Why are you the best person for the job answers: Answering ‘Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?’

Опубликовано: October 13, 2021 в 11:12 am

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Answering ‘Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?’

‘Why are you the best person for this job?’ in an interview

You’ll likely have to answer several questions during a job interview, one of which may be ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’ Employers ask this question for several reasons, including to gauge your skills and qualifications as well as to assess your confidence in yourself for the position. Here we explore more reasons why hiring managers ask this question, how to answer ‘What makes you a good fit for this position?’ in a job interview, tips, and examples answers for this type of interview question.

Why do employers ask ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

There are several reasons why an employer may ask ‘Why are you the best fit for this position?’ or a similarly phrased question. These reasons include to:

  • Determine what makes you unique in terms of your qualifications for the job
  • Ensure you fully understand what the position entails and what they are looking for in a job candidate
  • Assess your own confidence level in terms of your ability to do the job
  • See how you handle challenging situations

How to answer ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

The following are steps you can take to prepare for and provide a strong answer to the question ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’:

Review the job listing

Fully understanding what the job will entail and the qualifications a candidate needs to have in order to perform the job is the first step in preparing for this type of interview question. Take time to read over the job posting, especially the areas that list the experience or requirements the company wants candidates to possess. See if you can find skill, experience, or education that matches your own and make a note of this to mention when answering this question in the interview.

Look into the organization

You should also do some research on the company before going to an interview to get a better understanding of the company’s goals and mission. You can also learn more about the company culture and the employees who work at the organization by researching the company. Look for commonalities between what the company stands for and your own values and goals.

Narrow down your strengths

Once you’ve determined the skills and experience needed for the job and the mission and goals of the company, you can now narrow down your strengths that relate to the position and company. Choose up to seven professional qualities or strengths that correspond with the position and write them down. Use these as the basis for your answer to the interview question ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

Use quantifiable examples

When describing your strengths and accomplishments that make you a good fit for the position, provide quantifiable examples of each. For example, rather than saying that you have strong communication skills, describe an example in which you used your communication skills to solve a problem in the workplace.

Practice your answer

Practicing answering interview questions is a great way to get out the nervous jitters and ensure you’re prepared with appropriate answers that will set you apart from the competition. Consider practicing with a colleague, friend, or family member and ask them for feedback on the answers you provide.

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Related

Answering ‘What Makes You Unique?’ In an Interview

Tips for answering ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when answering the interview question ‘Why are you a good fit for this position?’:

  • Avoid offering a memorized answer. While you certainly want to provide a polished and professional answer, you don’t want it to sound memorized word for word. This may come off as unprofessional or inauthentic and reflect poorly on you rather than helping to set you apart from other candidates.
  • Keep your answer concise. Try to keep your answer to under two minutes if possible. An answer that is longer than this length of time could result in losing the interest and attention of the hiring manager.
  • Only use relevant examples. It’s important to only refer to skills, accomplishments, and qualifications that are directly related to the job you’re applying for. You may have a number of different skills, but if they aren’t going to come in handy for the position, you should leave them out of your answer.
  • Mention any skills you have that are rare or unique. If you possess certain skills that make you a good candidate for the position and that not many other people have, be sure to include these in your response to this interview question.
  • Keep your focus on how you can help the organization. When answering this question, center your answer around how your qualifications and skills will help the company rather than why you want the job. Doing research on the company before the interview will ensure you answer in a knowledgeable and relevant way when referring to the organization.

‘Why are you a good fit for this position?’ examples

The following are example answers to this interview question that you can use as inspiration when crafting your own:

  • The skills and qualifications I possess are a great match for the requirements for this position. In particular, my communication and leadership skills make me a great candidate for the job. In my previous job, I oversaw a team of 10 employees and created a new communication system that increased productivity by 15% over the course of three months. I’m confident that I can bring this type of success to this position.
  • I am confident that I am a good fit for this position for several reasons, but most specifically because of my dedication to going above and beyond in a job. I am committed to learning any new skills on my own to succeed in this role. For example, for my previous job, I educated myself on how to use Adobe Photoshop in my free time. This allowed me to incorporate graphic design into my marketing role which cut down on expenses for the company. I know that you are seeking a self-motivated individual for this job, and I am that candidate.

3 Right Ways to Answer: Why Are You the Best Person for the Job?

Why are you the best person for this job?

You should be delighted to hear this question in an interview. You’ve already given them your skills and experiences, now it’s time to really sell yourself to prove you are the best choice.

Your interviewer wants to know why they should hire you and no one else. They want to hear something they can’t find for themselves on your resume or cover letter.

Here’s how to originally tell your interviewer that you’re the best person for the job, while highlighting your strengths and making them want to hire you.  

When answering

Why are you the best person for this job, remember these things:

Highlight your relevant skills

Think back to the necessary technical skills listed on the job description and remind the interviewer of your expertise, add in some soft skills that haven’t been mentioned yet, such as your ability to problem solve or your dependability. But keep in mind you’ll need to provide some proof (more on that next).

Provide evidence

Don’t just say: “I have great people skills.” Give concrete examples of your achievements and use numbers where you can. For example: “My ability to network has landed my agency five new clients in the past year and nearly doubled our revenue.”

Read more:Prove It: How Detail Oriented Are You?

Emphasize how you will use your skills for the company

Show them you understand how your skills translate to the position and that you have a plan to use them.

Keep it short and to the point

Enough said.

But don’t…

Memorize

You should certainly think about how to answer this particular question in advance. (Obviously you know that, you’re here.) But don’t rehearse it to the point where it sounds like you’re reading off a teleprompter.

Overpromise results

Find the line between showing your worth and telling the interviewer you will increase revenue by 200 percent in your first month.

Undermine yourself

On the flip side, don’t undersell yourself or your qualifications by beginning your answer with,  “Another candidate may have more experience or skills, but…” Be confident.

“I’m the best person for the job” answer, example 1: I am passionate about the company’s mission

Interviewers like to know that you’re interested in the position and company for reasons beyond benefits and a paycheck. Use your answer to explain why you are particularly passionate and drawn to the work the organization is doing and how that drive sets you apart from other candidates.

As a 10-year vegan, I have extensive knowledge of the importance of providing natural food, and have always advocated for environmental improvements. By promoting eco-friendly practices across channels as part of my company’s Go Green initiative, my team was able to introduce organic lunch options into 50 high schools across the state.

The company’s mission aligns with my own and my experience would help me drive results in Crystal Foods’ sales manager position.

Read More:Why Are You Applying For This Position? The 2 Points You Need to Hit

“I’m the best person for the job” answer, example 2: I have unique abilities that set me apart

Chances are, other candidates have similar credentials as your own. Stand out with a rare combination of experiences or advanced expertise in a certain area.

Throughout the past couple of years as an IT Consultant, I have also juggled several freelance graphic design projects. My knowledge of computer systems, resolving technical problems, and identifying security issues has been coupled with client collaboration and creation of brand design assets. This broad skillset is what makes me a perfect candidate for the agency’s web developer role.

“I’m the best person for the job” answer, example 3: I will make valuable contributions to the company

Prove yourself by showing you’ve already visualized your role in the company and have thought of solutions to existing problems. It’s also a big plus to point out your ability to contribute from day one. Since training can be a prolonged pain point, this could be just what you need to gain a competitive edge over other interviewees.

I have learned the company has struggled to establish efficient workflows between departments. With my managerial and project management skills I implemented solutions to my previous company that eliminated non-value work and wasted time.

Your company’s processes can be improved with automated emails and document-processing systems. I have experience setting up and maintaining both these systems and I would be a valuable asset to the team.

Read More:The 5 Best Ways to Answer: Why Should We Hire You?

About the author

Megan Hageman

Contributor

Megan Hageman is a Columbus-based freelance writer specializing in social media and content marketing.

How to Answer “Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?” (Sample Answers)

“Why are you the best person for this job?” This can be a daunting question to answer, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a common interview question and one you should expect to encounter during almost every job interview.

This common interview question can come in a few different forms, including: “Why do you want to work here?”, “Why are you interested in this position?”, or “What can you contribute to this company?”. At the end of the day, the hiring manager simply wants to know why you are the best candidate and the right person for the role.

Simple, right? Almost. The best answers to “Why are you the best person for this job?” require a little self-reflection and research, but it’s not hard to stand out from a sea of job seekers who often don’t prepare anything at all. Even if it’s not your dream job, it’s a good idea to study the job description, and only takes a few minutes — you’re going to have a hard time making a solid impression on a hiring manager with a generic answer that can apply to any job.

A good answer to this question showcases your relevant skills, your preparedness for the interview, and presents you as a good fit for the job. With a great answer, you’ll be able to weave in a few unique skills, career goals, prior experience, and soft skills that really make you stand out as the ideal candidate!

In this article, we’ll walk through why hiring managers ask this question, what they’re looking for in a good answer, and provide example answers, common mistakes, and tips to stand out to potential employers.

Be sure to check out our guides on how to answer other standard interview questions, how to use the STAR method, Zoom interview tips, and how to find a remote job and get hired as well.

Why do interviewers ask

“Why are you the best person for this job?”

When you’re interviewing, hiring manager and recruiters are likely going to ask “Why are you the best person for this job?” for a few reasons. At a top level, they’re assessing a few key points:

  • How prepared are you?
  • How passionate are you about the position and company?
  • How well do you fit the job requirements?
  • What prior experience do you have that makes you a good candidate?
  • What qualities do you share with the company’s ideal candidate?
  • What other relevant skills or soft skills set you apart from the other candidates?
  • Do your values and goals align with the company’s culture?

It’s your job to convince the hiring manager that you tick all these boxes better than any other candidate in your answer. That’s the easy part. What makes a candidate stand out is an answer that takes it a step further and shows real passion and excitement for the company’s mission, values, and company culture. If you can weave this into your answer, you’ll have a good chance of landing a job offer.

It’s important to keep in mind that these are general questions the hiring manager is looking to answer and will vary job-to-job. It’s a good idea to try to address them in your preparation for this question. The hiring manager is likely looking more closely at different things depending on the size of the company you’re interviewing for.

For example, if you are looking for a remote job at smaller startups, such as VEED.IO, Superside, and Bolt, the hiring manager is more interested in how you’ll fit into the company culture and how useful your range of skills will be to them over a few years. They want to know that you understand what it’s like to work at a fast-growing company and that you’re ready and capable of moving fast. At smaller startups, culture, a wide range of skills, and adaptability are more highly valued.

On the other hand, hiring managers at large companies with hundreds of employees, such as Coinbase, Webflow, and Figma, are looking for indicators that you’re interested in more than just benefiting from their reputation and actually excited about the role and work. Large companies get thousands of applications for some roles, so even if you have heaps of experience it’s often not enough to just be technically qualified for the role — you need to also show that you’re in it for more than a paycheque.

How to answer

“Why are you the best person for this job?”

As we covered above, there isn’t one correct answer to this question that will land a job offer. It depends largely on the role, your experience, and what the hiring manager is likely looking for. The good news is there are a few strategies you can use to make sure your answer stands out from a sea of applicants.

A great strategy to think about how to answer this question is to break it into three parts:

  1. How does your prior experience, previous jobs, and relevant skills relate to the position and the company?
  2. Do you have any additional unique skills or soft skills that really set you apart?
  3. Why are you excited about the job or company?

That sounds simple enough, right? No one knows your experience better than you do so you just have to get this across to the interviewer. We recommend researching the role and company thoroughly prior to the interview and actually writing down some prepared answers. This way, you’ll be more likely to internalize your answer and deliver it confidently and genuinely.

Communicating why you are excited about the job or company (part 3) is the key differentiator, so don’t skip this part. Not only does it reinforce why you’re the best candidate for the job, but it also shows that you’ve done your research and understand the company culture and mission. You’d be surprised how few job candidates do this! That’s an easy win that just takes a few minutes.

Here are the steps you need to take to successfully answer this question:

  1. Understand the job: Read and re-read the job description in full. While it might sound obvious, you’d be surprised how few job candidates do this! Look for key skills, responsibilities, and expectations that the hiring manager is going to be looking for. The objective here is to pinpoint the key skills and requirements for the role. Are there any obvious skills that aren’t mentioned but are likely to come up? Check out the company’s tech stack to see if there are any obvious ones that apply to the role but aren’t mentioned. For example, these are the tools that Stripe team members uses. Write these all down on some paper.
  2. Consider your experience and skills: Now that you’ve got a list of all the skills and requirements the hiring manager is looking for, reflect on your own past experience and skills. Find where there is overlap and write down short examples of prior experiences where you’ve applied these skills. For example, if the job requirements mentions the team uses the SEO tool Ahrefs, list down examples of where you’ve used Ahrefs at previous jobs. If you’re particularly proficient at something, make it clear!
  3. Think about what makes you unique: Don’t stop there. Hiring managers are looking for job candidates who are not only a good fit for the job, but have something else that puts them ahead and can add value or help your team members. Maybe you have excellent leadership skills? Or have particularly high social EQ and work extremely well with others to solve problems. List down any unique skills or soft skills that help you stand out — even if they aren’t mentioned in the job description — they all add up and are a good signal to the interviewer.
  4. Research the company: The objective here is to learn as much as you can about how the team works and why you align with the company’s culture and mission.  Start with the company website and familiarize yourself with their products, services, and mission. From there, we recommend watching or listening to interviews with the CEO or members of the senior leadership team. This is a great way to understand the company’s North Star metrics and their company culture. A good place to start is with our remote company database and our guide to research companies for job interviews.
  5. Get clear on why you’re applying: Why are you excited about the job or company? While hiring managers are looking for this in your answer, it’s also important to answer this question for yourself. You’ll be spending a large amount of your time at the company and life is better when your work is interesting and you’re passionate about it. Think through what you’ve learned so far about the job and the company and write down why you’re excited about the job. This can be a combination of things — common reasons include the challenges, opportunities, and opportunities the job presents, the company’s reputation and leadership, and your own personal goals or career goals.
  6. Combine everything and draft a response: Now use what you’ve learned to draft a response to “Why are you the best person for this job?” Start by talking through how your prior experience and relevant skills make you the best candidate for the job, provide examples of previous experience to strengthen your answer, add in any additional unique skills and soft skills that set you apart, and then wrap up with what excites you about the role and company and what you hope to achieve.
  7. Practice your response: There’s not much point putting all this work in if you’re going to fumble your answer in the interview. Practice it out loud or with a friend in a mock interview setting until you’re comfortable answering it without notes. This way, you’ll be able to deliver it confidently and with enthusiasm which is another way to stand out from other job seekers who “um” and “ahh” their way through their answers.

