How to Answer: Why should we hire you?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Product Owner job interview.
2. Why should we hire you?
How to Answer
Throughout your interview for a product owner position, the interview team will do a very thorough job of assessing your skills and abilities in developing product goals, managing large-scale projects, and optimizing the product backlog. With this question, they give you one last chance to give your overall best sales pitch on why you are the best candidate for the job. It's a good idea to practice your short but sweet elevator pitch so you can come prepared to deliver it in a way that is passionate and memorable to your interview team. The main things to focus your answer on are the skills you bring to the table, your work ethic, your long-term commitment to the organization, and the personal satisfaction you will get from the role.
Written by Ryan Brunner on January 8th, 2024
Answer Example
"When this position was brought to my attention, it immediately jumped out to me as being a great match for my skills and a place where I can continue to grow for the rest of my career. From a skill standpoint, I'm confident that my work in the past in creating new business strategies and analyzing market data sets me apart for this position. If your company wants to break through to new markets and do so in a very profitable way, I can help make that a reality. On top of these skills, I've learned today that this organization has a strong mission that I believe in. It's honestly a mission that I'd love to be a part of now and into the future."
Written by Ryan Brunner on January 8th, 2024
About the Author
In the early 2000s the cross-functional application development teams I was a part of began the transition from waterfall to agile. This was tricky for several reasons, but one of the biggest hurdles involved figuring out how our traditional roles of analyst, project manager, engineer, tester, and customer translated to the scrum-based model.
While I would like to tell you making the move to scrum was an easy and seamless adventure, it wasn't. I was working with a talented group and many of them were subject matter experts with well-developed leadership skills. Our thoughts about accountability and authority did not align with the Agile Manifesto and we had to rethink our entire approach.
Honestly, I hated working in the product owner role at first. I felt like a great deal of my authority to specify how features should work was usurped. My teams and I were spinning on conversations about stories written on notecards that I could have avoided altogether with a well-delivered set of requirements. I had to ask my clients to completely shift the way we worked together and ask them to trust in my ability to ensure they would get all of the features they needed without them signing off on anything. Do not get me started on the pain that was learning how to estimate user stories as a team...
Over time, things got better and I learned to appreciate the power of scrum. I no longer authored 300-page requirement documents or change requests. I had the opportunity to deliver and test functionality in a controlled setting while embracing changes that added value. Ultimately, the experience I gained as a product owner, scrum master, and leader of agile projects represents a cherished and invaluable time in my professional journey.
I genuinely appreciate the work of talented product owners, and I enjoy partnering with them in my current role as a career coach. I hope this Q&A set assists you in proving your worth to your prospective employer, and I encourage you to check out several of our other helpful sets written by experts using the links below.
Learn more about Karrie Day