Why shouldnt we hire you answer

Yesterday we discussed one of the worst interview questions – “What is Your Fatal Flaw?” That’s just a bad interview question. Today’s interview question is not quite as bad, but still can land even great candidates in a lot of trouble. “Why shouldn’t we hire you” is a good question for asking applicants to think on their feet, but there are way too many ways you can answer this question poorly.

Bad Answer #1

“I am perfect.”

No one is perfect. Everyone is flawed. Don’t be conceited.

Bad Answer #2

“Well, you might not want to hire me because I don’t have experience with Program XYZ, and it’s important to the role…”

You don’t actually want to give them a reason to not to hire you. That’s just silly.

How to Answer

Once again, there really isn’t a “Great” answer. There is are two acceptable ways to answer, where one is more risky but could bring greater rewards, and the other is similar to the “greatest weakness” answer where the weakness isn’t really that much of a weakness to begin with. Let’s look at them here.

Good Answer #1 – Risky

“There are always aspects of company culture that you do not learn until you have had time to adjust to the new setting. So if your company doesn’t like tasks being completed before deadline, or if your company doesn’t enjoy building revenue through outstanding usage of its resources, then you probably shouldn’t hire me.”

This answer takes some guts, but it’s pretty good. You are essentially turning the answer into a joke, like “If your company wants to hire someone awful, then you definitely shouldn’t hire me.” If the interviewer has no sense of humor and you haven’t been doing well in your interview, this answer will not fly and to be honest humour is very rarely a good idea in a job interview.

Good Answer #2 – Less Risky

“It’s very important to me that I complete tasks before deadline without errors. What this means, however, is that sometimes I need to call meetings to ensure that it is on the right path in order to do the work efficiently and error free. If your company frowns on impromptu meetings or the culture is such that it does not appreciate open communication, I may not be the person for you.”

This answer is actually pretty good. It focuses on a “flaw” (perfectionism, sort of) and expands to make it actually sound like it might be a flaw, but it isn’t really, and you are left with a successful and real answer to the question using a weakness that isn’t really a weakness.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Consider giving a risky answer by implying the company may want to hire bad employees on purpose. Remember this one is a BIG risk.
• Otherwise go with a twist on the biggest weakness answers, using a weakness that isn’t really a weakness.
• Don’t give them a real reason not to hire you.
• Don’t claim that there is no reason.

1. Interviewing
2. Interview Question: "Why Should We Not Hire You?"

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published December 14, 2021

The goal of a job interview is for the employer to gain a better understanding of who you are as a candidate. Interviewers sometimes ask challenging questions to see how you respond to unexpected situations, with one common example being the question, "Why should we not hire you?" If you're preparing for an upcoming job interview, it's important to familiarize yourself with all the different question types you may encounter, including those that ask you to elaborate on your own weaknesses.

In this article, we discuss why employers ask these challenging questions during interviews, provide steps for answering them and include some sample responses to help you develop your own answers when preparing for your next job interview.

Related: How To Nail 5 Common Interview Questions

Why do employers ask about your weaknesses during interviews?

There are several reasons employers choose to ask questions about your weaknesses while interviewing you for an open position. Interviews help the employer get a clear understanding of the type of employee you could be if you're hired. Interviews are a way for the hiring personnel of a company or organization to determine which applicants are compatible with the duties, culture and overall pacing of their work environment.

When asking questions about your weaknesses, interviewers may try to see how you respond to unexpected situations, as some candidates might not expect a question about why they shouldn't get hired. They're also curious about your genuine answers to these questions so they can see what you believe is your biggest drawback as a candidate. Employers may look for motivated and confident individuals and people who are genuine and willing to learn from their shortcomings.

Related: Interview Question: "Do You Have Any Questions?"

How to answer "Why should we not hire you?"

When going into an interview, it's important to be prepared for questions that may challenge you. If an employer asks you to explain why they shouldn't hire you, you can use these tips as a guide for giving a response that both answers the question and emphasizes your positive qualities as a prospective employee.

Here are three steps you can take to prepare for this question if someone asks it during a job interview:

1. Conduct research on the employer

The first step when preparing to answer this question is to conduct in-depth research on the company or organization you're interviewing for. Use job search sites or online forums to gather information about the company culture, practices and overall duties that employees have. This information can be helpful for determining what the employer values in a candidate, which you can subsequently use to model your answer to this specific question.

If you're interviewing for a company that has almost entirely remote work for its employees, you can adjust your response to suit that situation. You can say that a reason they shouldn't hire you is that you're an independent worker who thrives on solitude. For other companies, this response may be a deterrent, especially if they care a lot about collaboration and teamwork. For this employer, however, this answer both addresses the question and shows how your work style is compatible with the company culture.