Tip: Don’t be afraid of being overly confident or injecting personality into your answer. You need to “sell” why you’re the best person for the job to the hiring manager — try to get them excited to hire you! Show your personality and how you truly feel about the opportunity. If it’s your dream job, let them know! It shows the interviewer that the company and role matter to you. It’ll also certainly make the interview a more positive experience and, more importantly, a memorable one.

If you follow these seven steps, your answer will help you stand out among a sea of potential candidates. Even if you’re not technically the best fit for the job, a well-prepared answer will help you stand out as the ideal candidate.

Remember, the objective here is to not only show the interview that you’re technically qualified for the job but to also show that you have additional unique skills and are personally invested in the role and company to help you stand out as the best candidate for the job.

If this sounds a bit much, don’t worry! We’ve included a bunch of great example answers below that you can use as a base and tailor your answer to suit.

Example answers to

“Why are you the best person for this job?”

As we’ve covered, your answer the interview question “Why are you the best person for this job?” will depend largely on three things:

  1. Your previous experience and what the job requirements entail
  2. What additional or unique skills set you apart
  3. What the company’s culture and mission are and how you personally align with them

What matters is that you’ve spent some time carefully researching the job posting and company and can clearly articulate why you’re the best fit for the role.

Use these sample answers to “Why are you the best person for this job?” as a base and adapt them to suit your specific situation.

Example answer #1: Highlighting passion for the company’s mission, industry, and showing off additional skills

Consider a job posting for an Account Executive role. The job requirement and responsibilities listed include:

  • 2+ years prior experience in sales
  • Cold call and lead generation via LinkedIn
  • Proficiency with Salesforce
  • Ability to self-manage and work with autonomy to hit sales targets

“I’m passionate about healthcare, in particularly mental health as I have personal experience with a family member dealing with it. and  in general. I have been following Modern Health‘s story for years after hearing Alyson [CEO] talk on a mental health podcast — I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this!

My previous role as a sales development rep at Hims & Hers for 3 years provided me with the ideal experience for this job. I was part of the early team and helped build their sales function from the ground up, helping to set up sales targets for the team and wrote all of our sales documentation. We leveraged cold-calling right up until early 2020 and I used my Salesforce and sales automation skills to help the sales team scale as efficiently as possible from 4 to 50 plus. Just by using Zapier to automate leads directly into Salesforce, I was able to increase our cold call success rate by 50% in a single quarter.

I’m excited about this role because it ticks all the right boxes for me. I have loads of experience scaling sales teams and with Salesforce, but I also really align personally with what your team are doing to destigmatize mental health — it’s something that I can really get behind. I would love to use my skills to help get your Modern Health to more therapists.”

Why it works

This answer shows the interviewer that you have researched the job posting, understand the skills and experience that are required, and know all about the company and their mission.

What really sets this example answer apart as one of the best answers is that it not only shows (with examples) how your previous experience is a good fit for the role, but also that you have additional skills in sales automation and sales documentation that can be hugely valuable for Modern Health, a growing startup. The tone is action-oriented and it’s clear that you get things done and understand what it’s like to work in a fast-growing startup.

The fact that you personally align with what they’re trying to achieve is another huge bonus and is a great signal to the hiring manager that you’re truly passionate about this role.

Example answer #2: Showing off your extensive experience for the job and excitement to leverage the same results

Consider a job posting for a Marketing Manager role. The job requirement and responsibilities listed include:

  • 4+ years prior experience in marketing
  • Identify and create marketing strategies to grow
  • Proficiency with Ahrefs and SEO
  • Manage social media ad campaigns

“I’m interested in this marketing manager position at Whoop because it revolves around two of my greatest strengths: performance marketing and SEO. I’ve spent the last 7 years at Spotify and Opendoor where I led marketing teams of all sizes.

When I started at Opendoor in 2019, I found their content marketing team in shambles and got them back on track — I set them up with Ahrefs and Clearscope and worked with their product managers on their programmatic SEO efforts. It was pretty incredible to watch — our organic traffic grew 250% year-on-year. The social campaigns I set up for their US markets improved their target audience reach rates by 48% on average and I helped recruit and hire over a dozen employees, all of which are still working there!

Seeing the impact of my work and the long-term growth of SEO efforts has been immensely satisfying for me, but I’m super excited for a new challenge at a smaller company.

This is what drew me to your job posting — I see many of the same opportunities for growth at Whoop. You’re obviously growing fast but are bandwidth-constrained and I would love to help. I truly believe it’s the future of health and fitness — I’ve been a Whoop customer since way back when your team released 2.0 and love the positive impact it’s had on my life. I’ve probably personally referred a few dozen people! I’m incredibly excited to make that number much bigger.”

Why it works

This isn’t a general answer. It shows the interviewer that you’ve read the job description, researched the company, and understand how you could contribute to the company’s mission. It also shows that you understand Whoop’s tech stack, the product, and how your skills and prior experience could help. Not only that, you’ve provided concrete and impressive examples of how you’ve managed marketing efforts to achieve positive results.

Example answer #3: Emphasizing your work ethic and willingness to upskill

Consider a job posting for a UX design role. The job requirement and responsibilities listed include:

  • 4+ years UX experience, preferably in a startup environment
  • Create user-centered website and dashboard designs
  • Work with autonomy and present your ideas
  • Understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that informs design decisions
  • Master of Figma or similar design/prototyping tools

“I am super confident that I am the best candidate for this lead design role at VEED.IO for a few reasons, but most importantly, my unrelenting work ethic. I am a self-taught UX designer and always working to upskill and get better at my craft. I’m committed to learning any new skills in my own time to succeed in this role because working at VEED.IO is my dream job.

I’ve just left HelloSign after 4 years. I started there as a junior graphic designer and taught myself Figma and Webflow in my own time. After just 9-months, I was promoted to a UI design position where I worked on prototyping designs for the UX lead and redesigned and rebuilt the company’s website which grew organic site traffic by 60% in 12-months. This was a great experience for me to learn CSS, as well as best practices in UX, all while saving the company invaluable dev time and money.

I’m super proficient at After Effects and Premiere Pro and stumbled across VEED.IO while helping our marketing team design social media assets. I was blown away by how easy your tool was to use. After digging a little deeper, I learned all about your incredible growth trajectory and have been excited about this role since!

While I may not have 4 years UX experience, I’ve been working with some of the best in the industry and absolutely committed to leveling up for this role and learning anything I need to. I won’t let you down.”

Why it works

Hiring managers are always looking for job candidates that are passionate about the company, but also passionate about learning and improving. This example answer is great because it showcases a broad set of skills that are largely self-taught — a signal that you’re a hard worker and motivated to do the best job possible. The fact that you’ve included examples of how this work ethic and tenacity have helped you grow and solve problems in your previous role is great.

This is a great answer because it also includes your personal experience with the product and company and conveys your genuine enthusiasm for the role and company.

While the job description does state 4-years of UX design experience as a requirement, you’ve humbly acknowledged that you aren’t quite there yet but are the best candidate for the job regardless because of your work ethic and willingness to learn. In most cases, employers are more than happy to accommodate when they find a new hire that ticks all the other boxes — skills can be learned, but job applicants with the right attitude and work ethic are rare.

Possible follow-up questions

  • What is your greatest strength?
  • What is your greatest weakness?
  • Describe your work ethic
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Do you have any questions for me? Read our guide on best questions to ask in an interview.
  • What can you contribute to this company? This question is similar to “Why do you want to work here?” and will only be asked as a follow-up if you weren’t able to clearly articulate your value in your answer.
  • Any number of behavioral interview questions. Be sure to use the STAR method when answering.

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Why Are You The Best Person For The Job? (With Examples) – Zippia

  • How to Answer “Why Are You the Best Person for the Job?”
  • Examples Answers to “Why Are You The Best Person for the Job?”
  • Why Interviewers Ask This Interview Question
  • Tips to Keep in Mind When Answering This Question
  • Common Mistakes to Avoid When Answering
  • Possible Follow-up Questions
  • Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs

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During your interview is the time to show your interviewer that you are the best candidate for the position. One way to do it is answering “why are you the best person for the job?” the right way.

Prepare yourself to answer this question in a concise and compelling manner, and you’ve automatically set yourself apart from the competition. To do so, it’s essential to understand what interviewers really want to know when they ask this question.

In this article, we’ll provide insight into the minds of interviewers, give you the best ways to answer, and explain tips to guide you along. Plus we’ll provide plenty of example answers, so you can see all our advice in action.

Key Takeaways:

  • When answering this question, you want to tailor your answer to the job description, highlight what makes you unique, and convey your personality in your answer.

  • Interviewers ask this question to see how you describe yourself and what you will bring to the table if hired.

  • Make sure to provide examples and keep your answer concise.

  • When answering this question make sure you are not comparing yourself to other candidates, and you are highlighting your own skills.

How to Answer “Why Are You the Best Person for the Job?”

There are many strategies to answer this question. A few key ones are:

  • Tailor your qualifications. The objective here is to pinpoint the key abilities required for the position. Before the job interview, take note of the top skills and duties listed in the job posting. For each of them, prepare a short example of a time you’ve demonstrated those abilities in the past.

    Make sure your example is action-oriented and communicates how you provided value for a company. Don’t just quickly state, “I have performed X in the past.”

  • Highlight what makes you unique. Interviewers want to confirm you can perform the job’s essential duties, but they also want to know how you can innovate. Maybe you’ve mastered a unique skill or methodology that wasn’t mentioned in the job listing but could still provide value.

    Impress the interviewer by emphasizing your knowledge and explaining how you’re uniquely positioned to provide improved solutions to their problems. This strategy is especially effective for engineering and software related positions.

  • Convey your personality. Send the message that you would be a valuable addition to the team. Highlight your positive personality aspects such as your strong work ethic, leadership skills, and ability to resolve disagreements among team members.

    Provide examples of how you’ve helped a team further its goals by fostering compromise and effective collaboration. You still want to communicate how you’re qualified for the position, but focusing on your personality can be an effective strategy.

Examples Answers to “Why Are You The Best Person for the Job?”

Let’s take a look at an example answer for each of the strategies.

  1. Tailor your qualifications. Consider the following job listing for a software developer position.

    The key skills and duties listed are:

    Example answer:

    “My previous position as a mid-level software developer for five years provided me with the ideal experience for this position.

    I developed new programs from the ground-up with Java and used my analytical skills to locate and fix bugs along the way.

    I also researched and implemented new algorithms to enhance the efficiency and performance of our existing systems. In one case, load times were improved by 44%.

    I also created concise documentation to cover all changes I made. As a result, new team members were able to quickly and effectively learn to operate the software without additional oversight.”

    Why it works: Take note of how each of the job listing’s fundamental needs was incorporated into the answer.

    The tone is action-oriented, and the candidate describes how they created actual value, rather than simply stating they possessed a particular skill. Using real numbers such as in “load times were improved by 44%” is recommended.

  2. Highlight what makes you unique. Consider the following job listing for a marketing manager position.

    The key skills and duties listed are:

    • Coordinate the operations of marketing and advertising

    • Increase social media presence

    • Able to meet tight deadlines

    • Strong team leader

    Example answer:

    “I’ve worked as a marketing manager for eight years and believe my accomplishments demonstrate that I’m prepared for the position.

    I’ve successfully led teams of all sizes, effectively communicating project requirements and delegating talent to achieve company goals in record times.

    The social media campaigns I’ve developed improved target audience reach rates by an average of 22%.

    The reason for my success has been my unique method of analyzing the needs of consumers. I’ve developed, tested, and fine-tuned this method to be applicable to any industry.“

    Why it works: Notice how just as in the first example, this one covers all the key skills included in the job posting.

    The difference is that this example is much more concise, including multiple items in a single statement. The extra time is then used to focus on the final point – how the candidate innovates to separate themself from the competition.

  3. Convey your personality. Consider the following job listing for a sales representative position.

    The key skills and duties listed are:

    • Understands core sales methodologies

    • Meet sales performance expectations

    • Strong interpersonal skills

    Example answer:

    “Over my four years in various sales positions, I have applied core sales principles to create strong business relationships with clients.

    I listen closely to and effectively communicate with clients in order to meet their needs, which has allowed me to exceed performance metrics and become a top performer at every job.

    I also attribute my success to my strong work ethic. I never rest until I’ve reached a goal and always analyze how I can further improve.

    My priority is the success of the team rather than myself. I often offer training to fellow team members in order to improve our total sales, even if it increases competition.

    In most cases, this has resulted in total team sales increasing by an average of 17%.

    I would love to use my abilities and drive to provide similar value to your firm.”

    Why it works: This candidate quickly sums up their qualifications at the beginning of their answer and uses the rest of the time to focus on their personality.

    The candidate then emphasizes how their positive personality traits, such as work ethic and leadership, have contributed measurable value to the company. They cite a real number, “an average of 17%”, to drive the point home.

Why Interviewers Ask This Interview Question

Interviewers ask “why are you the best person for the job” because they want to hear what aspects of your skill set you feel are the most valuable for performing the job.

To this end, they’ve been provided a list of qualifications and skills required for the role. It’s your job to convince them that you match those qualities better than anyone else who’s applied for the job.

However you answer the question, make sure you’re addressing those two concerns.

Assure them that you possess those desired abilities while also highlighting how you surpass the competition and provide something unique.

Note that the exact phrasing this question varies. Other iterations of the “best person” question include:

  • What makes you a good candidate for this position?

  • Why are you the best fit for this role?

  • What qualities do you share with our ideal candidate?

  • What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Tips to Keep in Mind When Answering This Question

When preparing your own answer, make sure it follows these guidelines:

  1. Keep it concise. The more you speak beyond what’s needed, the more any important information becomes diluted. Pick a strategy for answering the question and then draft your response ahead of time. Remove any unnecessary parts that don’t explicitly demonstrate how you possess the key qualifications and how you can provide value for the employer.

