Why Are You the Best Candidate for This Position? Answer Samples

Given all the variety of positions for which staff is recruited, HR managers, as a rule, have a very limited set of standard questions they ask practically everyone. A typical question at any job interview is, "Why are you the best candidate for this position?" It is worth noting that sometimes HR managers do not raise this matter directly, but it is somehow voiced anyway. More often than not, such a query is placed closer to the end of the meeting.

It can annoy some job seekers, slightly puzzle others, and confuse the rest. Do not worry and remain calm in such a situation. You can give way to feelings in a private conversation with a confidant after the fact. The sharp and adverse reaction to this inquiry will block your access to the next stages of the recruitment process. Business companies are in the game of hiring non-conflict and loyal employees.

Why Do They Ask It?

Some applicants may perceive it as a call to aggressively sell themselves to the employer. However, the purpose of the question is something else. Such a query is asked with equal frequency by both HR representatives and executives. Two motives guide all of them. Firstly, it may be a question pro forma. The interviewer may want to realize how high your motivation is. The employer will be delighted if you tell that your abilities coincide with the stated requirements, you do not claim a higher salary, and want to start fruitful work as soon as possible.

Secondly, recruiters want you to elaborate on your competitive advantages. They need to make sure that by choosing your candidacy, the company will get the right employee from all the applicants. So, they want to hear brief proof that your skillset, experience, and grasp, and most importantly, your work performance, can be efficiently used for achieving the business purposes of the company. A small self-presentation is expected from you. During it, you should not only tell about what kind of person you are and what you achieved but also prove your understanding of the company's strategy and purposes.

Thus, this query enables to test your self-esteem and self-presentation skills. It is essential to point out your strengths. However, be ready to be asked to confirm your words with solid examples proving that you indeed possess the qualities you brought up. Don't forget to finish your speech with a statement that you should be hired because you want to be a part of this company and work in this particular opening.

How to Answer This Question?

For giving the proper response - work on it in advance. Do it for other potential questions at the interview as well. The right direction for a fitting response is showing what your main assets are without humiliating other contenders. Psychologists advise job seekers to focus on their achievements that can be reliably proven. However, not everything is so simple. Different positions, companies, and job applicants - all this implies a specific distinction of answers.

For replying to this question smartly, you need to avoid three common mistakes - too stereotyped answer, cocky behavior, and arrogant comparison with others. The main point here is not to overdo with self-confidence. So, you can reply this way: "I can't say why I am better than others, but I'll be happy to talk about my strengths and traits that distinguish me out of other workers I know." Although, other variants for giving the right answer to the question "Why are you the best candidate for this position?" can be appropriate.

Talk about your practical skillset and results

No matter how banal it sounds - it works. The employer usually chooses an applicant who, additionally to the qualities necessary for the vacancy, has other skills, like multitasking. One can give specific figures on how many comments and other texts he or she was able to prepare daily at the previous place. It may well be the key advantage of this applicant.

Describe your benefits

Tell them about your strengths and present your poor qualities that played a constructive role in some situations. You can go into detail about any experience in the previous places of work. At the same time, do not use the cliches of friendliness, correctness, or diplomacy. The vacancy info with an indication of required competencies and skills can help you get ready for this challenge.

Speak about your motivation

During an interview, HR officers often ask to elaborate on why you want to work for this particular company and why you express interest in them. For giving a perfect answer, study the firm and read its history. In this way, you will not have to utter general phrases during the talk, and you can justify your thoughts with evidence. You will surely be remembered if they see your sincere interest, awareness, and the facility to process information.

Speak only about yourself

Most likely, you do not know who submitted their resumes apart from you. Therefore, do not make a mistake when speaking about the character or working traits of others. No one should stain people in these circumstances - not potential rivals, not former colleagues. Show your readiness for competition. You may well note you have some credentials that make you the most suitable man or woman for the task.

Demonstrate competency

If you can hear a catch in the recruiter's inquiry, you are probably not feeling confident. Due to a sense of uncertainty, even the leading professionals may be in doubt they are ideal for the opening. It may happen because they do not know how to properly evaluate their knowledge and past experiences or to present themselves in a favorable light. When selecting personnel, HR managers usually use the STAR technique (situation - task - action - result). Never doubt your competency, and you will not need to convince anyone. Use this method, and you will talk about yourself assuredly and convincingly.

Find out if you are suitable

Why not hear the assessment of your skillset? A strategy to share your story and elaborate on your strong suits may not be enough. Try to transform the whole thing into a dialogue. This way, you can find out if you are a suitable worker for your future boss. Suppose the importance of perseverance or your leading role in past jobs has already been covered. Where will you go from there? Do not wait for the next query. A successful interviewing process is a talk between two people. It is better to express perseverance and tenacity.

A joke will not be superfluous

Use your sense of humor to be remembered by a recruiter. For instance, one man, when submitting for an accountant opening, stated that employers could see exclusively women in this job. Then, he added that this is the fate of the hereditary accountant in the third generation as he is. Some candidates may push off from the emotional component and emphasize the positive aspects of reality. They have a unique ability to energize everyone around them. So, young applicants can promise to play songs with a guitar in the office or arrange the furniture feng shui style, so that business will be handled even better. Such people usually become the soul of the team and its integral part.

Summarize the meeting

As a rule, the essential query is put forward near the end of the meeting. So, it can be a prospect to sum up everything that was discussed during the talk. The reply to the final query is a type of review of your discourse with an HR officer. At this point, you have enough to get what the enterprise is searching for or needs. Sync it with what you are able to offer and what you have achieved on preceding jobs. If the company representative's expectations are still not wholly understood, feel free to make additional inquiries.

Tips for beginners

If you feel doubt that you look like a perfect contender for the given opening by any parameters, but you need this to happen, do not despair. If you have already been invited for an interview, then your candidacy is probably attractive to the firm. Usually, HR officers want you to convince them to pick exclusively you. So, when replying to the "Why are you the best candidate for this position?" query, first emphasize your merits, and only then give details. Such expressions as, "I miss...", or "I have not..." and so on, should be excluded from your speech - bury and forget them. There is absolutely no need to give extra reasons to put in doubt your competence and give preference to a more accomplished job seeker. You need to use everything you have and do it smartly because the competition is severe out there.