How To Brand Yourself While Answering “Why Should We Hire You?”


Why should we hire you? can be a daunting interview question for many or some may miss out on taking  the right approach in terms of response. To make it simple to understand how to present your answer, it is similar to why you like a Coke vs a Pepsi or a Colgate vs a Pepsodent. Features like the tangy taste , fizz, sweetness might tilt your preference towards a Pepsi over a Coke. It is all about the successful branding activity that makes you choose one over the other. It is not about the product ( soft drink) which you drink just to quench your thirst. Thirst being your need, and a soft drink meeting that requirement. Similarly,the objective of this question is wanting to be convinced about hiring you vs the other candidates. And it is important to remember that you compete with other candidates ( general human tendency is to forget that :-)) and that you need to differentiate yourself from all other candidates that the interviewer has met or will meet. Only then can you increase your chances to get hired.

Let me ask you a Question.Which of the below two  approaches  do you think find a connect with the interviewer and make you stand out?

For a Regional Sales manager’s role

Approach 1 – “I come with the relevant experience in the category that you are looking for and enjoy excellent vendor relationships within the Region. I have successfully managed large teams which is the requirement of this position (Product based approach, anyone can say that).

Approach  2 – I have done some homework and understand that the key areas that you are wanting to consider for this Regional manager’s position are:

A] The sales in a particularly XYZ area has dropped because of poor vendor management ( pain point ). I have launched products in XYZ  area ( branding) and by successfully managing  through the vendors( branding) , established the product as a leader in the Region. Let me give you an example …….( branding)

B] You have a challenge with the attrition of the sales teams ( pain point). I have been awarded the Sales leader thrice by my company for leading, developing and growing a solid sales team ( branding). I can turn around the situation. You can also observe from my LinkedIn profile that there are a lot of recommendations which I have received from the teams that reported into me (branding).

C] A lot of customer education is required in the product category that you operate in ( pain point). I have all along been recognised by my organisations for my strong concept sales ability to successfully educate customers( branding).Let me give you an example……

You will note that the approach  2  hits the nail on the head by not only addressing the ‘pain points’ of the company and the job but finds a connect between the candidate’s expertise and experience specific to those areas by demonstration.  

Let me offer you key pointers on how to prepare for  this tricky question.

Keep in mind that you have to present yourself as a  candidate who gets unique value to the table for the prospective employer which is closest to the requirement. Importantly you should have that cutting edge which is way above any other candidate. 

1] Do your homework on the Company – Generally candidates just go through the prospective company’s website and get some basic details. But one needs to go beyond and study the LinkedIn Company page and also go through the FB company page. There is additional information you can get through these pages which offers cues of what are the pain points of the company. That helps you present yourself as a solution provider. On FB, there are consumer reactions that tell a story about the service /product of the company. Make a note of each one of them.

2] Study the Job description – There might be 10 different result areas mentioned in the JD but there are select 4 to 6 Key Areas which one needs to focus upon. These are the ones which have the maximum impact in terms of deliverables of the job. Make a list of your strengths and experience gathered. Find a match between your unique strengths and expertise that can help improve the results of the job. List down examples in each of the areas of the KRA’s of the job profile. Think deeply about what is really unique about you both in terms of expertise and experience which pertains to those specific areas.

3] Share what excites you about the specific job and how you are looking at enjoying it

Enthusiasm is contagious. This will give the interviewer the confidence that you feel you can utilise your skills and talent to add great value to the company. And are consciously wanting to make a career with the organisation and are stable enough to allow a reasonable time to keep adding value to the relationship.

So, next time around think of which brands you like and why. Then it will be an easy task for you to differentiate yourself from other candidates which is most critical. 

It may interest you to read my related post on Tell me something about yourself !


Sarabjeet Sachar

Founder & CEO