  2. Give examples and numbers. With any skill you mention, provide an accompanying example that shows how you applied it to create value. Do this in an active-voice and a tone that conveys initiative.

    Citing numbers to demonstrate how you’ve improved a process or increased sales also makes a stronger impression in the interviewer’s mind.

  3. Don’t compare yourself to others. Demonstrate value by emphasizing your strengths rather than critiquing the competition.

    Denigrating others is never a good idea during an interview. Even if you’re qualified, hiring managers don’t want candidates that come off as arrogant or rude.

  4. Recognize similar questions. The question often comes in similar forms, such as “what makes you a good candidate for this position.” The interviewer’s objective and what they want to know about you remains the same. The strategies we’ve discussed thus far apply to these questions as well.

  5. Utilize general interviewing tips. Remember to follow the key interviewing guidelines that hold true no matter what question you’re asked.

    These include ones such as:

    • Learn about your interviewer ahead of time. Try to figure out if they’re your direct supervisor, an HR representative, or even the CEO.

      Your strategy will differ slightly depending on their role. For example, suppose they work in the same software department you’re applying to. Including more technical details in your answer will be more effective than if they were simply HR personnel, who likely would only be listening for key buzzwords.

    • Show off your personality. Strike a balance between keeping it professional and conveying your personality. It’ll help the interviewer remember you. Maintain eye contact and use body language to help you communicate.

    • Recruit a friend to practice answering the question. Practicing your answer in front of another person is an effective way to prepare. You’ll improve your confidence in the actual interview.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Answering

This question might seem hard to mess up too badly, but some routes you can take with your answer might be a red flag for the recruiter. Make sure to avoid these common mistakes when you’re discussing why you’re the best person for the job:

  • Selling yourself short. If you’re a little inexperienced for the role, don’t let your insecurity show by prefacing your answer with a phrase like, “well, I know the other candidates might have more experience.”

    There are other moments in the interview where you can focus on your shortcomings and your goals for improvement, but your answer to this question should be 100% focused on your positive qualities.

  • Comparing yourself to other candidates. Questions like this, especially when phrased as “what sets your apart from other candidates,” can trick applicants into actually talking about those mysterious job-seekers vying for the same position as them.

    Unless you’re in a group interview, the content of your answers should focus entirely on yourself and your ability to add value to the company. There’s really no way to bring the other candidates into your answer without seeming like an arrogant person who makes assumptions with no evidence.

  • Failing to provide evidence. Adjectives are not your friends in interviews — verbs are. Talk about what you’ve accomplished so far and how that translates into the results you’ll produce for this new company, if they’re smart enough to hire you.

    Describing yourself too much without providing context leaves the interviewer with a two-dimensional view of you that doesn’t help them make a decision.

  • Talking too much. Depending on when this question pops up in your interview, you’ve either already covered a lot of the ground this answer will get into or you’ve got plenty of time to get into more detail.

    In either case, your ability to summarize your key unique selling points speaks to your communication skills, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that more words equal a better answer.

Possible Follow-up Questions

  • Why are you interested in this position? – How to Answer

  • Why do you want this job? – How to Answer

  • What sets you apart from other candidates? – How to Answer

  • How did you hear about the position? – How to Answer

  • What are your greatest professional strengths? – How to Answer

  • Is there anything else I should know about you? – How to Answer

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Why Should We Hire You

Job interviews can be daunting. You will find yourself sitting in a room with the hiring manager, having to answer tough questions about your experience and qualifications for the position you are seeking with the company.

Throughout the interview, it’s important to deliver specific examples as often as you can. The more concrete examples you can give, the better you will be able to showcase your value to the hiring manager.

That brings me to one of the most challenging interview questions you could potentially face: Why should we hire you?

During the interview process, it is nearly inevitable that you will be asked to answer the question, “Why should we hire you?” At this moment, you need to proceed with caution.

After all, you are comparing yourself to other candidates and trying to set yourself apart from these unknown personas without seeming too boastful. You don’t want to risk derailing the interview process by talking too much and sounding like a show-off. 

The hiring manager is gauging your response to determine if you are the perfect person for this job. When asked, “why should we hire you?”, tread lightly and have a few different answers prepared in advance.

While the question might be archaic and intimidating, it is a favorite question among hiring managers, so it’s important to be well-prepared.

Read the full job description in detail and think of a few skills that make you uniquely qualified to perform the job duties. While you cannot possibly know the qualifications of other applicants, now is the time to sell yourself and state the things that make you the best fit for the job. 

Before showing you how to answer: “why should we hire you?”, let’s explore some possible pitfalls and things to avoid when describing why you should be hired for a position.

Don’t just respond with a generic answer like, “I’m smart, qualified and I want this job. ” Of course, you do, or you wouldn’t be sitting in this interview. It’s almost certain that every other candidate is going to be saying nearly the same thing.

You need to be unique and separate yourself from the talent pool. Otherwise, you risk falling into the same category as everyone else, which is what you’re trying to avoid in the interview.  

While you don’t want to sound like an overconfident show-off, now is the time to brag about your skills and experiences humbly. It’s great to list some bullet points that you will want to emphasize in advance and prepare a few responses to this question. Don’t memorize a script but proper preparation will set you apart. 

Avoid talking too much in your response, just state the qualifications you want to convey and move on. The more you continue to blubber about yourself, the more likely you will lose the interest of the hiring manager, and they will move on to another candidate.

This is your sales pitch to show the hiring manager you’re ready to do the job. Think clearly and prepare with vigor and you will be decorating your new desk in no time.

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Here are some examples to help you craft your response to this common interview question:

Why Should We Hire You Answer – Example #1

That’s a great question! You have a slight advantage over me since you know what you’re looking for and I am still learning about your company. From what I’ve learned, it sounds like you are looking for someone who will be able to handle customer concerns quickly and effectively, is that accurate? 

(Assume the interviewer responds, Yes.)

In that case, I’d like to tell you about a time where I handled a customer issue, and they walked away with renewed confidence in our capabilities and services.

Explanation: When responding to this question, you always want to thank the interviewer for asking the question. This response poses a question back to the interviewer, which helps you get further clarification on what they are looking for.

If you can confirm what they need in a candidate, you can then refer to a specific instance where you performed that job duty with a positive outcome. The more specific examples you can provide, the more memorable you will be to the hiring manager.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #2

This is a critical question in the process, thank you for asking. Based on what you’ve said today and from the research I’ve done, your company is looking for a skilled communicator and experienced marketer to grow your business and help your company stand out from the competition. At my previous company, I increased their activity by 24% by implementing targeted social media advertising. I will bring that innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to your company, and your success will be my top priority.

Explanation: This response uses a specific percentage to demonstrate the candidate’s ability to perform the job responsibilities effectively. The more descriptive and accurate you can get, the better your chances of landing the job. If you can show your direct impact on an organization, the hiring manager will remember that and will be more likely to recommend you for the position.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #3

I believe that my experience with technology, specifically in the web design space, make me the best match for this position. In my previous job, I was responsible for maintaining and updating our company website. This required keeping employee profiles updated and continuously posting information regarding upcoming events. I truly enjoyed what I was doing, which is what drew me to this position with your company. I would love to bring the coding and content skills I learned there to this position.

Explanation: By highlighting your experience with a particular skill that the position requires, describe in detail what that experience looks like and how you have used it previously. This gives the hiring manager the chance to see some of your work and determine if it fits what they are looking for in a candidate. If this is your strongest skill, don’t be afraid to say that in your interview.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #4

I’m glad you asked. You explained earlier that leadership qualities are a bonus for this position. In my 10 years of experience as a sales manager, I have effectively managed teams of over 15 people. I developed motivational skills that earned my region the “Region of the Year” five years in a row for consistently meeting and exceeding sales goals. I will bring those leadership abilities to this position. 

Explanation: Showing that you have “bonus” skills is a great way to separate yourself from the other candidates. If the hiring manager explicitly states that they are really looking for someone that also has certain skills, answering this question by showing you possess those skills will only strengthen your qualifications in the interviewer’s mind. 

Why Should We Hire You – Example #5

The job listing states that you are looking for someone with patience and superior communication skills. While volunteering and holding an office for the Special Olympics, I learned how to be patient with the athletes and participants at our state’s Special Olympics. Coordinating the event helped me develop better communication and planning skills which are imperative when performing the responsibilities you described today. 

Explanation: When you don’t have a lot of experience in the industry you are applying to, you can use skills you learned while volunteering or in other aspects of your life to demonstrate how you are the best fit for this position. 

Why Should We Hire You – Example #6

While I don’t know the experience of the other candidates, I can speak to the qualifications that make me the best fit for this position. After working in this same position with another organization for over eight years, I successfully managed a team of 12 in our marketing department where I was responsible for approving and managing budgets and developing creative campaigns. In fact, one campaign I oversaw generated a 14% increase in awareness among our target demographic. Now, I’m ready to spread my wings at a company of your size. 

Explanation: Setting up your response by immediately calling out your inability to respond directly to the experience of your competition gives you a look of transparency and earns you credibility with the interviewer. In addition to your experience, you can highlight why you are interested in this position with this company. This response demonstrates the candidate’s passion for the industry because, after eight years, they are still looking to do the same job, but in a larger capacity.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #7

As a recent college graduate, I know that what I’m lacking is career experience. However, the qualifications that I bring cannot be measured by traditional experience. After holding offices in four different organization and managing a full course load with a job at the university’s admissions office, I learned how to multitask and prioritize responsibilities. In your fast-paced organization, the ability to effectively prioritize is a significant component of success.

Explanation: By stating your lack of experience right off the bat, you can get that out of the way and focus on what you can bring to this position. Without a lot of direct skills and knowledge, highlighting soft skills like prioritization, communications or leadership can serve you well in the interview process. If this is an entry-level position, those soft skills will make you more appealing to the hiring manager.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #8

For starters, I have all the skills and experience listed in the job description, and I’m confident that I can make an immediate impact on your company. It’s not just my background in leading successful projects for Fortune 500 companies, but also my passion for the industry that drives me to succeed. If chosen for this role, I will continue to deliver high-quality work for the continued success of your organization.

Explanation: While this response is a bit generic, it conveys a high level of confidence and positivity which are essential qualifications for an experienced professional looking for a high-ranking position. With the assumption that this candidate has already discussed the specifics of their experience in earlier interview questions, it’s okay to be a little more generic here.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #9

I’m glad you asked. With over 15 years of leadership experience in the agency world, I will bring my creative, motivational and strategic marketing skills to the client side with your company. While I don’t have direct experience working in a corporate environment, I have delivered results above and beyond the ask from my clients in the agency where I’ve been a key stakeholder for over 20 years. 

Explanation: This candidate who is switching industries can focus on their leadership and strategic marketing skills to transfer over to a new company. Stating the tenure and critical leadership role at your most recent position can demonstrate loyalty and the ability to adapt over the years. Leadership is always a skill that can be transferred between industries.

Why Should We Hire You – Example #10

I know you have a big decision ahead of you and for that, I am not envious. In our discussion today, I hope I’ve demonstrated my understanding of the financial markets and analysis along with my passion for carbonated beverages. I’d love nothing more than to join your team here and grow this business unit.

Explanation: If you’ve already had a lengthy discussion about the position and your qualifications, this question may be best answered by showing empathy and reiterating your passion for the company and your experience as it relates to the position. You can also ask the interviewer if there is any part of your qualifications they would like to expand upon. 

6 Tips to Answer ‘Why are you the best candidate for this position’

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a cheat sheet of how to answer interview questions and land your dream job? Well, unfortunately there isn’t one. No need to worry though, instead look at it from this perspective, if you were the hiring manager what questions would you ask candidates to ensure that you get the ideal candidate, who is genuinely interested in working for the company? Once you understand that, you will be in a better position to determine what the interviewer wishes to know with every interview question they ask. As such, we’ve provided useful tips to answer ‘why are you the best candidate for this position’ to help you ace your interview and get the job.

Employers create a job opportunity or role within their company, to indicate that they are looking for someone who can solve a particular problem (as illustrated in the job description). As such, most hiring managers use a variety of questions to determine if a candidate is the best fit to solve that problem. How you answer these questions will determine whether you land the job or not.

Interviews are merely for information gathering, information about candidates. As such the interviewer may ask you the question, why are you the best candidate for this position? Phrased differently, why should we hire you? Or, why do you think you are the right fit for this role? Alternatively, what would you bring to this position?

Every new hire can pose a risk for the company and the hiring manager as well. Therefore, the hiring manager has to ensure that the candidate selected is not a liability but an asset for the company.

So, why do interviewers ask this question? Well, the main aim is to ensure that the company gets the best candidate for the job. Consider the fact that the majority of applicants that make it to the interview stage are all qualified. The company is looking for an above average candidate, the most qualified among all the applicants.

As the interviewee, you should expect this question or at least a variation of the question. As such, you should prepare adequately to refine your answer.

Therefore, the interviewer wants to know why it would be better (are you confident in your abilities to deliver and if so, are these abilities relevant to the job?) to hire you and not any other candidate, and assess that you as the candidate are aware of what the company is looking for.

Use the information on the job description to understand the role expectations, the skill sets, and how they align to your career goals.

As such, you must prove to the hiring manager that:

  • You are fit for the job and capable of delivering excellent results.
  • You possess skills that are unique, and likely unteachable, which makes you an above average candidate.
  • You’ll be an asset to the company and a perfect fit for the team.

In such cases, your objective is to prove to the hiring manager why you are a valuable candidate for the job. Therefore, when making your pitch illustrate what you have to offer the company and how it will be relevant to the role.

Follow the simple guidelines below during your preparation period to know exactly what to say and what to avoid, as well as the essential aspects to include in your answer.

Table of contents

How to answer why are you the best candidate for this position?
Tips to answer why are you suitable for this job?
What to avoid: Mistakes candidates make when asked this question

How to answer why are you the best candidate for this position?

There are hundreds of ways to address this question, but you need to be smart about how you approach it. To start, thoroughly go through the job description to understand what the company is looking for, precisely. Re-examine your resume, your past experiences and your skills set. You can do this by asking yourself questions along this line of thought:

  • How do I qualify for this position? What aspects of my prior experiences, skills, education is valuable for this job?
  • What area am I likely to thrive in, based on my experience or skills?
  • What accomplishments will make me stand out?
  • Using my experience, accomplishments, education or skills, how can I add value to the company?

