“Why should I hire you over the other guy?”
by Angela Loëb
When you get into the interview process, you need to be able to answer the question, “Why should I hire you over the other guy?”
Your answer needs to be stronger than providing a list of past tasks and experience.
Yesterday, Jay talked about behavioral-based questions. He called them annoying, and I would agree that such questions can be annoying if they’re just thrown out there without any useful purpose.
However, if they’re used well – by both parties, you and the interviewer – behavioral-based questions can help you distinguish yourself as a candidate with true ability as opposed to those candidates who only have a passing knowledge of how to do the job at hand.
And from the interviewer’s perspective, when used well, these questions can help to determine if you will fit in with the culture. When I was a recruiter, it was my responsibility to recommend the most qualified candidate who was ALSO the best fit for the culture. I’ve been in many interview sessions in which the candidate is telling me things like:
“I’m experienced in negotiating contracts.”
“I know how to deliver sensitive information.”
“I’m good at managing people.”
“I’m adept at problem solving.”
“I have strong interpersonal skills.”
Okay, so that’s great. As the interviewer, I’m thinking, “So what? Every candidate who I’ve interviewed for this job says the same thing.” Just like Missouri, I want you to show me. Just like the frustrated Eliza Doolittle, I want you to show me. Tell me no dreams, filled with desire, if you’re on fire… show me!
Anyway, so let’s say that I find you likeable and want to believe you can do what you say you can do. What I’d do next is start asking you for examples. “Tell me about a time when you had to deliver sensitive information to the customer…” “You say you are experienced at negotiating contracts – tell me more about that.”
That’s because, unless I have telepathy, I can’t know you can do the job or fit in well until you show me through examples of your past behavior. As the interviewer, I want you to give me specific examples about how you demonstrated these abilities… and with quantifiable, save-the-day type of results, like Jay mentioned yesterday. That way, I can be assured I’m making a well-informed decision. And when I put my neck on the line in hiring you or recommending you for the hiring process, I have, hopefully, decreased the likelihood of having egg on my face later.
Oh, and, by the way, just in case you’re thinking, “Well, my references will do this for me. They’ll give examples and talk about how wonderful I am on my behalf.” It would be a mistake to count on that for 2 reasons:
1) During reference checking, the questions you’d like the potential employer to ask might not get asked (this is usually the case!), and the references you have chosen aren’t always willing and able to volunteer that depth of information.
2) You need to win over prospective employers during the interview process so that they will want to go as far as to call your references. Then, what your references say will simply confirm and cement the impression they have already formed about you.
And so goes the Russian proverb, “doveryai, no proveryai” (trust, but verify).
