Why should we hire you?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
What You Need to Know
Experienced Example

Your interviewer knows who their target talent is. How you answer this question stands to inform them of whether you understand what type of people they're trying to recruit, and how your skills and career goals align with the workplace culture they've created. They aim to target "three primary personas, individual contributors, people leaders, and organization leaders, who we feel best represent the makeup of our workforce." They define, assess, and develop talent based on the three skill categories: core skills, job skills, and unique skills, which they go into greater detail in their blog titled, "Our Vision for Skills in a Changing World."

So, when presenting your best authentic self in alignment with their ideal candidates, be sure to incorporate both your hard and soft skills. Spend time learning all you can about their people strategy, and what they consider the most important skills. They define core skills as "the abilities and behaviors that demonstrate Workday's core values. Core skills include empathy, creativity, and problem-solving."

They define job skills as "the minimum abilities and behaviors required for a particular job." And, they define unique skills as "the additional abilities and behaviors that go beyond core and job skills and contribute to a person's potential to bring value to a given role or project. For example, unique skills can be the passion, interest, and energy an employee brings to a subject or task, the network they can leverage, or the diverse perspective they bring to their team."

"Well, besides being proficient in the hard and soft skills required for the job, and my demonstrated leadership abilities combined with being a passionate people person, I am empathetic, resourceful, adaptable, and always thinking outside of the box. I am always examining systems and processes, trying to identify methods of streamlining them to make it easier to do the job right rather than taking shortcuts. I habitually praise the strengths of my teammates and encourage them to build upon them, pushing the limits of the only thing holding them back, which is their comfort zone. I have a lot of energy, a great attitude, prioritize fun and play, and have a lot to offer."

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How to Answer: Why should we hire you?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Workday job interview.

12. Why should we hire you?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

Your interviewer knows who their target talent is. How you answer this question stands to inform them of whether you understand what type of people they're trying to recruit, and how your skills and career goals align with the workplace culture they've created. They aim to target "three primary personas, individual contributors, people leaders, and organization leaders, who we feel best represent the makeup of our workforce." They define, assess, and develop talent based on the three skill categories: core skills, job skills, and unique skills, which they go into greater detail in their blog titled, "Our Vision for Skills in a Changing World."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 2nd, 2024

What You Need to Know

So, when presenting your best authentic self in alignment with their ideal candidates, be sure to incorporate both your hard and soft skills. Spend time learning all you can about their people strategy, and what they consider the most important skills. They define core skills as "the abilities and behaviors that demonstrate Workday's core values. Core skills include empathy, creativity, and problem-solving."

They define job skills as "the minimum abilities and behaviors required for a particular job." And, they define unique skills as "the additional abilities and behaviors that go beyond core and job skills and contribute to a person's potential to bring value to a given role or project. For example, unique skills can be the passion, interest, and energy an employee brings to a subject or task, the network they can leverage, or the diverse perspective they bring to their team."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 3rd, 2024

Experienced Example

"Well, besides being proficient in the hard and soft skills required for the job, and my demonstrated leadership abilities combined with being a passionate people person, I am empathetic, resourceful, adaptable, and always thinking outside of the box. I am always examining systems and processes, trying to identify methods of streamlining them to make it easier to do the job right rather than taking shortcuts. I habitually praise the strengths of my teammates and encourage them to build upon them, pushing the limits of the only thing holding them back, which is their comfort zone. I have a lot of energy, a great attitude, prioritize fun and play, and have a lot to offer."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 3rd, 2024

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About the Author

Kevin Downey

When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I believed in the company I worked for. The company was growing, they operated with integrity, and it was truly a fun place to work. They had a great brand; people loved shopping there. I was popular just because I worked there. To this day, I am grateful for everything the company gave me and how it changed my life for the better. That’s the kind of place you want to work - a place that feels like a good fit for you. This should be the mutual goal of both the interviewer and the interviewee. I knew that going into my interview for that job, and I knocked it out of the park. When I was recruited into management, I had no idea what I was getting into. I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. But I had no idea how much I had to grow and develop personally and professionally to get there. I accepted the challenge, but it was an uphill battle, nonetheless. Not too many people helped me out, either. There was a lot of competition, and I was just thrown to the wolves. And there were not only wolves but sharks in that tank. Talk about tough. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.

Conducting interviews is an art form. As a leader, my favorite parts of the job were interviewing, recruiting, building the perfect team, and mentoring and coaching those on my team. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers. But it all starts with that interview and making sure the job was the right fit for them.

I love coaching so much that I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools. I left my management career behind me and am now a full-time writer. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.

Not everybody knows their way around crafting the perfect CV and resume, the secrets to delivering a flawless interview, or how to negotiate a decent raise. It’s hard to navigate that terrain without a map, and I enjoy giving people directions. Here’s what I said to a friend I mentored long ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”

Learn more about Kevin Downey