Read more: The Complete Guide To Researching a Company

2. Choose a specific weakness

Choose a specific weakness to elaborate on in your response. When answering questions of this nature, it's important to remain composed when giving your response to show your poise and professionalism to the interviewer. Try to choose a challenge or personal weakness that actually answers the question, but make sure it's something you can address constructively and objectively.

Consider elaborating on a weakness that coincides with a work-related anecdote. This way, you can tell your story and provide additional details that can support why you chose this weakness as your answer. Consider emphasizing a positive ending to your anecdote that shows what you learned from past weaknesses and how this lesson makes you a more successful employee.

3. Be honest but professional

It's important to answer all questions honestly during an interview, but try to stay mindful of how you're presenting yourself as a candidate to the interviewer. Some people may approach a question like this by asking it to the interviewer. For example, when an employer asks someone why they shouldn't hire them, the applicant may respond with something like "I work too hard" or "I care too much."

While job seekers in the past considered this approach to be a safe way to answer challenging questions, many employers now consider this to be an avoidance technique. It's important to always come across as genuine when interviewing, as interviews are more about evaluating your personality and drive as opposed to your experience or education, which they might already know about from your resume. Keep your response professional and a little specific.

4. Emphasize your strengths

When answering a challenging interview question, try to emphasize your strengths along with your weaknesses. While it's important to ensure that your answer is genuine and actually responds to the question, you can also add a positive spin that shows why they should hire you while also answering why they shouldn't. If you decide to share a story that details how your weakness contributed to your shortcoming in one area of work, mention how you learned from that situation and how those lessons improved your success in other areas as an employee.

Related: Interview Question: "What Is the Biggest Challenge You've Faced In Work?"

Example answers for "Why should we not hire you?"

Here are some sample responses that can guide you when preparing to answer questions about your weaknesses in a job interview:

Example 1: Remote copywriting position

"I sometimes take a while to get my day started, as I'm not much of a morning person. Even since my time in high school, I always preferred doing my work in the afternoon and evening over getting up in the early morning and forcing myself to stay awake. In college, I purposefully curated my schedule so that my earliest classes weren't until after 11 a.m. Since entering the workforce, I've been lucky enough to find jobs with flexible schedules, like this one, where I can work on my own time and get the rest that I need.

I know that there are benefits to starting your day early, but I've found through trial and error over the years that I do my best work in the afternoon and evening. Not only do I work significantly faster, but the quality of my work is much higher than if I had done it while lacking rest. In fact, I wrote what would become the highest-rated article of the quarter while at my previous job, which I completed during late evening hours."

Example 2: Entry-level marketing position

"I overthink a lot of my creative decisions. This mainly manifests as me seeking validation from colleagues, especially from those in positions higher than mine. I never want to submit any work without getting a second opinion, even if it's from someone with very little marketing knowledge or experience. In fact, I almost prefer having non-professionals critique my work, as the public is the intended audience for most, if not all, of our campaigns.

In the past, I've held back from more experimental, innovative concepts in my work based on the fear that the public would misunderstand its intentions. Luckily, I had a great team supporting me at the last agency I worked for that encouraged me to express my artistry through my work. I became more confident with my unique concepts and pitched them regularly during team meetings and as part of our weekly proposals. While I still value getting second opinions from my coworkers, supervisors and outsiders, I also feel more comfortable with the integrity of my original content."

Example 3: Elementary school teaching position

"I sometimes have a hard time sticking to a strict set of guidelines. As a third-grade teacher, I often get lost in the creative potential of the job. I want my students to feel enchantment when learning, so I often stray a bit from the pacing guides and sample lesson plans that the administration provides. Instead, I focus more on active learning principles, where my students can learn by doing as opposed to hearing or seeing. I want them to leave my class with a love for learning and a wealth of new knowledge.

Sometimes, the resources administration and the state board of education give us aren't exciting. While they focus on the technical aspects of lessons, which are important, they might omit any creative applications of these concepts. My job as an educator is to encourage my students to find their passion for learning, which I feel I do most successfully when incorporating my own projects and lessons. I highly value the input of administration and the school board, but I also value my own abilities as a teacher and take my responsibility of preparing these students for the real world seriously."

Tips for answering challenging interview questions

Here are some tips you can use to help you develop successful answers to challenging interview questions:

• Stay focused: When answering challenging interview questions, try your best to stay focused on the interviewer's question. Keep your responses concise, clear and easy to follow to show your competence and poise to the employer.

• Be confident: Confidence can be an important tool during an interview, especially when faced with challenging questions. Try to speak clearly when giving your response, especially when emphasizing the reasons you're a suitable candidate for the job.

• Answer directly: When faced with challenging interview questions, many people have the instinct to avoid giving any answer that might hinder their chances of getting hired and instead give an answer that doesn't apply to the original question. Try to give a response that directly answers the question, but maintains professionalism and positivity.