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A deceptively simple question, “why are you the best person for this job” is one of those queries where some preparation can go a long way to guaranteeing a fluent answer. The trick is being able to articulate yourself clearly and succinctly, so that you can leave the interviewer with a distinct impression of your strengths as a candidate.
Here, you’ll find a detailed checklist of things to consider to help you prepare for one the most common questions during an application process.
1. Why Do Employers Ask “Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?”
There are several reasons employers ask “why are you the best person for this job?” First, they’ll be examining your confidence in your ability to take on the role. Second, they’ll want to be sure you fully understand the role and what qualities are crucial. Third, they’ll be looking for a crisp summary of your differentiation from other, similarly provisioned candidates. As with all the questions in an interview, your communication skills will be under the microscope, too.
2. How to Answer “Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?”
Once you’ve got these 10 steps down pat, you’ll find it easy to create fresh answers to “why are you the best person for this job” for every job you apply to.
2.1. Review the Job Listing
It cannot be stressed enough how essential analyzing the job listing is to an application. While it won’t tell you everything you need to know about a role, it will give you a good steer on the skill requirements, the experience expected and the way the job poster envisions the ideal applicant.
2.2 Research About the Organization
Take the time to learn how an organization positions itself and what the company culture is all about. Check if there are any recent announcements or news stories regarding the business. Being well informed will show you are serious about the role.
2.3 Learn About Their Ideal Candidate
Once you’ve reviewed the job listing and researched the organization, you’ll be able to cater your answer to “why are you the best person for this job” to better fit with the company’s expectations. You’ll also be able to talk more fluently about the future of the business – and how you could fit into that future.
2.4. Narrow Down Your Strengths and Skills
Your resume is the place to list all your strengths and skills, since you never know what might pique an employer’s interest. However, when you’re selling yourself as the best person for a job, you need to streamline it to a handful of memorable points. During preparation, you could even try limiting you answer to “why are you a great match for this role” to 250 words.
2.5 Use Quantifiable Examples
At the very least, your answer should identify specific scenarios from your prior employment where the strengths and skills you’ve chosen to highlight were on display. If you can provide quantifiable examples, like the number of team members you managed, an increase in revenue or a spike in productivity, so much the better.
2.6 Explain How You Apply Your Qualifications
Do you excel at Excel or have a qualification for basic programming? Explain how those skills will benefit the company, preferably with examples drawn from your past demonstrating a track record of successful implementation.
2.7 Describe Outcomes at Past Roles
While outcomes are perhaps most easily expressed through concrete metrics like sales volumes, it’s also possible to describe how strategies you employed in a previous workplace led to success. Again, try and choose examples that are relevant to the job position you’re applying for.
2.8 Make a Positive Comparison
Positivity is a likable attribute in any individual – and job applications are always, to a certain extent, about likability. While you certainly should be trying to outshine other applicants, do it in a way that highlights your pros, rather than somebody else’s cons.
2.9 Emphasize long-term compatibility
It’s well documented that the hiring process can take a long time. As such, it benefits everyone to make sure that applicants have long-term compatibility with a role and a company. Taking the time to explain why a job is particularly attractive to you because of your career goals or ambitions can become a strong selling point.
2.10 End With a Question of Your Own
The best interviews are often those that are conversational in tone, which is why ending with a question of your own can be a good tactic to keep the hiring manager engaged. It can also work as a strategy to subtly demonstrate that you are a proactive person who has taken the time to carefully consider the role.
3. Top 3 Reasons Why You're Qualified For the Job
The rule of threes is a much-used rhetorical technique that applies just as much to job interviews as to political stump speeches. Once you’ve thought about the 10 ways to answer “why are you the best person for this job,” you could try and narrow your response down to three core points. That way, your answer will not only be memorable, but you’ll be forced to really whittle down what makes you a unique candidate.
4. Practice Your Answer at Home
Practicing at home will help boost your confidence and refine your answer. Of course, you don’t want it to come off as a monotone, memorized piece of self-promotion. To avoid such a peril, rope in a friend to practice your response and ask for constructive feedback. Record yourself on a smart device and play it back to see how your prepared remarks sound – often, people realize that what reads well on paper sounds artificial when spoken out loud.
