Why Should We Hire You? How to Answer With Evidence

“Why should we hire you?” is your chance to show how your experience matches the role. A strong answer doesn’t need to prove you’re better than every other candidate. It needs to make a clear, credible case that you can meet the job’s needs, and explain why you want to do it.

The most useful way to prepare is to start with the job advert, choose relevant examples and show what you personally did. Here’s how to build an answer, with fictional examples you can adapt to your own experience.

What interviewers want to hear

The interviewer is usually asking: What could you contribute in this role, and what evidence supports that?

They may be looking for:

• Skills or experience that match the role’s essential requirements.
• Specific examples of how you used those skills.
• The result of your actions, where you can describe it.
• A clear understanding of the job and organisation.
• A genuine reason for applying.

You don’t need to repeat your entire CV. Pick the parts that best answer the question. The UK National Careers Service guide to common interview questions recommends supporting your strengths with examples. If you haven’t done the exact job before, you can draw on relevant experience from study, volunteering, caring responsibilities or other work.

A simple structure for your answer

As a practical starting point, aim for about 60 to 90 seconds, unless the interviewer invites you to say more. This is not a National Careers Service time limit. Use this four-part structure:

1. Match: Name two or three requirements from the advert.
2. Evidence: Give a specific example of using one or more of those skills.
3. Value: Explain how that experience could help in this role.
4. Motivation: Say why this job or organisation interests you.

For the evidence, the STAR method can help you keep your example clear:

• Situation: What was happening?
• Task: What needed to be done?
• Action: What did you do?
• Result: What changed?

Keep the situation and task brief. Spend most of the example on your own actions and the outcome. The National Careers Service STAR guide explains how to use the method in interview answers.

A useful answer outline is:

“You’re looking for someone who can [requirement] and [requirement]. In my experience, I [specific action], which led to [result]. That’s relevant because [link to the role]. I’m interested in this opportunity because [specific reason].”

Treat it as a guide, not a script. Your answer will sound more natural if you remember the main points rather than memorising every word.

Example answers by situation

These are fictional examples to show how the structure works. The details and outcomes are illustrative, not claims about real people. Replace them with evidence you can honestly support.

Career change

“You should hire me because I bring customer service experience, careful problem-solving and a strong interest in moving into IT support. In my current retail role, I often help colleagues resolve till and account issues. I’ve also documented the fixes we use most, which has made it easier for the team to handle repeat problems. I’m studying for an IT support qualification and have been practising with common troubleshooting tasks. This junior role would let me apply my communication skills while building technical experience, and I’m interested in supporting users directly.”

This answer connects past experience to the new role without suggesting that retail experience is the same as IT experience. The candidate is also clear about what they’re still learning.

Graduate

“I’d be a good fit because this role needs research, clear communication and reliable organisation. For a university group project, I helped divide the research, checked our sources and presented our findings to the seminar group. We received a strong mark, and the feedback highlighted the clarity of our presentation. I also volunteer at a community event, where I help answer visitor questions and keep information up to date. I’m interested in this graduate position because it would let me use those skills while learning how your team works with clients.”

A university project or volunteering can be useful evidence when you have limited work experience. Be specific about your contribution rather than describing only what the group did.

Internal promotion

“You should consider me for the role because I understand our processes and customers, and I’ve taken on responsibilities that match parts of the position. Recently, I helped review our team’s handover checklist and suggested changes to make ownership clearer. The revised checklist gave each outstanding task a named colleague responsible for following it up. I’ve also supported new starters as they learn the system. I’d bring that practical knowledge to the wider role, while continuing to develop my planning skills. I’m applying because I’m ready to take on more responsibility and contribute to the team’s next priorities.”

Don’t assume an internal interviewer already knows your achievements. Explain what you did, what changed and how it relates to the new responsibilities.

Returning after redundancy

“You should hire me because I bring experience coordinating customer requests, keeping records accurate and working calmly through competing priorities. In my previous role, I managed a shared inbox and tracked enquiries so urgent cases reached the right colleague. Since my role ended, I’ve refreshed my spreadsheet skills and completed a short course in customer service systems. I’m interested in this position because it combines customer contact with careful administration, and I can bring relevant experience while learning your processes.”

You don’t need to make redundancy the centre of your answer. Focus on your relevant skills, what you’ve done since and why the role fits. Only include details about the redundancy if they help explain your career history or the interviewer asks.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using generic claims: “I’m hardworking” is hard to assess on its own. Add an example that shows how you work.

Reading the job advert back: Don’t just repeat its wording. Explain where you’ve used the skill and what happened.

Falling into the humility trap: You can be modest without hiding your contribution. Say what you personally did, then credit the team where appropriate.

Listing every strength: Choose the two or three that matter most for this job.

Overloading the answer with background: Give enough context to make your example clear, then focus on your actions and result.

Making up or overstating results: Use accurate figures only. If you can’t give a number, describe an observable result without inventing one.

A useful check is to compare your answer with the advert. Can the interviewer hear a clear match between the role’s requirements and your evidence?

How to practise your answer

Pick the top requirements. Mark the essential skills and responsibilities in the job advert.

Find evidence for each one. Write a short example from work, study, volunteering or another relevant setting.

Choose your strongest examples. Aim to cover the requirements without cramming your whole career into one answer.

Practise aloud. Use a timer, but focus on being clear rather than hitting an exact number of seconds.

Prepare for follow-ups. Be ready to explain what you personally did, why you chose that approach and what you learned.

You can also use the STAR method interview guide to prepare your examples. If you want to practise with role-specific questions, try Evident Career Studio’s Practice Interview. You can answer by voice or text and review feedback on your responses.

If you’re still deciding which experience to include, the free CV scan can help you spot details in your CV that may be relevant to the advert. You can also read how to tailor your CV to a job description to make the connection between your evidence and the role clearer.

Before the interview

A useful answer to “Why should we hire you?” is specific, relevant and honest. Choose evidence that matches the job, explain what you did and connect it to the work you’d be taking on.

You don’t have to claim you can do everything. Make a clear case for what you can contribute now, and be straightforward about what you’re still learning.

FAQs

How long should my answer be?

As a practical starting point, aim for about 60 to 90 seconds, unless the interviewer invites you to say more. This is not a National Careers Service time limit.

What if I have not done the exact job before?

If you haven't done the exact job before, you can draw on relevant experience from study, volunteering, caring responsibilities or other work.

Should I memorise my answer?

Treat it as a guide, not a script. Your answer will sound more natural if you remember the main points rather than memorising every word.

What if I cannot give a numerical result?

Use accurate figures only. If you can't give a number, describe an observable result without inventing one.