Once you are done answering the questions above, you can match your qualifications to the job requirements. The second step is to brainstorm how your these qualifications helped you achieve the expected outcome in the past, you can use the STAR technique (situation, task, action, results) to illustrate your answer. In the final step, review how your qualifications make you the best candidate for the role and tailor an answer that illustrates this aspect based on the steps above. The aim here is to help you formulate the right answer to this interview question. This should act as a basis to help you prepare for your interview.

Once you’ve completed the assessment, consider formulating your answer using the guidelines below. The guidelines are specifically tailored to ensure you know how to answer this question, and included are sample answers to give you a general feel of the expected answer.

1. Highlight specific traits in your personality or relevant skills that make you the best candidate for the role.

In most work environments, you’re expected to establish a certain relationship with your colleagues to facilitate the workflow, in this case, your education or experience don’t apply, your traits determine how you’ll interact with others and create an efficient working environment.

Personality plays a vital role in the job performance of everyone. However, not every personality trait is relevant to the job. Therefore, it’s important that you know the relevant personality type and how it will help you achieve the duties of the role. While it may be difficult to illustrate your personality traits, they may be crucial to getting you the job. Your personality is unique to you. If it can contribute to your success in the role, mention the specific traits and skills that are unique to you and will make you succeed.

Sample answer 1:
I am a highly motivated, result-oriented individual, willing to go an extra mile to reach goals and learn along the way. For example, my last job involved meeting specific targets on a daily basis, which I managed and sometimes surpassed while gaining better and effective means of improving the achievement of those goals. I’m confident that if given this opportunity, I will thrive and deliver quality work within stipulated deadlines. I look forward to contributing my skills and experiences to your organization if given the opportunity.

Sample answer 2:
I’m confident that I will thrive in this position, seeing that I have all the skills that you are looking for. Having worked as a sales and marketing agent, I’m well versed with the job requirements.

Apart from my impeccable track record as the leading sales and marketing agent in the district, my flawless communication and interpersonal skills are precisely what your company needs to achieve its marketing advantage. I will not only bring my skills and experience but also my return clients database that I’ve created over the years.

2. Highlight your accomplishments that are relevant to the job

Highlighting your accomplishments illustrates what you are bringing to the role and most importantly the company if hired. Your work is to find your proudest accomplishment and coming up with a concise answer that shows how it is relevant to the role.

If you have pertinent accomplishments that could make you stand out, share them and illustrate how these achievements make you the best candidate for this position. Accomplishments always succeed. If your accomplishments are quantifiable then the hiring manager will prefer you to a newbie, somebody straight out of college, since the risk is reduced.

Sample answer 3:
My background experience, as a sales and marketing representative, equipped me with the relevant skills for this role. I’m very ambitious and determined to achieve my goals, and my enthusiasm to get work done motivates my team members. In the past six months, my team and I were ranked among the top ten sales and marketing teams in the industry. It’s not just my background that makes me the ideal candidate, but also my excellent management and leadership skills, as well as my excellent communication skills.

Tips to answer ‘Why are you suitable for this job?

There are numerous approaches you can use to tackle this question. Sell yourself and convince the hiring manager why you are the best candidate for the position. Also, preparing in advance helps to avoid being caught off-guard with such questions.

To do this, consider standing in front of the mirror or better yet, practice with a friend, and refine your answer as you continue practicing.

To land this job, you need to come prepared with a well-summarized answer, which highlights your best traits, skills, relevant experience, accomplishments, and education. Therefore, practice! Refine your answer several times, until you craft the one that will land you the job.

1. Match your skills to the job requirements/description

Re-examine the job description against your resume and note any similar skills or roles. Compare the related skills to the job responsibilities, experience requirements or characteristics, and explain how they correspond to the job role.

Convince the hiring team that your industry experience, education or skills, as noted in your resume, make you the best candidate for the position.

2. Know what you bring to the position and how it helps the company

Avoid any statements that imply you are desperate for the job. Instead, focus on how your experiences, abilities, and skills will add value to the company. All this information is in the job description/requirements. Your work is to determine which of these requirements align with previous experience, your abilities, your skills and the information on your resume. The next step would be to determine how your qualifications are relevant to the role, and how to use them to make a killer pitch and land the job.

A general rule of thumb to prepare for these type of questions is to carry out an extensive background check of the company before the interview.

Concentrate on the company’s culture, mission, vision, projects, partnerships, among other things, to get a general feel of the working environment and also, determine if it’s somewhere you would want to work.

3. Confidence is key

Doing a background check of the company allows you to prepare in advance, which ensures that you state your answer confidently and clearly, from the choice of words to tone of your voice.

Prepare adequately in advance by making sure all the relevant materials are readily available and updated to fit the job you’re eying.

4. Stand-out: be unique!

Focus on your personality or personal traits that make you unique and the best fit for the job. Also, you can emphasize skills that are specific to you, because not many people possess them, and they are sure to make you the ideal candidate for the position.

Consider mentioning your great interpersonal skills or leadership skills, and your ability to resolve conflict amicably. Not everyone possesses these skills, therefore if you can use them to your advantage. But don’t exaggerate!

Although, the objective is to sell yourself and prove that you are the best candidate, don’t compare yourself to other candidates. Just emphasize your uniqueness positively and do not attack or demean other candidates. Understand that everyone who made it to the interview position is just as qualified as you are and deserve to be respected.

5. Be honest

Don’t exaggerate or lie. Mention any milestones, such as awards or accomplishments that you’ve received in the past, but do not exaggerate or lie about your accomplishments. Imagine a scenario where you lie about your accomplishment for you to get the job, only to fail to deliver when the same is expected of you? It’s not worth it, and worse still, your former colleagues or boss may be contacted to quantify your accomplishments. Always be truthful, the worst that can happen is you’ll not get the job but that’s okay.

6. Be convincing

To effectively sell and convince the hiring manager that you are the perfect fit for the position, you need to be convincing. Elaborate on past experiences that made you successful in your previous job and quantify them using examples.

Be truthful and ensure that the referees you’ve provided in your resume can quantify your qualifications.

What to avoid: Mistakes candidates make when asked this question

Landing a job after an interview is tough! Therefore, don’t sabotage the chance to get your dream job because of small, silly mistakes that you can easily avoid. This can’t be reiterated enough, Practice!

Rambling:
Relax! Don’t start talking about where you and your family went for a vacation. Focus on the compelling points that illustrate your suitability for the position. Keep your answer concise by limiting each question to at least 1-2 minutes. Also, practice in advance.

Don’t be modest:
This is your opportunity to sell yourself and convince the hiring manager why you’re the suitable candidate for the job, so don’t under-represent yourself.

Give general answers:
Don’t give vague answers. Include your personality in the solutions you provide. Think your answers through, try as much as possible to discuss traits, skills, and abilities that make you unique. Be as specific as possible, you don’t want your answers to sound rehearsed or memorized. Yes, use the information here as a guide, but don’t memorize it.

While this may be an essential interview question, not all hiring managers use it. Therefore, despite your preparation, you may have to look for opportunities during the interview to sell yourself using the mentioned key points.

When answering this question, remember that this is an opportunity to highlight your best skills and convince the interviewer that you are the ideal candidate for the job. Therefore, base your answer on prior industrial experience, hard and soft skills, accomplishments, accolades, and education.

Comment below and let us know how you have answered this question before (we’ve all had them!).

Why are you the best person for this interview? Interview questions: current school news

Filed in Interview
by TMLTStaff
on January 27, 2022

– Why are you the best person for this job –

In an interview, you should think before you answer any question. How do you determine your chances of getting a job. In this article, we have provided some tips on how to answer this interview question.

In every interview, the question “why are you the best fit for this job” is often asked. When answering questions like this, try to emphasize your skills more, with examples, also present your work experience, and also try to make your answers interesting.

In most cases, not everyone can always answer this question. question is great. In this article, I will give you 10 good answers to the question “why are you the best for this job.”

This is one of the frequently asked questions during an interview with an interviewer, and there are various ways in which you can unambiguously answer this question. See different answers below;

1. I am the best person for this job because I am someone who is willing to go the extra mile in any project and learn valuable skills in my spare time.

Depending on the type of job you have applied for, try to let them know that you are the person they are looking for. Let them know that you are a driven person and would like to do your job with passion.

2. I have the opportunity to find my position within the group and support everyone’s efforts. Support your answer with an example.

As in my last job, I was involved in many teams. projects. I have always been able to learn my teammates skills and delegated tasks that match each individual’s skills.

I know that this job requires a lot of teamwork and some group projects, and I know that this is a style of work that I’m good at.

3. Tell them that your skills are perfect for the professional requirements. Try to explain further, especially if it’s in sales.

Give them examples, such as my sales skills and managerial experience, making me the perfect candidate for the position.

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4. Go ahead, tell them about your last job. In my last job, I managed a five-person sales team and we had a sales record in our branch. I can bring my success and experience to this job.

5. I am best suited for this job because I have the perfect experience for this position. Over eight years, I have developed many of the skills required for this job, including answering phones and emails, processing payments, and entering data into several computer programs.

6. Show that you know who needs an institution. Try to figure out what kind of candidate your employer is looking for and see how you can change it.

Do it ahead of time, not a few minutes before the interview. A fast-paced startup may need a hard-working multi-tasker.

7. Let them know you are the perfect fit for the department. Large companies, departments and their employees vary greatly.

Identify the characteristics of the department and show the interviewer that you have the appropriate personal and professional qualities.

8. Let your interviewer know that you will bring something to the table that others cannot. You never know what your competitors are offering to the establishment. But you know yourself.

Highlight your strengths, talents, and experiences that you feel make you exceptional and a great asset to the organization.

9. Describe that you are willing to fix their problem and resolve any issue that arises. Go to the company’s website and try to learn more about it.

Use this information to determine what problems the company has had so far and how you can solve them.

10 Show interest in required duties, not just abilities. Your application tells them that you are ready to work.

Being called in for an interview means that they consider you qualified. Show them your interest. Be excited and don’t overdo it.

Your skills and knowledge still count more. Your smile does not make up for his absence.

Interesting and intelligent answers really determine your position during the interview. When asked a question, don’t jump to conclusions; try to think about what was said before answering.

Note that your answer also determines whether you will be given the task or not. Always try to support your answers with valid examples.

So, in case you were looking for the perfect way to answer the question “why are you the best person for this job?” let this article serve as your guide.

READ ALSO!!!

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• What do you do when answering interview questions in your spare time

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Please provide us with your phone number and email address in the comment box below.

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Tags : Why am I the best candidate for job examples, Why are you a good fit for this job? Sample response why you are the best candidate for this opportunity aiesec why you are the best candidate for this position answers why you think you are the right fit for this role best answer Why do you think you are the right person for this job? Example answers why we should hire you best answer pdf why we should hire you sample best answer

5 tricky interview questions and answers — Work.ua

How to answer tricky questions without hurting yourself and get the job you want.

It would seem, why prepare for an interview? The goal is noble, the conversations are pleasant, the questions are easy. Lungs are light, but only at first glance – most of them have a hidden meaning.

Using the example of the 5 most tricky questions, Work.ua tells what is the point, what your answers can interfere with successful employment, and what recruiting managers really expect from you.

1. “Tell me about yourself/How would you describe yourself?”

Got a chance to talk about yourself? Wonderful! But wait a second. It could be a trap. This is the trap.

When answering a tricky question about yourself, keep these points in mind:

  • This is not an invitation to brag about everything you’ve ever done professionally or personally. Trying to look too cool can make you seem arrogant, and nobody likes that.
  • During the interview, the interviewer is not interested in how delicious your grandmother cooks, or the success of your pets. Talk more about your professional life.
  • Do not use trite phrases and clichés like “I am a social person” or “I am a team player”. Job seekers say them so often that they all have lost their meaning.

HR asks “ Tell us about yourself ” but wants to hear “ What makes you the best person for this job?” “. Therefore, collect information about yourself, combine it with values ​​that are important for the company, and convince the potential employer that you are exactly the one he is looking for.

2. “Name your shortcomings”

It’s great when you are asked about your virtues, because it is a green light that gives you the right to praise yourself. But remember that this question will be followed by a question about shortcomings. If you’re not careful, the answers may cast you in a negative light.

Maybe you struggle with non-punctuality, or you really don’t like working on team projects. Believe it or not, it’s better not to talk about it at the interview.

Don’t highlight shortcomings that could put you out of a job before you get one.

Base your response not on what you do poorly, but on what you want to improve.

For example, you want to improve your speaking skills. Say that speaking beautifully is not your forte, but you are working on it and have already signed up for the relevant courses.

3. “Why do you want to quit your current job?”

If you are looking for a new job without quitting your old one, this is a sign that something does not suit you in it. When answering a trick question, you need to be very careful and diplomatic.

Here are some incorrect answers and how the interviewer interprets them:

  1. “I can’t stand my boss.” I wonder what your supervisor would say about you? After all, there are two sides to any situation.
  2. “I don’t get paid well.” So it’s only about money? This may mean that you are not too passionate about your work and are only interested in finances.
  3. “This is a bad company.” You run away from the ship if you do not agree with the course your employer is following and slander him.
  4. “I was forced to do work that was not part of my job duties.” You are unwilling to help colleagues and go beyond the guidelines. Not a team player.

How should one answer?

All the reasons are well founded, but it is not necessary to speak about them so directly. This question is not about where you have been, but about where you want to go next. Therefore, avoid any answers that denigrate your current place of work or colleagues. Better tell that in your previous position you have reached all the heights and are ready to develop, grow, in general, move to the next career level.

4. “Tell me about how you handled a difficult situation.”

You have most likely made mistakes, experienced uncomfortable, difficult, and possibly even dangerous situations at work. How you handled them says a lot about you as a person and as an employee.

The key to answering this difficult question is simple: talk about a situation that was not your direct fault. Recall a moment when some external force, such as the weather or customers, created a stressful situation. Have you fixed everything? Made a decision that made everyone happy? Tell me. This is your chance to show that you have problem solving skills.

5. “Why do you want to work for us?”

There could be a thousand reasons why you want to work for the company you are currently interviewing for. Perhaps this is development, an attractive salary, benefits, or even the image of a potential employer. Weighty reasons. However, you should not say that you are motivated only by money or prestige.

