Interview questions

The 6 Boldest Answers to the Interview Question “Why Should I Hire You?”

Why should I hire you?

The question is a staple of any interview. Most candidates practice and practice and practice their answer, looking to wow hiring managers and recruiters with their professional and persuasive answers.

Meanwhile, others just go for it.

The following six responses belong in the latter category. All six are among the most jaw-droppingly bold answers to one of the world’s most common interview questions.

Based on the Quora thread: What are the best answers to “why should I hire you?”

1. The one where only the candidate could fix their customer service

Shared by Chitrak Gangrade

After hearing the question in an interview for a customer service position for Flipkart, a candidate pointed out the size of the shirt he was wearing, which was a 41. His actual shirt size was 39.

How does it relate to Flipkart? Well, the candidate said he ordered the shirt through the Indian-based ecommerce site, and was sent the wrong size. He sent back the shirt, only to get the wrong size again.

His promise? You hire me; your customers will start getting the right sizes.

2. The one where the candidate used math against them

Shared by Gaurav Singh

During an interview, the hiring manager told the applicant his company – a bank in the United States – normally hires candidates with higher grades than what the interviewee had; and asked why he should hire him in light of that.

The interviewee’s response: he suggested the company’s theory of only hiring people who had good grades wasn’t scientific. Furthermore, the only way to test if their hypothesis was true was to hire people with lower grades and compare their performance to people with better grades.

Therefore, he was essential to hire to have a truly data-driven hiring process. Needless to say, he was hired, if for no other reason but to test their theory.

3. The one where the interview was used as evidence

Shared anonymously

One company was looking for a software engineer, and put its applicants through an intense hiring process: a written test and multiple rounds of technical interviews. By the end, the company narrowed their search down to four candidates, only one of which didn’t have a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

The company brought that candidate in and asked why they should hire him, when he was the only one without a computer science degree. The candidate responded that he made it just as far as three people who did, which meant he was a quick learner who would save their company a ton in training costs.

4. The one that pulled at the heart strings

Shared by Sai Charan

At the end of a group interview, one of the panelists asked the candidate why they should hire him.

The answer: “because I don’t have a job.”

Must have been a sympathetic bunch. He got hired.

5. The one where the candidate promised to start recruiting right away

Shared by Christopher Reiss

After hearing the “why should we hire you” question, the candidate said in his research of the company, he determined they were looking for an efficient, diligent and honest person.

The candidate promised that, if hired, he would do everything he could to help find that person (and no, the interview wasn’t for a recruiting position).

6. The one where the candidate overcame ageism

Shared by rightface1

During one particularly intense hiring process, an older candidate – in a staggering display of ageism – was asked why he should be hired, considering his advanced age. The interviewer suggested the older gentleman would not have the stamina or sharpness needed to do the job, and suggested another candidate – a younger man – would be better suited for the role.

In response, the older candidate said he didn’t want to talk about age. Why? He didn’t think it would be fair to exploit the younger candidate’s relative inexperience.

Ultimately, the older candidate got the job. Also, the whole exchange was caught on camera:

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