How to Answer "Why Are You the Best Person for This Job?"

When an interviewer asks what makes you a good candidate for the position, their overall goal is to determine if you understand what the role is and if you are a good fit for it. Your goal is to sell yourself to the interviewer and help them understand what makes you the ideal candidate for the job.

Other reasons why an employer may ask “Why are you the best fit for this position?” or a similarly phrased question include:

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

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 is looking for in a candidate. See if you can find skills, experiences, 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 narrow down your strengths that relate to the position and company.

Choose up to seven professional qualities or strengths that fit with the position and write them down. Use them as the basis to answer “Why are you the best person for this job?”

Use quantifiable examples

Provide quantifiable examples when describing which strengths and accomplishments make you a good fit for the position. 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 your nervous jitters out 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.

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 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 can reflect poorly on you rather than helping to set you apart from other candidates.
• Keep your answer concise. Try to keep your answer under two minutes if possible. A long answer 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.

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

Example Answer #1

My previous job at Customer Service Co. helped provide me with excellent communication and organization. My daily responsibilities included managing customer feedback and relaying it to the team, answering incoming customer calls, and compiling customer information to keep it accessible for the team. These responsibilities held me accountable to ensure that nothing slipped through the cracks and the team was properly informed.

Why this works: Using specific instances in your response allows you to easily list your experience and expertise and tie it into the job role for which you’re interviewing. This answer works because it plainly lays out the candidate’s experiences from their previous job and how each one relates back to preferred qualifications for the new job role — communication and organization in this instance.

Example Answer #2

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.

Why this works: By stating upfront the preferred qualifications you’ll be discussing from the job role, you can more easily connect the dots for the interviewer when you’re sharing your experiences — this example uses communication and leadership. This answer works because the candidate’s examples are specific and measurable and they use data points to provide authority for their experience and expertise.

Example Answer #3

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.

Why this works: Confidence is important when answering “Why are you the best fit for this job?” This answer works because the candidate not only used specific examples from their previous job, they also included specifics about their strong work ethic and how it relates to the job. In this case, the candidate uses being a self-starter to show value to the interviewer and turns it into something that benefits the company.