Sit yourself on the other side of the table. If you were conducting an interview, what would you ask the candidate and what answers would you like to receive?

In fact, they ask you: “ Why should we hire you? “. Focus on the company. If you studied information about the organization before the interview, tell us about the wonderful things that it has done. Talk about a specific position and what interests you about it. Discuss your possible contribution to the promotion of the company, take you to work.

Tricky questions are part of almost every job interview. Therefore, do not be lazy to prepare, think over a plan of answers and focus on the positive. And then every answer you give will paint a picture of why you are the perfect fit for the job you are fighting for.

Based on TopResume


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Why are you the best candidate for this position? Responses to question

When an interviewer asks, “Why are you the best candidate for this position?” they are looking for a couple of things:

They want a direct, confident answer.

And they want to see proof that you understand their job and have the right skills to help you succeed in this position.

In this article, I’ll show you how to answer this question – including what to say, what NOT to say, and verbatim verbatim answer to this question so that you are confident and ready to answer on the next job. interview.

During the interview, the interviewer may ask you, “Why are you the best fit for this job?” This is similar to other common interview questions such as “Why should we hire you?” The interviewer wants to know why you are better hired than other candidates.

What the Interviewer Wants to Know

The interviewer also wants to make sure you know what they are looking for in a job candidate and that you have the ability to do the job if you are hired. One of the purposes of the interview is to determine if you are a good fit for both the position and the organization. On the other hand, you also need to decide if this job is the right fit for what you are looking for in your next role.

In answering this question, your goal is to sell yourself to the hiring manager and convince him that you are a unique and strong candidate. Below you will find tips for preparing and answering this question in an interview, as well as examples of the best answers.

How to answer “Why are you the best person for the job?”

There are many ways to answer this question. The first way is to explain how your personality or personal qualities make you an ideal candidate. To do this, set aside time before the interview to carefully compare your qualifications with those listed in the job posting. Be prepared to explain why you are the right person for the job.

For example, you could explain that you have a special motivation or that you are known for doing the best for your employers.

The second way to respond is to highlight your unique skills. If you have skills that make you a strong candidate (especially if not many people have those skills), mention them. The skills the employer is looking for may also be listed in the job posting. If not, look at similar jobs to see what criteria employers are looking for.

Another option is to show the employer that what you have achieved in your previous positions qualifies you for this one. Give examples of your accomplishments related to the job you are about to be interviewed for.

Sample Best Responses

Take a look at these possible responses and tailor them to your specific job qualifications, career development, and work experience:

Sample Answer #1

My previous job as a receptionist provided me with the perfect experience for this positions. Over five years, I have developed many of the skills required for this job, including answering phones and emails, processing payments, and entering data into several computer programs.

Why it works: This response is effective because the candidate details a list of key skills they can pass on to their new employer. Ideally, she also highlighted these skills because she realized from reading the job posting that these talents were among the employer’s most “preferred qualifications.”

Answer example #2

My skill set is perfect for the job. In particular, my sales skills and managerial experience make me an ideal candidate for this position. For example, in my last job, I managed a five-person sales team and we had the highest sales rate in our branch office. I can bring my success and experience to this work.

Why it works: This interviewer not only mentions their important skills, but also cites their previous management responsibilities and measurable success (“sales record”) in their previous job.

Sample answer #3

I have the opportunity to find my niche in the group and support everyone’s efforts. For example, at my last job there were a lot of team projects. I was always able to recognize the skills of my teammates and delegate tasks that matched each person’s skills. I know this job involves a lot of teamwork and group projects, and I know this is a style of work that I excel at.

Why it works: is a great example of how to effectively use the STAR Interview Response Technique, in which you structure your response to describe a past situation, your question is , your opinion and result . Here, the candidate uses this technique to also indicate that she is aware of the employer’s corporate culture and focused on teamwork, showing how her own experience aligns with those priorities.

Sample answer #4

I am a driven person who is willing to go the extra mile in any project and learn valuable skills in my spare time. For example, in college I learned five programming languages, just because of my passion for programming. I know you are looking for a dedicated computer technician with both skill and passion, and I am that person.

Why it works: This job candidate demonstrates a wide range of skills that many of his competitors for this position might not have: his knowledge of five programming languages. In his response, he may also indicate his personal initiative and enthusiasm for his work.

Tips for getting the best response

Prepare ahead of time. Before your interview, think carefully about what makes you an ideal candidate for this position. First, review the job listing and circle any key skills or qualifications. Then look at your resume and note any specific experience or skills that match the job listing. Emphasize these qualities in your answer to the question.

Share examples. It is important to be as specific as possible when answering this question. Whether you’re highlighting your skills or personality traits, be sure to include one or two specific examples that prove you have those traits and how you’ll use them in the workplace.

Ideally, your examples will come from past work experience. If you are new to the job market, you can also focus on school experiences, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work.

Focus on how you can help the company. Avoid answers that emphasize why you want the job. Instead, focus on how you can add value to the company. To prepare for such a response, make sure you have some knowledge of the company beforehand. Take the time to review the company’s website, social media pages, and other information about the organization that is available online.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Although the question is how you compare to other applicants, do not criticize other applicants. This may come across as negative or rude.

Instead, emphasize in a positive manner what makes you unique without attacking or offending other candidates. It is important to sell your qualifications without being seen as arrogant or overbearing.

Don’t say this: “Unlike some of the other candidates, I’m sure you saw today, I have experience in this field, which means I can get right down to business.”

Say: “My many years of experience in this field has given me knowledge in the workplace as well as an understanding of where the industry has been and where it will go in the future. I have such technical skills that are just emerging. from work for several years. I can easily step into this role and start achieving my goals on the first day.”

How to answer: “Why are you the best person for this position?”

1.

Know the job and the company

First, it’s impossible to give a good answer without knowing what their job is and what their company does. So read the job description. What key skills do they need or want? What are the main tasks/activities you will perform in this role?

This is what they care about the most, and what you need to be ready to show you are.

Then do some online research about the company. How do they make money? Who are their users/customers? What is their overall goal/mission?

This will force you to give a much better answer to questions such as “Why are you the best candidate for this job?”

So never skip this step!

2. Highlight the unique ways you can contribute in this role.

Then try to find a match between your background and their needs. Look at your recent job, your education, and whatever else you bring to the table.

Think of everything from their point of view. What Can they find the most useful or helpful based on their company and job posting?

This is what you should bring to their attention when they ask why you are the best candidate for an interview.

3. Answer within 60 seconds.

It is best to choose one or two key areas where you feel you can make the most contribution in this role. So be strategic in your response and choose what you think is the most interesting to talk about.

The best way to decide this is based on their job descriptions. What did they mention first? What did they mention most often? This is what they are most concerned about and what they need help with.

So if you can address one or two of these main areas, you’ll have a great answer to that question.

4. Practice the answer at home.

To speak confidently and avoid mistakes, you should practice your answer at home before the interview. You don’t need to rehearse a verbatim answer, in fact, I don’t recommend it. You will sound more natural if you don’t memorize word for word.

However, you should repeat your answer several times to make sure you find the key points you want to talk about when they ask, “Why are you the best person for this job?”

Make sure your answer is clear, direct, and concise (I recommend 60 seconds or less).

My favorite way to practice is to record your conversation on your smartphone (every smartphone should have a voice recording app). Then listen to how you sound and make adjustments.

5. At the end, ask your question.

To stand out even more, you can end your answer with a question addressed to them.

For example, you could end by saying: “What did you see in my background that prompted you to invite me for an interview? Was my analysis correct in terms of what you are looking for in this role?

Or you could say: “Am I right in thinking that your priorities in this role are ___ and ____?” That’s the impression I made from the job description.”

You’ll see this tactic used in the full response examples that appear in the next section.

It’s not 100% necessary, but it’s a great way to turn an interview into a two-way conversation and stand out from the majority of job seekers who simply answer each question and then wait for the next one (not the most impressive approach).

Sample responses on why you are the best candidate for the job

Next, let’s look at two sample responses to find out why you are the best fit for the job.

Sample Response #1:

“I noticed that the job description emphasizes the need for someone who can work under pressure and manage multiple accounts at the same time. It seems that organization and multitasking are vital. In my most recent role, I managed an average of 20 accounts per month, which required 10-50 email and voice responses per day, so I’m very comfortable handling a role as large and complex as this one. What did you see in my past that prompted you to invite me for an interview? Was my analysis correct in terms of what you are looking for in this role? ”

Sample Response #2:

“I believe I am the best candidate for this position because I have direct experience in many of the areas mentioned in the job description, including customer service and project management. Also, I am passionate about the software industry. This has been an industry I have wanted to get into since the beginning of my career, so I am very motivated and excited to do this job for your firm. Am I right in thinking that your priorities in this position are to find someone who can help your customer service team and also manage some projects for your clients and clients? That’s the impression I made from the job description.”

You can also include some personality in your answer.

Here is another example of a response. Imagine you are interviewing for a position at Starbucks (be it a position in a store or a position in a company/office).

When asked why you are the best hire, you can answer something like this:

“I practically live off Starbucks and haven’t gone a day without it in two years. So, along with the essential skills you’re looking for in a job description – such as customer experience and the ability to lead a team – you won’t find someone as enthusiastic and passionate about the brand as I am.

This sample answer shows a lot more personality and tells a little about yourself outside of work. In some cases, this is normal.

But if you don’t have a lot of passion and enthusiasm for your employer’s brand or industry, don’t pretend. Just use one of the more “standard” response formats in the examples in the previous section.

Conclusion

“Why are you the best person for this position?” it’s not a trick question, but it’s an interview question that confuses a lot of people.

Although you don’t know what other job seekers are offering, you can stand out by showing that you have researched the job and the company and highlighting certain skills/experiences in your background that will help you get started with their job. and everything will work out.

Finally, end your answer with a question directed at them, and you can turn the interview into a two-way conversation to show confidence and get them to look at you more as a colleague (and therefore someone they should hire!)

12 typical questions and answers

How to answer interview questions? This question is of interest to everyone who sent a resume to the desired vacancy and received an invitation for an interview. After all, a good CV and a motivation letter are only the first step towards employment.

An interview is the most important stage in hiring, an opportunity to make a first impression on a recruiter and learn more about the company and working conditions. For the employer, this is also a kind of test. After all, he needs to find out in a short time whether you can cope with the tasks of the company.

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Thu 17/01
Job Search

Interviewing from A to Z: 10 tips to help you pass the interview

Interview questions can be very different. Recruiters are concerned not only with your skills, intelligence, work experience, but also with habits, psychological stability, character. At Apple, candidates are generally asked about how they would plan a trip to the DPRK 🙂

To find out what questions are asked at the interview and what to answer, we have made a special selection.

Interview questions: 12 answers to the most frequently asked questions

1. Tell us about yourself

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Mon, 28/01
Job search

How to prepare for self-presentation at the interview?

This is often the first thing asked in an interview. The employer wants to know if your experience and career preferences are suitable for the selected vacancy. Don’t rewrite your resume. Try to talk about those facts from your biography and track record that correlate with the vacancy and the company as a whole. To do this, be sure to find out more about the company where you are going to get a job before the interview.

For example: “I graduated from university, got into an advertising agency and worked with such and such companies and clients (list your achievements). After that, I realized that I wanted to develop further in this direction” .

2. Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Another of the most frequently asked interview questions. The employer is interested in your ambitions and career plans. It is important for him to understand whether you are going to stay in the company for a long time or are looking for temporary earnings. Also, the answer to this question will show how your ambitions are consistent with the capabilities of the company. Do not artificially raise the bar – unrealistic goals can work against you. Show that you have repeatedly thought about your own future.

For example: instead of a common answer: “I don’t even know / I didn’t think about it” , say: “I would like to take such and such a vacancy / position, develop in such and such a direction and achieve certain success” . It is worth mentioning that changes are happening very quickly now, so your plans may also change.

3. What are your strengths?

You will definitely want to know what you can offer the company and how you can benefit from it. List your strengths that would be useful for this position. Be sure to back them up with real life examples.

For example: “I am good at problem solving, good time management and can get along with anyone. Once I had to…” (give an example from your life when you were able to use these qualities).

4. What are your weaknesses?

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Fri, 08/31
Career

Stand out to be in demand! How to develop your strengths and weaknesses?

The ability to recognize weaknesses means that you are prone to introspection. This question helps to determine if you understand your areas of development and if you are going to get better. Here, too, it is better to give an answer based on a story from real experience.

For example: “At my last job, a colleague criticized me for not warning him about a task ahead of time. It hurt me. But in the future, such criticism helped me achieve better results.0012 .

5. Tell us about your failures

Be open and calm about your failures. This will not go unnoticed: honesty and the ability to look at yourself from are important soft skills. Remember that the employer is interested not only in your successes and achievements, but also in the ability to cope with failures and get out of impasses. Demonstrate how you had a learning experience and were able to use failure for self-development. Learning from mistakes is a huge advantage.

For example: “In my last job, I took over the organization of the project and tried to do everything myself. Later, I realized that I needed the help of colleagues, because I can’t cope on my own. Thanks to the collective problem solving, we were able to successfully complete the project. In addition, the joint work brought the team closer” .

6. Why do you want to work with us?

You will definitely be asked the reason why you came for an interview to this particular company. From the answer to this question, the recruiter wants to understand what you want from the job and whether you match with the company. Explain why you think you and the employer are a good fit.

For example: “I have a lot of experience in such and such, so I can help the company achieve results in such and such a direction. Plus, I think my values ​​align with the company’s because…” .

7. What will be your first steps in a new job?

Any CEO or manager is looking for initiative people who are ready to change something and bring fresh ideas. But do not rush to fix everything at once – you are expected to be active, not arrogant. By answering this question, show your serious attitude to work.

For example: “First of all, I would like to get acquainted with the current state of affairs in order to understand exactly what I will have to work with” .

8. What do you value most in a team?

Don’t expect an employer to appreciate a love of work parties or connivance. Tell what you want to learn from new colleagues, how you can help them. Make it clear that you are able to quickly integrate into the corporate culture.

For example: “I really appreciate the atmosphere of support and mutual assistance in the team. At the previous place of work, my colleagues and I often helped each other, even if the task was not part of our direct responsibilities.

