Navigating Job Interviews: How to Tackle "Why Should We Hire You?" vs. "Why Should I Join?" Questions

Dear all, On one of the WA groups of HRs, the Administrator of the group, Mr. Rajaram Thorve, has raised the topic for discussion titled Why should we hire you in our organization Vs why should I join your organization? I have given replies to the questions. These are as below:

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Dear Mr. Rajaram Thorve,

My replies are as below:

Q. 1 Why should we hire you in our organization?

Reply: - It is ridiculous to ask this direct question to the job candidate in the personal interview. Before a job candidate is called for the personal interview, it is expected that the interviewer has assessed the suitability of the candidate's candidature. To assess suitability, they are expected to match the Job Description (JD) of the position against the career profile of the candidate. A candidate should be called if the JD and CV match at least 80%. However, a candidate’s CV is always in summary form. A candidate cannot write everything elaborately. Against this backdrop, to seek more information in the personal interview, the interviewer may tell the candidate to quote examples from their past career on handling a specific task or situation. Based on the candidate's reply, the interviewer may decide whether to hire or not. Nevertheless, if the interviewer is untrained and if the job candidate is asked this question, then the candidate might explain the suitability of their candidature against the job requirements. It should be a general explanation, and it's better to avoid boasting about oneself.

Q. 2 Why should I join your organization?

Reply: - Day by day, the job market is becoming tight, and getting the right candidate has become difficult. Newer skills and niche skills are developed, and getting experts in a particular field has become difficult. Now, recruiters chase the right-fit candidates. The smart candidates who know that there is a shortage of people of their stature might ask this type of question to a recruiter or even an interviewer. However, some interviewers may consider this question by the candidate as presumptuousness. The candidature of such a candidate might be turned down in smaller companies or private limited companies.

How to avoid asking this direct question: - This type of direct question goes well only for those who have a stellar academic record or those who are absolutely confident of getting a job. Otherwise, a general candidate should avoid asking this question. It is better not to ask this question while applying to a private limited company. Rather than asking this childlike question, candidates may do research on the organization on their own. No interviewer worth their salt will ever tell anything negative about the company.

Rather than asking the interviewer why they should join the organization, candidates may ask alternate questions, and that too when the interviewer gives a chance to ask questions. A few questions are as below:

a) Have you defined the culture of the company? Will there be uniformity in the reply if this question is asked to more than ten employees?

b) Can you please tell me about the financial performance of the company? Please tell me about a few financial ratios.

c) What kind of information is disseminated to the employees? What formal means are adopted to spread the information?

d) How do you encourage upward communication in a company? What are some of the practices followed across the organization?

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Understanding Mutual Suitability in Interviews

Certain questions cannot be asked directly, though they are very important to know. Employers should certainly understand why they are selecting a particular candidate out of many with almost similar qualifications and experience. Experienced interviewers can elicit answers that indicate the likely suitability of a candidate, which can align with the company's requirements in all aspects.

A candidate may want to know whether the company they are planning to join is suitable. During the interview process, candidates can, during discussions, try to understand whether the company is suitable for them by smartly asking questions when permitted to do so in the interview. Candidates need to study the company they are joining, including the main line of business, turnover, top brass of the company, and related publicly available aspects. Both employers and potential employees will have to subtly elucidate mutual suitability rather than bluntly asking, "Why should I hire/join?"

Respected All,

I think the first question is asked to understand:
1. What and how much the candidate is aware of his own skills and job requirements?
2. Has he/she done a SWOT analysis?
3. In the market, is he able to sell himself?
4. Is the candidate confident about himself?

Why should we hire you in our organization?

Reply: Your observation is right. This is a ridiculous question, but to answer as has been asked in an interview, I am the right fit for the position to achieve your objective for which this interview is being conducted.

Why should I join your organization?

Reply: Simply because you are an aspirant for the position and seeking employment. You have made an application for the position after learning about our organization. When you have raised the question, I can certainly say that we are the best employer compared to others in the field; our existence in the market over the period is our certification. To join or not to join is your personal choice.

How to avoid asking this direct question

We cannot change the mindset of an interviewer. Mostly, a person who treats themselves as more intelligent with ego shoots direct questions to candidates to harass.

My experience as an observer to an interview conducted by a Japanese Firm

Around 60 candidates were called for 3 positions. The first round was a written test (questions included: "What do you know about us?" and a business letter seeking permission to open an outlet, along with 20 multiple-choice questions on academics). The second round was a one-minute platform speech (where permission was declined by the authority). The third round was a personal interview with quite simple questions (e.g., "What do you want to be?" "How do you think you can perform better than others?" "What are your expectations?" "How was lunch?" "How was the reception?" "What did you not like here?"). The interview (written) started at 10:00 am and ended at 10:45 am, followed by a refreshment break with tea and snacks. The platform speech was from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm, lunch break from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, and personal interviews from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. At 5:00 pm, all candidates were asked to come inside the auditorium, where each one was handed an envelope containing their scorecard and travel expenses. The HR head addressed the group, expressing a wish to meet in the future and arranging for their transportation back to the Railway Station or Bus stop. When a selected candidate expressed surprise over their selection due to not being able to answer most questions, the HR head replied, "We need clay to which we can mold as per the needs of the establishment. The questions you did not answer were to determine whether you are raw or not."

Interview Questions: Making Your Case

Every interview question is an attempt to gather information to inform the hiring decision. Many interviewers will specifically ask you to make your case with one of these questions:

- Why should we hire you?
- Why are you the best candidate for the job?
- Why are you the right fit for the position?
- What would you bring to the position?

To close the deal on a job offer, you must be prepared with a concise summary of the top reasons to choose you. Even if your interviewer doesn’t ask one of these questions in so many words, you should have an answer prepared and be looking for ways to communicate your top reasons throughout the interview process.