer won't cut it. Your interviewers ask these open-ended questions because they really want to understand your reasoning and thought process.
• Give examples. Cite statistics, supervisor feedback, client responses, and other solid data points as you explain your benefits.
• Make your point and wait. Explain fully and then stop talking. Be prepared to answer follow-up questions if something wasn't clear.
• Give credit when it's due. Most businesses use teams, and you'll need to demonstrate that you work well with others. If someone helped you, point that out.

• Blame anyone. Coworkers, poor managers, and dysfunctional companies can get in the way of success. You know that, and so does your interview committee. Don't bring it up.
• Make excuses. Don't talk about the things you wish you could have done if only something were different. Hone in on what you actually did.
• Exaggerate. There's a fine line between storytelling and truth-telling. Don't cross it.
• Curse. You're in a business meeting and your language should reflect that.

After your interview is complete, the team might need a few days to make a final decision. If you don't get the call you were hoping for, don't give up.

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