Dear Cindy – "Why Should We Consider You?"

How do you answer the question "Why should we consider you as a candidate?" when you have never worked in that field before?

Sincerely,

L

Don't let this question scare you. Clearly the employer thinks that you have potential, despite your lack of field experience, because they're taking the time to interview you.

Whether you have worked in the field before or not, the key to answering the question is to focus on how you can benefit your potential employer and why you're eager for the job.

If you're a new grad, and therefore have never been employed in the field before, talk about what you learned in your training program, including any internship or practicum/clinical placements. If your GPA was strong, mention it. Also discuss any way in which your soft skills (e.g., communication skills, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, detail-orientation, strength as a team player) and transferable skills (e.g., budgeting, knowledge of a computer program that the workplace uses) meet or exceed those mentioned in the job description.

If you're not a new grad, but you're doing a career change to a new field, as above, talk about the soft skills and transferrable skills you bring to the job.

And regarding the 'why you're eager for the job' part of the response, this should be something positive, e.g., because you love a challenge, or are committed to learning new skills, or because the job fits your career goals, etc. It should not be something like "because I need the money."

Finally, always keep in mind that you shouldn't simply state something like "I am a team player"; to really stand out, you need a brief anecdote to illustrate the point.

For more on tough interview questions, see When the Going Gets Tough.