5. Why Do You Think You Are Suitable for This Job Sample Answers
Below you’ll find a few different “why am I the best candidate for the job” examples to hopefully give you some inspiration.
5.1 Sample Answer for Tech Industry
“I believe I’m the best candidate for this job because I’ve worked on many cloud migration projects in the past for companies in the same industry as yourselves. I’ve also worked across all three of the main cloud infrastructures, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and am very familiar with their processes. In my last job, I was actually one of the key decision makers during the tender for a third-party provider to implement the cloud migration. As I understand it, you’re in the process of assessing providers yourselves, is that right?”
In this example, there are three clear points being made about relevant experience. Note that the answer demonstrates that research has been done on the company and ends with a question.
5.2 Sample Answer for Retail Industry
“I think my proven track record of driving new cat food SKUs would be of real benefit to the company. In the last three companies I’ve worked at, I’ve overseen steady growth of at least 5% year-on-year. I know that sustainability is important to your business, and at my last job I worked with some of the top pet food developers to ensure we produced a product that was not only tasty and innovative, but also had a transparent and environmentally conscious supply chain.”
Here, as well as demonstrating that research on the company’s ethos has been done, the answer takes advantage of the availability of quantifiable results to describe positive outcomes at a past role.
5.3 Sample Answer for Client Management
“One of the core responsibilities highlighted in the job description is being able to develop a relationship with key long-term clients. As somebody who has already worked in this industry for several years, I am familiar with most of the big players and regularly attend networking events and conferences, so I can stay in contact with both established businesses and newcomers to the field. I had an 80% retention rate on my portfolio of clients at my last company, which, as I’m sure you know, over-indexes for the industry average.
Referencing the job description draws a line under the fact that you’ve taken the time to pull apart the necessary qualifications. Again, quantifiable results are included, and the answer narrows down to one particular strength that is crucial to the company.
5.4 Sample Answer Focusing on Skills
“You mentioned that organization is so important for this role, and I am incredibly organized, to the point that I’ve actually created a spreadsheet of all the different project management software on the market and listed the pros and cons of each one. I’m also used to working with large, distributed teams. The last two companies I’ve worked at have had offices in the USA and Asia, so I’m used to juggling the time zones and have previously developed a clear plan of action to improve efficiency for this use case that I believe could be readily adapted for your company.”
The focus in this answer is more on the skills-based side of things. In some cases, your work experience might be less important than the ability to show you have the characteristics of an ideal candidate.
5.5 Sample answer for senior manager position
“I’ve led teams for four different start-ups and always delivered improvements in productivity. In my last role, for example, I managed a group of five technicians and we were able to increase the number of errors fixed in a day by 15%. While I enjoyed the challenge of working with smaller outfits, I’m now looking for something more long-term and stable at a larger, more established operation like yourselves, where I can bring my leadership skills to bear and continue to deliver increased efficiency.”
In addition to showcasing experience and concrete metrics, long-term compatibility is also emphasized.
6. FAQs
- “What makes you a good fit for this job” sample answer for experienced candidates
The more experienced you are, the more ways you’ll probably be able to answer this question, but remember that you want to keep it concise and therefore more memorable.
“As you can see from my resume, I’ve only had three jobs in the last three decades. I really believe in stability, which I think is something you said you want to improve upon. I’m particularly interested in the position because I see a long-term future for my IT skills here, especially since I believe the company is expanding and I have a great deal of experience in building fresh teams from the ground up.”
- “Why do you think you are suitable for this job” sample answers for freshers
It’s always harder to differentiate yourself when you haven’t got as much of a background to speak of, which is why excellent communication is even more important.
“Perhaps the first thing I would note is that, in addition to my degree, I have undertaken supplementary certification, which makes me better prepared me for the rigors of the industry. I also think it’s worth reiterating my adaptability to new circumstances. I realize the role will involve a lot of traveling on the road, and that is a prospect that doesn’t phase me at all. Finally, I really identify with the ESG objectives of the company and would like to get involved in helping to implement new initiatives to drive them forward.”