9. What do you hope to gain from this job?

You will want to know if you are going to self-actualize, improve and improve the acquired skills. Show interest in challenging tasks, talk about how you are going to grow professionally through a new job.

For example: “I am ready for new challenges and would like to improve such and such skills in order to reach my full potential” .

10. Do you have offers from other companies?

With this question, the employer will try to understand how much you are aimed at getting this position, as well as how much time he has to make a decision on hiring you. When answering, you should delicately make it clear that you are a sought-after specialist who is interested in this particular vacancy.

For example: “Because I am actively looking for a job and attending interviews, I am considering other job offers. But yours seems to me the most interesting so far, so I’m ready to wait for your decision and postpone other options.

The next two questions are almost 100% asked in interviews, and often they make up a decisive percentage of the overall impression. Therefore, we will dwell on them in more detail.

11. Why did you leave your last job?

An employer always asks you three questions at the same time when asking about the reasons for leaving.

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Tue, 12/02
Career

What to say at an interview about the reasons for dismissal?

  1. What reasons can make you leave your job?
  2. If you are hired, how will you talk about it to the next employer?
  3. Why did you leave your last job?

Therefore, your answer must take into account all three aspects. Try to speak with maximum respect about the experience, skills, responsibility that the previous company gave you. Do not criticize a past employer or colleagues. It is important to remove all emotions and leave only the answer about the content of the work and tasks.

It would also be wrong to call the reason for dismissal solely the size of the salary. This will cause the employer to think that if you are offered even more, you will calmly leave him. Therefore, even if the reason is money, try to understand what else is important to you in your work, and focus on these motives.

For example: “I have already achieved results in the company (list), discussed growth prospects with managers and understand that there are no opportunities to grow vertically or gain experience in related projects in the near future. Therefore, I began to look for another job with a larger area of ​​​​responsibility” (if you worked for a company for a long time).

OR: “The company changed the functionality from the first day: they took on the position of a project manager, but in the end I had to act as an assistant to the manager, and this is not exactly what I am interested in and in what direction I want to develop” (if you have worked for the company for a short time).

12. What level of salary will suit you?

A correct understanding of how much you value yourself can tell about your level as a specialist.

Do not be afraid that you will be refused if you name the desired income. Devaluing yourself from the very beginning is not the best strategy. Monitor the salary market. This will allow you to argue why you are claiming this particular amount of remuneration. For example, you know a foreign language, have been trained or have demonstrated outstanding results at a previous job.

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Tue, 05/03
Job search

How much are you worth? How to determine the salary before the interview

If you don’t want to give a specific figure, try to build a dialogue in such a way that you return the salary question to the recruiter and get a detailed answer.

For example: “My salary expectations start from…, depending on… (functionality, level of responsibility, number of subordinates, need to work overtime, etc.). I’m open to discussing them, but I’d like to hear first what the company is offering.” .

OR: “I rely on the average figures for the market – … (it is desirable to indicate the source of information) / This is the salary offered by employers for similar vacancies (if this is true). What do you suggest?

Maybe you’re just minding your own business. Our online career guidance test will help you find yours →

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How to answer personal interview questions

Interview questions can be personal. Knowing how to answer them is not an easy task.

Some employers do not follow the basic principles of ethics and even laws that protect the candidate from discrimination. In such cases, direct rebuke or conflict rarely works. It is better to use diplomacy and negotiation skills.

Key rule: ask yourself what exactly the recruiter wants to know with his question. Don’t answer a direct question, but an unspoken request.

For example: if you were asked with whom you rent a house, then the topic is about your financial well-being, and this is directly related to your salary. Say: “I have some financial needs that prevent me from lowering my salary expectations below such and such.” .

OR: if the employer is interested in whether you are going to have children, then he is afraid of losing you, not justifying the investment of time and resources. For him, this is an objective risk and it’s good if you answer in a form convenient for you: “My professional development is a priority for me for the next so many years” .

Psychological interview questions

Another category of questions that can be asked at an interview is psychological. These are usually questions about self-esteem and personal qualities. Or those that are designed to reveal the “real” you, to reveal the level of your motivation, ability to work in a team, etc. It can also be provocative questions that the recruiter will ask out of the blue to see your reaction.

For example, this could be a question from a psychological test: “What animal do you associate yourself with?” There is no correct answer here, voice any option that is comfortable for you. You can joke or, on the contrary, answer seriously. It is only important not to get confused and not to “hang out”, and ideally, use the answer as another chance to talk about your strengths.

Or this question: “What will you do if you win a large amount of money in the lottery? Will you leave your job?” In this way, your motivation is usually tested. Therefore, it is logical to answer that money will allow you to be more calm and confident in the future and at the same time do your job better. Because now you can invest in your own education and tools that will help you be more effective.

In general, psychological issues can be very different. It is important not to lose your temper, and any question that can turn you into a whiner, transform into a positive answer. For example, do not talk about your weaknesses – say that you are developing strengths; Emphasize good features of the former boss; and you are looking for a job for a long time, not because you are refused, but because you yourself want to be 100% sure that the company suits you.

What to ask a recruiter

An interview is not a one-sided interrogation, so don’t be afraid to ask, especially since there is more to ask. This will show your initiative, interest and competence. But a person who does not ask questions in an interview may seem frivolous.

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Thu 01/24
Career

What should I ask at the interview?

About your direct duties

Even if you have discussed in detail what exactly you will have to do, and the rest can be found in the job description, clarify some nuances.

About the company’s success

This question will help you understand the company’s image, and also introduce you as a person interested in competition and career growth.

About organizational issues

Find out about the schedule of work and holidays, about the features of the office. So you can determine for yourself how you should plan your working day, what opportunities you will have and what you will have to put up with.

Interview Do’s and Don’ts

Before an interview, it may seem that you are ready for all the questions, and there is no trace of stress, but annoying mistakes can ruin everything.

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Wed 17/10
Job search

Candidate’s stop-list: 9 common mistakes at the interview

The main mistake – to talk about what should not be. The employer really wants to get to know the candidate better, but not in the ways that you might consider important. What should not be done in an interview?

Talk about personal problems

An employer is unlikely to be interested in your mother’s health or the reason your boyfriend or girlfriend left you. An interview is not a conversation with a psychologist, remember that.

Interrupt

It’s good when you have something to say and the words immediately come to mind. But you should not insert remarks every time the employer starts talking.

To lie

Trite, but essential. Little lies will come out one way or another. You will easily forget in a couple of months what you were talking about, and this can play a cruel joke on you. Especially do not lie about the salary or success at the previous job.

Being arrogant

The manifestation of snobbery is forgiven in a circle of friends, but not in an interview. An elementary misunderstanding of the context of the conversation and pretense will immediately annoy the employer.

Silence

Too short answers and periodic silence indicate that the candidate does not know how to present himself. The last thing an employer wants is to take a word out of you.

The article was prepared with the participation of Happy Monday CEO Anna Mazur and Chief HR Officer at Marina Molchan’s IT company.

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What answers do I expect at a testing interview / Sudo Null IT News

I conduct interviews for testers. I sometimes have a headache.

I was planning to write an article for a long time… And finally, I fulfilled my intention. The questions raised in the article have already been discussed more than once or twice, but the diligent search for a compilation of answers to these questions has not been successful. But, as my experience suggests, such a compilation is very necessary. First of all, it is required by juniors, because on the network, at the request of “testing”, they (applicants) are bombarded with a huge amount of informational garbage, which is poorly structured and often contradicts itself.

First, a few words about myself. At the moment I am the head of the testing and maintenance department of a company dealing with corporate GIS. Prior to that, he worked as the head of the testing group in a company developing commercial LMS (Distance Learning Systems). And even earlier, he was a leading testing engineer in a company that provided electronic trading under Federal Law No. 94. And I started my career more than 11 years ago as a system administrator (in three different organizations). I was a programmer trainee for a little less than two years (at the beginning of the 2000s – VB). Freelance as a software engineer: I wrote my own bug tracker for a state-owned company… Based on the foregoing, it can be argued that certain experience (testing – more than 5 years in total) has been gained…

In addition, on duty, I constantly have to recruit employees for the testing department. And the more I do this, the more I am convinced that sometimes it is easier to take an applicant without experience than a person with testing experience in a Russian company (however, not without exceptions). Along the way, it should be noted that applicants without experience in the vast majority use the following sources of information about the profession: Internet resources, books, opinions of familiar testers.

In interviews I always ask the same questions:

  1. Why did you decide to become a tester?
  2. What is testing? What is its essence as a process?
  3. What is an error?
  4. What is the purpose of testing?
  5. What do you know about the software life cycle?
  6. What are the requirements?
  7. What kinds/types/classes/methods of testing do you know, and how do they differ?
  8. Tell us about test documentation: types, goals.
  9. What are the stages of the testing process?
  10. Automated testing – a separate type of testing?
  11. What type/kind of test class would make sense to automate?

An applicant who reaches the eighth question in an hour and a half of the conversation is a rarity, I will hire such a junior. Reaching up to 11 questions in the same time can be accepted for the position of lead tester, but in 240 interviews, there were only 5 such people!

Am I being too picky about my answers? No, I just expect the applicant to understand what he will have to do. Here’s how the interview goes: I start talking to the applicant, preferably in the form of a dialogue, asking him the specified questions. If I get an answer that is correct or close to correct, then I move on to the next question. If the applicant is “wandering”, giving a memorized formulation, or simply cannot substantiate it, I try to lead him to the correct answer and why this answer is correct. I’m trying to make you think. For the past year, instead of interviews, I’ve been getting impromptu lectures. And it’s not just that applicants are less knowledgeable or have little experience. There were also interviews for the position of lead test engineer with applicants with 10 years of experience … the result is almost always depressing. In my opinion, the fact is that there is a lot of conflicting information and “unuseful” experience, because many Russian companies build the testing process according to the S. Kaner model – when two or three highly qualified testers completely generate, select and describe cases, and checks are carried out 10 -15,100, 500+ “testers” without really delving into the very essence of the process.

With this text, I will try to bring yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s applicants for the position of a tester a little to understand what “testing” is all the same. In the following, I will answer some of the interview questions and justify my opinion, as well as give some of the most common answers of applicants and explain why I think they are wrong.

The most common answer is: “because it’s simple and interesting (!)”. That is, the candidate believes that he will be paid money for clicking the mouse on VK … Or they will give him software and say – break it … Or he simply did not prepare for this issue and has a very poor idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe profession.

The second most common answer is: “because I want to work in IT and testing is the easiest way” (read: IT specialists have a high salary, and testing does not require any knowledge or skills, but salary is also quite high!).

There were also answers: “my mother/husband/wife forced me to go to an interview”.

There is no single correct answer, but these three and their derivatives are definitely wrong, because testing is difficult and monotonous, it requires certain skills for which there are no textbooks, and leads to professional deformation of the worldview.

What would I like to hear? Perhaps something like: “because without testing it is impossible to reveal the true state of the product being produced, and how it meets the expectations of the consumer.

The most common answer (directly spelled out by S. Kaner and R. Savin) is “search for errors”. And in all the literature on testing, for some reason, no one indicates that this is a simplification and a very rough one, and in general, this answer is simply wrong!

Testing is a set of measures aimed at checking the compliance of the manufactured product with the requirements imposed on it (direct and indirect).

Yes, indeed, bugs/incidents/observations come up during the checks , but this is just a by-product of the process. The main one is information on the conformity of the product with the requirements that apply to it .

Well, here, thank God, almost everyone answers: “incorrect work of the program …”. But then chaos begins when you ask: “how do we know if the work is correct or not?”

The correct answer is available on almost all testing resources known to me:
Error – non-compliance of the manufactured product with the requirements, direct or indirect.
In order not to wander in contradictions / assumptions, etc., this is the only correct answer.

Here people begin to repeat the answer to the second question with different variations. The most attentive applicants try to retell what I prompted them when answering the second question. And the answer is extremely simple:

The purpose of testing is to provide up-to-date information on the compliance of the manufactured product with the requirements.

Everything. No more and no less. Well, of course, you can also say that the purpose of testing is to provide information about the number of errors in the product. And that is exactly what is wrong. Why? Here is just the same everyday case of many testers / PM / analysts: a call from a customer – “how is my product?”. “You know, it has 60 more bugs!” – the answer of the tester / PM … And what’s next? It’s a lot? Few? Fine? You can, of course, tell in detail about the criticality of these bugs, their priorities, but this is not an answer to the customer’s question, this is the issuance of raw raw information from the fiberboard. Now the same case. “How is my product?” the customer asks. “35% percent of the requirements are fully implemented, another 5% with comments, and another 2% are now in implementation,” the PM/tester replies. Do you think this answer makes more sense? And let these 5% include the already mentioned 60 bugs-remarks … The answer to the question is given as accurate as it is generally possible in this format. This is precisely the purpose of testing. And, accordingly, the process itself, in its essence, should be reduced to achieving this goal.

A lot has been said about the life cycle of software, and it strongly depends on the organization of the implementation process as a whole. Still, there is some “golden mean”, but even here they manage to fantasize wild things, either reducing everything to three points, or drawing a diagram on three pages … Everyone who conducted / passed the interview, it’s so clear what mistakes are made and how many options correct answers. I won’t dwell on it in more detail, I will only say that there is a whole pool of candidates who are firmly stuck on this issue (approximately 7%).

Only 50 percent of applicants reach this question in an hour and a half … Although I don’t demand “letter for letter” answers, the main thing, as lawyers call it, is to preserve the “spirit”.

The most common case: applicants start listing the types of technical documentation that they know or have heard about… I will definitely listen, nod and ask: “anything else?”. Rarely does anyone remember the division into “functional” / “non-functional”, and who remembers often cannot explain the difference.

But there is one category that is forgotten. I have already mentioned several times in this article about “… direct and indirect requirements …”. At the interview, I say this phrase five or six times. A very small percentage of applicants ask again and thereby exclude this question from the interview. And the full answer is: “Requirements can be direct (i.e., formalized in technical documentation, specs, user stories, and other formal artifacts) and indirect (i.e., arising from direct, or being an unspoken standard for a given product, or based on experience and common sense in the use of this product or products similar to it). All requirements are also divided into functional (describing what functions the product should perform) and non-functional (requirements for the environment, maintainability, reliability, and other characteristics of the product). Direct demands always take precedence over indirect ones.

