Some people freeze when asked this question because they can’t imagine themselves actually being the “best” at something. And that’s a reasonable reaction, in some respects. After all, “best” is a fairly high target or bar to attain. Can any of us actually say that we are “the best” at a given position, process, or function?
Now, if we recharacterize the question to another question oftentimes asked, “Why should we hire you for this role?” we may start to get to a better fundamental understanding of what the interviewer is really looking for when they ask this question. I think most interviewers, even though they may ask “the best” question, aren’t actually expecting an answer from you that proves YOU are the best person possible for the position.
What Are Interviewers Looking For?
To play this out a bit, let’s delve a little deeper into why interviewers ask this question, and then we’ll unfold some practical recommendations to consider as you form your answer. As an interviewer, I would be looking for four pieces of evidence to unfold as you answer this question for me.
- Self-confidence – – While I certainly don’t expect you to prove that you’re “the best,” through some form of comparison, I would expect your answer to be thoughtful, positive, and self-assured. After you answer the question, I’d like to feel like I had heard from someone that is completely assured that they can do the job.
- Understand the position – – I’d expect your answer to be definitive and accountable in how you position your ability to perform the functions and processes described. Since I usually don’t ask this question until the end of the interview process, I would expect you to have figured out answers to the questions you may have had about the position.
- Understand the organization – – Based on the previous homework you’ve hopefully done (see blog on ‘Cultural Fit’ HERE), I’d expect your answers’ tone, topic, and application to “fit” our organization. I want to be able to “see” you easily fitting in within our company.
- Help me help you – – Another reason as an interviewer I’m curious about your answer to this question is that it helps me “sell” you to others in my organization. If you’re able to present a convincing and concise summary of why you’re the best person for this role, it’s easy for me to simply recap your response to others. No pressure! 🙂
How to Craft Your Answer
Ok, so with that understanding of why the question is asked, along with a different filter to downplay the “best” aspect, let’s go through some quick pointers to assist you in crafting your answer to this question:
- Unique distinctions – – Please review our blog (HERE) to see how you can succinctly tell the interviewer why there is no one else on the planet that has the unique combination of skills and experiences that you bring to this position.
- Help the organization – – You’ll want to ensure you nicely weave into your answer how your unique distinctions (what you do best) apply to their organizational needs (what they need most). You can do this by ensuring you have highlighted key points in the job description to address with your capabilities.
- Be prepared – – This tip should go without saying, but in my years of prepping people, most of them are never as prepared as they should be. Being prepared is more than just having read the job description a couple times and scanning the organizations’ website. It’s deliberately working through your answers and practicing them out loud with someone else. Most people don’t do this – – be the one who does!
- Key accomplishments – – These should already be teed up for your STAR stories (Situation, Tasks, Actions, Results), but you’ll want to ensure you’re able to easily differentiate your accomplishments from your unique distinctions and how your past accomplishments can give credibility to why you’re the right person for the job!
- There’s no comparison! – – Even though the interviewer may have asked why you’re “the best” person for the job, don’t fall into the trap of trying to explain why you’re better than someone else. Simply state what you bring to the table effectively and let the interviewer make that decision.
- Be real and relevant – – Don’t be staged and stuffy with your answer. What do I mean by this? I mean if your answer sounds cliche and memorized, you won’t come across as the genuine, authentic person you’ll want to be! You’ll want your answer to be received easily by the interviewer as realistic…they can quickly “see” that you’re the right person for the job!
- Brevity is a virtue – – Be clear and concise. If you ramble, you’ll lose the effect. Practice makes perfect here!
Alright, hopefully you’re clear on why the interviewer may ask this question and how to craft a response. But this last point is the most important – – let’s put a Biblical lens on to ensure we craft and deliver your answer the right way. I’d encourage you to read this passage several times, breaking up the key points and letting them settle into your heart. I believe your answer to this question will be better having done that!
Philippians 2:3-8: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. You must have the same attitude Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.
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