Answering ‘Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?’

Interview Preparation

Posted by Glassdoor Team

Career Advice Experts

‘Why are you the best person for this job?’ in an interview

You’ll likely have to answer several questions during a job interview, one of which may be ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’ Employers ask this question for several reasons, including to gauge your skills and qualifications as well as to assess your confidence in yourself for the position. Here we explore more reasons why hiring managers ask this question, how to answer ‘What makes you a good fit for this position?’ in a job interview, tips, and examples answers for this type of interview question.

Why do employers ask ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

There are several reasons why an employer may ask ‘Why are you the best fit for this position?’ or a similarly phrased question. These reasons include to:

• Determine what makes you unique in terms of your qualifications for the job
• Ensure you fully understand what the position entails and what they are looking for in a job candidate
• Assess your own confidence level in terms of your ability to do the job
• See how you handle challenging situations

How to answer ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

The following are steps you can take to prepare for and provide a strong answer to the question ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’:

Review the job listing

Fully understanding what the job will entail and the qualifications a candidate needs to have in order to perform the job is the first step in preparing for this type of interview question. Take time to read over the job posting, especially the areas that list the experience or requirements the company wants candidates to possess. See if you can find skill, experience, or education that matches your own and make a note of this to mention when answering this question in the interview.

Look into the organization

You should also do some research on the company before going to an interview to get a better understanding of the company’s goals and mission. You can also learn more about the company culture and the employees who work at the organization by researching the company. Look for commonalities between what the company stands for and your own values and goals.

Narrow down your strengths

Once you’ve determined the skills and experience needed for the job and the mission and goals of the company, you can now narrow down your strengths that relate to the position and company. Choose up to seven professional qualities or strengths that correspond with the position and write them down. Use these as the basis for your answer to the interview question ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

Use quantifiable examples

When describing your strengths and accomplishments that make you a good fit for the position, provide quantifiable examples of each. For example, rather than saying that you have strong communication skills, describe an example in which you used your communication skills to solve a problem in the workplace.

Practice your answer

Practicing answering interview questions is a great way to get out the nervous jitters and ensure you’re prepared with appropriate answers that will set you apart from the competition. Consider practicing with a colleague, friend, or family member and ask them for feedback on the answers you provide.

Tips for answering ‘Why are you the best person for this job?’

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when answering the interview question ‘Why are you a good fit for this position?’:

• Avoid offering a memorized answer. While you certainly want to provide a polished and professional answer, you don’t want it to sound memorized word for word. This may come off as unprofessional or inauthentic and reflect poorly on you rather than helping to set you apart from other candidates.
• Keep your answer concise. Try to keep your answer to under two minutes if possible. An answer that is longer than this length of time could result in losing the interest and attention of the hiring manager.
• Only use relevant examples. It’s important to only refer to skills, accomplishments, and qualifications that are directly related to the job you’re applying for. You may have a number of different skills, but if they aren’t going to come in handy for the position, you should leave them out of your answer.
• Mention any skills you have that are rare or unique. If you possess certain skills that make you a good candidate for the position and that not many other people have, be sure to include these in your response to this interview question.
• Keep your focus on how you can help the organization. When answering this question, center your answer around how your qualifications and skills will help the company rather than why you want the job. Doing research on the company before the interview will ensure you answer in a knowledgeable and relevant way when referring to the organization.

‘Why are you a good fit for this position?’ examples

The following are example answers to this interview question that you can use as inspiration when crafting your own:

• The skills and qualifications I possess are a great match for the requirements for this position. In particular, my communication and leadership skills make me a great candidate for the job. In my previous job, I oversaw a team of 10 employees and created a new communication system that increased productivity by 15% over the course of three months. I’m confident that I can bring this type of success to this position.
• I am confident that I am a good fit for this position for several reasons, but most specifically because of my dedication to going above and beyond in a job. I am committed to learning any new skills on my own to succeed in this role. For example, for my previous job, I educated myself on how to use Adobe Photoshop in my free time. This allowed me to incorporate graphic design into my marketing role which cut down on expenses for the company. I know that you are seeking a self-motivated individual for this job, and I am that candidate.