The most obvious and “simple” example: in the TOR, “the button must be red” is a direct requirement, indirect ones follow from it – it should not be blue, green, gray or black, etc. Naturally, this is a strong simplification , but very revealing. And most importantly, this approach cuts off an overly formal attitude to testing and raises the bar for testing qualification as such, because for competent testing it is not enough to know only technical specifications and user stories, you also need to study the application area and the specifics of consumption of the product being produced. Such testing is much more efficient.

I have a small sin: I deny the existence of negative checks because:

  • they are hard to justify to management,
  • it’s hard to get time on them,
  • it is almost impossible to justify them economically to the customer when preparing an estimate for testing.

Based on the concept of indirect requirements, this is not necessary, since all checks become positive, but some of them are for compliance with direct requirements, and some are for compliance with indirect ones. And the qualification of a specialist is precisely revealed by an understanding of the indirect requirements for each specific product.

There is a lot of information about the classification of testing, there are also a lot of correct answers. I’m asking this question to see if the applicant has done little or no preparation. The fact is that the previous questions can be answered simply by reasoning and having a general idea of ​​​​the field as a whole. This question requires basic knowledge of terms. Perhaps I will consider it in other articles, because it is quite large and deserves a separate article.

Test documentation is perhaps the biggest problem. There are such battles in communities, firms, etc.! There is so much conflicting information about her. Many volumes have been published about her in various languages. There is such a mess in their heads about it … What kind of answers have you heard (yes, including the technical specifications and the design solution – this is also test documentation) … Therefore, I will express my thoughts on this matter.

There are two types of test documentation: external and internal. Both are tools that make life easier for the project team. No more and no less.

External documentation:

  • Note – a short note, a comment about a small inaccuracy in the implementation of the product.
  • Bug report – a description of the identified case of non-compliance of the manufactured product with the requirements put forward to it – an error or its manifestations. It must contain the following elements:
    • The idea of ​​the test case that caused the error.
    • Description of the initial system state for case execution.
    • Steps required to identify the error or its manifestation.
    • Expected result, i.e. what should have happened in accordance with the requirements.
    • Actual result, i.e. what actually happened.
    • The input data that was used during case playback.
    • Other information, without which the case cannot be repeated.
    • Severity and/or priority.
    • Screen shot (screenshot).
    • Version, build, resource, and other environment data.

  • Request for change (improvement) – a description of implicit / non-critical indirect requirements that were not taken into account when planning / implementing the product, but non-compliance, which may cause rejection by the end user. And ways/recommendations to modify the product to match them.
  • Test report (test report) – a document that provides information about the compliance / non-compliance of the product with the requirements. It may also contain a description of some details of the testing session, such as the time spent, the types of testing used, the list of cases tested, etc. Ideally, a phrase like “Test passed. The error is not reproduced / The functionality works correctly / Complies with the requirements” means that the product or part of it fully complies with the direct and indirect requirements (in software production).

Internal documentation:

  • Test plan (test plan) is a formalized and enlarged description of one testing session in one or more areas of testing. Those. a list of areas of checks that must be carried out within the framework of the testing session (and, in accordance with these areas, requirements). It may also contain the necessary information about the environment, methodology, and other conditions important for the demonstration of this testing session. The direction of checks can also be understood as more detailed test documentation (in the form of a link to it): checklists, test suites, test scenarios, which must be relied upon during the testing session. The main purpose of the document is to describe the boundaries of the testing session, to stabilize the indicativeness of this session.
  • Test scenario – a sequence of actions on a product that are connected by a single limited business process of use, and corresponding checks of the correctness of the product’s behavior during these actions. May contain information about the initial state of the product to run the script, input data, and other information that is critical for successful and exemplary testing of the script. A feature is the linearity of actions and checks, i.e. the dependence of subsequent actions and checks on the success of the previous ones. The purpose of the document is to stabilize the coverage of the aspects of the product necessary to perform the functional task with demonstrative necessary and sufficient checks. In fact, upon successful completion of the entire test scenario, we can conclude that the product can perform one or another function assigned to it.
  • Test suite – a set of formalized test cases united by a common logical feature.
  • Checklist (list of checks) – a list of formalized test cases in a form convenient for carrying out checks. Test cases in a checklist should not be dependent on each other. It must necessarily contain information about: ideas of tests, sets of input data, expected results, a boolean mark on passing / failing a test case, a boolean mark on the match / non-coincidence of the actual and expected results for each test. It may also contain the steps for conducting the check, data about the features of the environment and other information necessary for carrying out checks. The goal is to ensure that requirements are consistently covered by checks that are necessary and sufficient to conclude that the product conforms to them. The peculiarity is that checklists are compiled by those test cases that are indicative of a specific requirement.
  • Test case (test case) – a formalized description of one indicative check for compliance with direct or indirect requirements. Must contain the following information:
    • The idea of ​​verification.
    • Description of the requirement being checked or the part of the requirement being checked.
    • Test environment used for verification.
    • The initial state of the product before testing.
    • Steps to bring the product into a testable state.
    • Input data to use when playing steps.
    • Expected result.
    • Other information necessary for the verification.

The goal is to capture the generated and selected exemplary test in a form that allows a tester of any qualification to conduct it and be able to analyze the results.

As you can see, each subsequent type of internal test documentation details the previous one to a certain extent. Each document has its own purpose and together they are a tool to facilitate the generation, selection and reproduction of test cases. In addition, well-structured, maintainable, readable, organized and accessible test documentation allows in the long run:

  • Ensure the stability of coverage of requirements by checks.
  • Ensure that all inspections carried out are representative.
  • Ensure that the audits carried out are necessary and sufficient.
  • Save time on testing steps by reducing them to checks and analysis and reporting results.
  • Lower the tester’s input skill level for testing.
  • Improve the predictability of testing sessions in terms of time and resources.
  • Increase the transparency of the testing process for other participants in the production process of the product.
  • Provide a knowledge base about the product and its development history.

But keep in mind that there are also disadvantages:

  • Coating stability. With a degree of probability tending to infinity, if testing is carried out according to the documentation, then only those checks that are in this documentation will be carried out. The probability of missing an error (most often a non-compliance with an indirect requirement not covered by the documentation) increases.
  • Poor bug localization by the tester. Or a complete lack of localization. The actual result did not match the expected – an error. And what is it really: an error; error manifestation; The tester will not check the incident of the already described error (in the vast majority of cases).
  • High skill level required for creating and maintaining test documentation.
  • Large time spent on creating and maintaining test documentation.
  • Weakly predictable test documentation timelines.

The lists of both pluses and minuses can be continued, I have indicated only those that lie on the surface. But understanding at least this list is extremely important for a current or future test specialist. The question regarding test documentation overcomes a very small percentage of applicants.

Naturally, there are many more types of documentation in testing, but without understanding the purpose and features of these documents, it is very difficult to work in this profession. And in order not to increase the size of the article at all, consider the last (for this article) question.

Most often, they answer something like this: “preparation, testing, report …” That’s right, only absolutely any process consists of these stages. And the answer in no way reflects the applicant’s understanding of testing processes. More like cheating… Therefore, let me state my vision:

  1. initiation,
  2. identification of direct and indirect requirements,
  3. test case generation,
  4. selection of representative test cases,
  5. carrying out inspections,
  6. fixing results,
  7. analysis of results,
  8. transfer of information about the compliance of the tested product with the requirements.

For more information about these steps:

Trigger is an event that notifies the test team that a test session is required and also ensures that the product requirements for testing are met.

For software production requirements include:

  • required test environment available,
  • build/resource/test item available,
  • code, database, other components of the test object are “frozen”, i.e. do not change during the entire testing session,
  • modification of requirements (at least direct ones) is “frozen”,
  • direction of testing known,
  • dates for the testing session are known.

There are other conditions, but they are less significant and strongly depend on the specific process in the company.

Identifying requirements is perhaps one of the most important steps in the testing process. Unknown requirements – no testing. It is necessary to collect all available information about the subject of testing, use cases, etc. The first source – technical documentation and user stories – these are direct requirements. The quality of indirect requirements largely depends on the integrity, responsibility, qualifications of the tester and the entire project team.

Test case generation – identification of all possible use cases of the product, its characteristics and features during operation. This means: all cases that the tester can “think up” based on direct and indirect requirements known to him. This stage requires highly qualified testing specialist.

Selection of test cases – selection of the most representative, significant and reproducible test cases. This stage determines how useful, effective and analysable testing will be. For example, in the “simple” example with the red button, it is clear that the number of indirect requirements tends to infinity, and checking them all in a row is completely absurd, but such cases should be generated at least in the head of the verifier. And in order for them not to be included in the checks, it is necessary to perform the appropriate selection and check only whether the button is really red.

The example is primitive, but after voicing it, applicants stop first of all trying to pour radium into a glass on test task J (those who took part in the interview for the position of a tester know this simple task for generating and selecting test cases).

Carrying out checks – everything is clear here. Either according to the documentation, or ad hoc (intuitive, free search, no documentation). In any case, this is carried out according to the list of selected checks. For some reason, most of this point is called testing. And in the head of a layman who is unfamiliar with the profession, only this one item is contained in J.

Fixing the results – creating internal and external test documentation in a formalized form or in the form of records, etc. At this stage, the test report, even if it is created, is not considered complete.

Analysis of results – Determination of compliance of the tested product with the requirements. Formalization of this decision and its justification in the form of a test report. This also includes procedures for assessing the coverage of requirements by checks, time-shielding, etc. Thus, not only the results are analyzed, but also the testing session itself.

Communication of product compliance information. Formally: the transfer of external test documentation to interested parties, often the initiator of the testing session. In the general case: in addition to the documentation, information is provided on the risks that have been identified in the product, requirements, processes, recommendations are given for working out these risks, etc. But this is already QA J!

The attentive reader has noticed that the questions gain complexity from the beginning to the end of the conversation. At the same time, it is worth noting that all these questions should not complicate testing specialists, that is, those who did not “just click with the mouse – tested”, but tried to understand the essence of what they do, those who did not stop at one book or one resource, but thought through and justified his actions . .. at least for himself.

This concludes this article. If the dear reader finds a subject for discussion in my statements, I will be glad to participate in it. If questions arise, they will become topics for future articles. Always welcome constructive criticism. In any case, write to me. If there is interest in the article, then I will continue the analysis of the interviews, and, perhaps, I will try to highlight other aspects of the profession, which almost everyone has heard of, but few who know it from the inside.

8 recruiter letter rules and templates to help close a job quickly

About half of your working time is devoted to searching for candidates. Especially a lot of effort goes into interaction with applicants: communication with managers, online interviews, phone calls, letters. How to speed up the preparation of letters? It will be much easier if you know the rules for writing letters and have ready-made templates at hand, written according to the requirements of business correspondence.

Letters to Candidates: Rules to Know

The rules are simple and easy to follow, but they will help a lot to establish contact. A professional recruiter will never violate them.

1. Maintain your employer brand. This is important to the reader of the letter when choosing from several proposals.

2. Be concise. Give only the most important information. No one reads long and boring letters to the end. Too emotional look ridiculous.

3. Tailor the content to the individual: add a personal detail in the first letter.

4. If the candidate suits you in all respects, let him know about it so that he feels his value.

5. Use a friendly style.

6. Be prompt in correspondence. Don’t let another employer get ahead of you. A good rule of thumb is to respond within 24 hours.

7. Carefully reread what you have written. Misprints will negatively affect the company’s reputation.

Your task: to stand out in the first letter among the standard letters in order to get the specialist you need to respond.

Avoid writing mistakes

  • Poorly edited template.
  • Formal or, on the contrary, familiar tone and style: “Hey, friend! Greetings. You are a cool person and fit us in all respects.
  • Use of phrases like “good day”, “thanks in advance”.
  • Missing at the end of the question inviting to the conversation. For example: “Write in what format it is convenient for you to work with us.”
  • Poorly readable font, all text in capital letters, lack of letter structure.

Templates

Is it worth inventing something that has already been invented and successfully applied in practice? Letter templates guarantee successful work with the candidate if they are used wisely and taking into account the rules given above.

Use strong and compelling recruiting email templates, from interview scheduling to offers. They will make it easy to keep in touch with job applicants, and you will be able to engage and actively inform them at every stage.

Types of letter templates

Sourcing

  • First letter to a candidate with a recommendation
  • First letter to a candidate without a recommendation
  • Follow-up letter if the candidate did not answer the first
  • Answer to “Yes, I am interested”8 “thank you, not interested”

Shortlisting

  • Reply to those who responded
  • Reply to those who did not match

Phone screening

  • Invitation for phone screening
  • Reply to non-applicant

Interview

  • Invitation for interview
  • Rejection after interview

Job offer

Sourcing

Fundamentals of primary communication. In fact, this is the first and only chance to get things right. In the first letter, do not try to immediately sell the work. Sell ​​only the next meeting, conversation, letter.

Do not limit yourself to searching for candidates in your database. Make sure the information you have is up to date. Internet portals will help with this: hh.ru, Superjob.ru, Rabota.ru, Avito, Gorodrabot.ru, Zarplata.Ru, Yula.ru, Freelance.ru and other resources.

What to look for when fact-checking:

– Last job and position related to your vacancy.
– Recent projects that are related to your open position and in which the candidate has participated.
– Candidate’s skills and ambitions, and how it aligns with your company’s mission and job posting.

Structure of the letter

Subject

Inform the candidate about your intentions already in the subject of the letter. For example: “We are looking for an architect for a new project of the TalentTech company. Don’t overdo it in trying to sound as interesting as possible. Do not try to fit absolutely all the information in the topic. You just need to find out if the candidate is interested in new job offers or not. Enough 40 characters.

First paragraph

Explain how you found the candidate. You have gone through the previous steps and know what he is currently working on. If you do everything right, the recipient will definitely read the letter. Because 1) it’s about him and 2) it’s not a template email.

Second paragraph

Tell us why you are writing. Briefly explain why working together will benefit both parties.

Call to action

You want the candidate to take some action after reading it (respond/apply to the job/recommend someone…) and not just close the mail. Write about it, but don’t be too pushy, try to always leave a choice. End the letter with a question: “In what format are you interested in working with us?” At the end, wish you a good day.

