Why Should We Hire You?

A potential client reached out again the other day, after I had spoken to her a year ago. She asked me why she should hire and work with me vs. any other career coach.

The question threw me, not going to lie. Because I don’t do that. I don’t sell myself and my program. I make sure I understand your career situation at a deep level. If I am convinced I can help you (and only then!) I will share with you what my coaching program looks like. And then you make a decision if you’re committed enough to do that or not.

I repeat: I will not sell you anything. More importantly, I will not go and compare myself to others. Because how can I? I don’t know what other coaches do. I mean, I know there are no coaches in the world that get the same results as my program does by quite some distance. But I don’t know in detail how they work. So how am I supposed to tell you why you should hire me over them?  

This situation reminded me of the question job applicants often get asked during interviews: “Why should we hire you over other candidates?” It’s just as silly a question, and the answer, in my book, should be similar to what I told the lady that asked me about my coaching vs others. Namely: “I don’t know, since I don’t know the other candidates. Rather than focusing on others, let’s first assess what you actually need in the team and then we can decide if I am the right match for that.”

It shows confidence and – importantly – that you want to be of service. It signals that you have the other side’s best interest in mind. It also prevents you from getting sucked into a conversation that you can’t win.

If you want the to build the confidence and competence to turn these typical interview questions into a much more productive conversation, let me know and we can talk and see if we are the right fit for one another.