Signature

Don’t forget this part. If the candidate is interested and wants to know more about the position of the company, he should immediately find a link with additional information at the bottom of the letter. Leave a full link to the vacancy on your website so as not to complicate the search.

Example:

Subject: Hello [candidate’s name] , are you thinking about a new job and are looking through the vacancies?

Hello [candidate’s name],
I saw on your profile [where did you find the candidate] that you worked for [previous position] at [the company where the candidate held this position] before joining [current place of work] to work on [a project at this company that is related to an open position].

I work for [your company], which also does [what do you have in common with the candidate’s past experience].

My name is [your name] and I am [your current position] at [your company]. [One sentence about the company and what it does]. Based on your profile, your experience in [relevant past work experience] is very close to the challenges that our company is currently facing. We are committed to [your company’s mission] and believe that [a problem that the candidate may be interested in solving] can help us with [paraphrase the company’s mission].

I would be happy to talk to you to tell you more about us and the open position. We can call, meet for a cup of coffee or contact in a convenient way for you. Write if you are interested in my offer. You can learn more about the open position at [link to the vacancy on your career site].

Thank you,
[your name]
[phone]
[e-mail]
[website link]

First letter of recommendation from a colleague

Have you recommended a candidate? Lucky! First, make sure the referrer has a really good experience with your company in case the candidate asks for help. Second, tell the referrer the details of the position for which you are looking for a candidate so that there are no discrepancies later.

Structure:

Subject
Be sure to include the name of the referrer in the subject of the letter, perhaps only this will make the candidate open and read your message.

First paragraph
Briefly describe the referee’s role in the company and their experience. Try to make sure that the candidate can imagine himself in his place. Do not go into details, the candidate can learn all the details directly from your colleague.

Second paragraph
Tell us about what the company does, what position is currently open, and how it relates to the mission of the company. Leave a link to the job description so that the candidate can read the requirements more closely if he is interested in your offer.

Call to action
As with a simple cold message, be sure to include a call to action. Keep it light and open, emphasizing that you respect the candidate’s choice and will be happy to receive a response from him.

Example:

Subject: Hi, [name of referrer] said you were a great person. Are you by any chance interested in a new job?

Hello [candidate’s name],

Your friend [name of referrer] is on the same team as me at [your company name]. [name of referrer] has been successfully working here for [how many years the referrer has been with the company]. He recommended you as a professional in your field, and we just take only such people into our team, and we are always on the lookout for new talents. That’s why I write

[One sentence about the company and what it does]. We currently have an open vacancy [briefly about the open position]. More information about the position can be found here: [link to the vacancy on your website].

I would be happy to speak with you to tell you more about us and the open position. We can call, meet for a cup of coffee, or contact in any way convenient for you. Write to me if you are interested in my offer, you can read more about the open position at [link to the vacancy on your career site].

Thank you,
[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]

Follow up if the candidate didn’t respond to the first message

There are different opinions about how many times you can write to the candidate if he didn’t respond to your first email. We believe that one. Well, two at the most. Otherwise you look like a spammer. Don’t be overly pushy. Do not forget that if the candidate already has a job, then he definitely checks his mail periodically. If he is looking for work, he checks it even more often. The chances that your email has simply not been seen are very small. Trust us, the candidate will respond if he is interested in your offer. And the number of incoming messages is unlikely to convince them.

Structure:

First paragraph
Please clarify that you have already written but have not received a reply.

Second paragraph
Reassure the candidate that you are not a spammer and do not write to everyone. Only those who have unique skills and are ideally suited to your open position.

Call to Action
If you sent an email in response to your previous one, the candidate will be able to see your history and brush up on the subject of your communication, so be brief.

Example:

Hi [candidate’s name],

I already wrote to you a couple of days ago about our open position [job link] at [your company name].

I don’t write to everyone, but you were recommended as an excellent specialist. You were recommended by a friend of yours, [name of referrer], and we are just looking for such employees!

Still want to chat?

Thank you,
[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]

Answer to “yes, I’m interested”

Great, the candidate is ready to learn more about the position. How to write an answer? Sticking to the structure:

First paragraph

Show that you are really happy with the candidate’s response.

Call to action

Take the candidate to the next stage: offer several types of communication and leave him the choice. Seems like the message is too short? This is the point, to focus the candidate on one action that will bring the long-awaited result – a response.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name],

Thank you very much for your reply!

I’d love to chat with you to tell you a little more about who we are. Would it be more convenient for you to call or meet for a cup of coffee? Let me know what suits you best 🙂

Thank you,
[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]

Answering “no thanks”

There is a positive side to this answer – the candidate took his time to answer and not leave you in the dark. It is necessary to write in such a way that you can return to it in the future with good news.

Structure:

First paragraph

Thank you for taking the time to respond to the message.

Call to Action

If you jump straight to the question, “Do you know anyone else who might be interested,” it will look like you don’t care about the candidate’s rejection, it’s just one of the items in the your list. And you just need to quickly fill the vacancy with anyone.

First, make it clear that you are really sorry that the candidate declined. And only after that, delicately find out if the candidate has someone who can also ideally fit the position, like himself.

Life hack: to make it easier for the candidate and increase your chances of an answer, ask to share professional meetups, events and conferences that he attends and where potential candidates may be. Perhaps in this way you will discover a new resource for sourcing.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name],

Thank you very much for your reply and for your time!

It is a pity that this time we are not on the way. In any case, we look forward to working with you in the future. I will also be grateful (flax) if you can recommend me a specialist who will be interested in our vacancy. Here’s the description: [link to the job on your career site].

Thank you again,
[your name]
[your phone number]
[your e-mail]

Shortlisted

Response to all applicants who responded

From the moment a candidate has applied to your vacancy, he begins to interact with your company, and he forms an opinion about the employer brand. Many companies are in no hurry to write to candidates and invite them for interviews. During the working day it is really difficult to find time to answer hundreds of letters.

We have good news here: TalentTech’s Potok HCM recruitment automation platform will help you speed up the process of sending emails. You will appreciate the ability to automatically send dozens of letters at once, each of which will be addressed to a specific recipient. Details at the end of the article.

Structure:

First paragraph

Thank all candidates who responded specifically to your vacancy from hundreds of others.

Second paragraph

Confirm that you have received a response. It is important for candidates to understand that their resume is in “good hands”.

Third paragraph

Explain what will happen next, do not leave candidates in the dark.

Call to Action

You must show that you are open to questions from candidates about the recruitment process.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name],

Thank you for your application for the position of [position name] at [your company name].

I have received your CV and am already studying it carefully, so everything is in order.

I will give you feedback after [short listing end date].

Thanks again,
[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page]

Cancellation after the completion of the selection of candidates

Writing refusals is not easy. But it’s even worse to understand that you didn’t fit, but you weren’t even told about it. Therefore, a simple email with the right tone can improve a candidate’s experience with your company. And an insufficiently qualified candidate will gain experience and may suit you after a while. Therefore, part as tactfully as possible.

Structure:

First paragraph

Express gratitude for choosing your company.

Second paragraph

State your decision clearly but gently. Then focus the candidate’s attention on future career opportunities within your company. This tactic has two advantages:

– this way you give hope for the candidate’s further development and tell you where to go in the future;

– you are treating the candidate like a human being, and not just stamping “unqualified” on his resume. This gives a good impression of the employer brand.

Third paragraph

Recall research. The candidate has already passed a certain way, and he has gained experience of interacting with the employer brand. On the one hand, he will be able to help you improve processes, on the other hand, he feels that his opinion is important and will be heard.

Example:

Hi [candidate name],

Thank you for your application for the [position name] position at [your company name].

Unfortunately we can’t say we’re a perfect match just yet, but I encourage you to check out our careers page [link to the job page on your career site] from time to time, keep growing, and apply for jobs in the future.

All the best, [your name]

P.S. We try to study and improve the experience of interaction of candidates with our company. We will be glad if you help us with this and leave your feedback: [link to study]

[your phone]
[your email]
[link to your company’s career page]

Phone Screening

Phone Screening Invitation

Send this interim email when you have decided which candidates you want to call. Do not forget that worthy professionals do not stay in the market. Therefore, send the following message as soon as possible.

Structure:

First paragraph

Remind the candidate which position at which company and when they applied. Then state the purpose of your letter.

Second paragraph

Give the candidate several options to choose from. And set a deadline for making a decision.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name].

Thank you for your application for the [position title] position at [your company name]. I want to know more about you, let’s choose a time for me to call you, the conversation will take no more than [how many minutes do you need]?

Are you comfortable with [insert first date option] or [insert second option date]? Let me know your choice by [deadline time and date].

Looking forward to meeting you,
[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page]

Refusal

After the call, you will realize that one of the candidates is not qualified enough and is not suitable yet. Do not ignore those who are not ready to make a job offer, be sure to send a letter with your decision.

Structure:

First paragraph

Be polite and thank you for your time.

Second paragraph

Same message as the first refusal to reply. You will be glad if the candidate gains experience and applies again.

Third paragraph

The candidate has come a long way with you. The best thing you can do for your employer brand is to offer meaningful feedback.

Review Research

You have submitted a review to a candidate. In response, the candidate will most likely agree to do the same for you. Therefore, feel free to ask him to take a study about the experience of interacting with the company.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name].

Thank you for your time.

There are a few things that I found particularly valuable in our conversation and in your approach [there may be options here]. However, while we can not say that we are perfect for each other. But I invite you to check out our careers page [link to the job page on your career site], continue to grow and apply for jobs.

I would be happy to answer questions or make recommendations about your application.

All the best, [your name].

P.S. We try to study and improve the experience of interaction of candidates with our company. We will be grateful if you help us with this and leave your feedback: [link to study].

[your phone]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page]

Interview

Invitation for interview

Similar to a call invitation. The main thing here is to do it quickly. But before sending the letter, discuss the following questions with the team:

– Where will the interview take place?
– What are the main points to be covered?
– Who is participating?

This will help everyone prepare better for the interview and be more productive.

Structure:

First paragraph

Briefly explain why you are writing. Feel free to leave a couple of good points to get attention.

Second paragraph

You can choose a date that is convenient for you, or offer several options to choose from.

Third paragraph

Most companies usually skip this paragraph. We consider it important. Attach to the letter the interview plan that you prepared with your colleagues. This will help you keep the conversation on track and help the candidate present themselves as well as they can.

Fourth paragraph

Your company is located in a part of town where the candidate has never been. Provide instructions on how to get to you. You will save the candidate from unnecessary stress and leave a good impression of the company.

If the interview will take place online, ask him which is more convenient: Zoom or Skype, and also agree on which messenger to send a link to the video chat.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name].

I really enjoyed your diverse experience and presentation.

It would be great if you come to our office for an interview. Which date do you prefer [insert first date option] or [insert second date option]?

Here is the outline of the interview: [interview outline]

Our office is at [your office address]. It can be reached by: [all convenient public or private transport and parking information]

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[your name]
[your phone]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page site]

Rejected after an interview

Selecting the right candidate is difficult, but getting rejected just one step away from work is extremely frustrating.

Structure:

First paragraph

Thank the candidate for their attention to the company and their time.

Second paragraph

Similar to telephone screening failure. You can add a little feedback on the candidate, as he has already spent quite a lot of time and effort trying to get a job at your company.

Third paragraph

If you didn’t leave feedback in the second paragraph of the letter, please suggest this opportunity here.

Feedback Research

Those who have gone through the full candidate journey about the employer brand are especially valuable.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name].

Thank you for your time with our company. We really appreciate it.

There are a few things that I especially liked about your resume and about your approach to work in general. However, we can’t say we’re a perfect match just yet, but I encourage you to check out our careers page [link to the job page on your career site], continue to grow and re-apply for jobs. We will be glad to meet you again.

I will answer your questions or make recommendations about your response, please contact.

All the best,
[your name]

P.S. We try to study and improve the experience of interaction of candidates with our company. We will be glad if you help us and leave your feedback: [link to the study]

[your phone]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page website]

Offer

The type of letter that needs to be sent immediately, because no one canceled the counteroffers. However, a lot of companies “sit and wait” for more suitable candidates. Remember, the statistics say that the best candidates are employed 10 days after they appear on the market and even earlier. Therefore, do not keep waiting long: send the next letter.

Structure:

First paragraph

Brief greeting, summing up.

Second paragraph

Double-check the offer and make sure everything is correct. Insufficient attractiveness of the offer is the reason for refusal in 9 out of 10 cases.

Life hack: some companies make very beautiful letters to inform that the choice fell on this candidate. Ask for help writing a designer offer letter.

Call to action

Remind the candidate what and how he must do to accept the offer. Also attach ways to quickly contact you if the candidate suddenly has questions.

Example:

Hello [candidate’s name].

We were very pleased to meet you and get to know you better.

We are pleased to offer you a position in [name of open position] at [your company name] under the following conditions:
[terms of your offer]

Your expected date of employment is [date]

The offer is valid until [date]. To accept it, you need to [what you need to do to accept the offer]. If you have any questions, please ask them in a reply letter, or call [phone number].

We look forward to you joining our team and realizing your potential in our company.

All the best,
[your name]
[your e-mail]
[link to your company’s career page site]

Letters are the basis of business correspondence. Their form is familiar and understandable. And, although now many people prefer to communicate in instant messengers, do not forget about the rules and patterns. There they are also appropriate and should be used.

How a recruiter remembers to send emails on time

By using templates, you will, of course, speed up interaction with candidates. Spend less time preparing a chain of letters. But the organization of the funnel is troublesome, it requires attention and concentration. But you still need to maintain a database of resumes, schedule interviews, generate work reports and monitor the effectiveness of hiring.

How to do everything? Dreaming of process automation? We invite you to get acquainted with the Potok HCM platform from TalentTech.

Potok allows you to send emails automatically. In the process of work, you will not lose a single candidate, which is especially important for mass hiring. Reply to a candidate directly from Potok, and he will see your message in the service where you found his resume. Set up automatic mailing of letters according to the stages of the recruitment funnel. The system will perform routine tasks for you and save up to 5 hours to close one vacancy.

Do you want to automate the search for new employees?

Fill out the form and our experts will tell you how your company can use TalentTech’s ATS Potok to hire faster and more conveniently

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