Career Directors

Global Membership Organization of Professional Resume Writers & Career Coaches

6-Figures. No Stress. Career Biz Success!

Author of Resume for Dummies
  • Dashboard
  • Store
  • Cart
  • Forum
  • Login
TwitterLinkedinFacebookGoogle +YouTube
  • Home
  • About CDI
    • About CDI
    • Superhero Origin Story
    • Career Pro Theme Song
    • The CDI Dream Team
    • Press Room
    • CDI Sponsored Events
    • B2B Service Providers
    • Blog
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Learn & Grow
    • Resume Writing Certification & Training
      • Resume Mastery Course with CARW Certification
      • Resume Writing Master Mentor Consulting Program
      • Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW) Credential
      • Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW) Credential
      • Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM) Credential
      • Certified Resume Specialist (CRS+X) Credential
    • Career Coaching Certification & Training
      • Master Career Director (MCD) Credential
      • Certified Employment Interview Consultant (CEIC) Course
      • Certified Professional in Online Job Search and Reputation Management (OJSRM) Course
    • Business Success Programs & Coaching
      • Career Business Profit Rocket Consulting
      • Join the Fly Higher Tribe
      • Career Website Roadmap to Profits & Performance
      • Entrepreneurial Wisdom Course
      • Six Figure Flight Plan Program
      • COIN for Career Pros: Raise Prices with Ease
    • Awards & Competitions
      • Toast of the Resume Industry Awards (TORI)
        • Resume Award Winners (TORI & WBRW)
      • Career Innovator Awards
      • Pat Schuler Kick Butt Award
      • CDI Lifetime Achievement Award
      • President’s Choice Award
    • Member Forum
    • Expert Webinars & Teleseminars
    • Entrepreneurial Success Secrets Live: Conference
    • Renew Credentials
  • Join CDI
    • Why Join CDI
    • Member Success Stories
    • Become a Member
    • Affiliate Advertiser Membership
  • Find a Career Pro
    • Career Pro Directory
    • How to Select a Company
    • Blog
    • Free Expert Resources
    • Resume Award Winners (TORI & WBRW)
    • Innovator Award Winners
  • Blog
  • Contact
Home » For Job Seekers » New Grad Campus

New College Grad: Why Should I Hire You?

Posted on 05.16.16

photo-1422568374078-27d3842ba676 (1024x683)Class of 2016 college graduates at the bachelor’s degree level are projected to total 1,861,000 according to The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). If you are a new college grad, that represents a lot of job competition.

The good news: not all of those graduates will be seeking the same kind of job as you.

The bad news: enough of them will be vying with you for the same jobs and at the same companies and organizations to represent a potential obstacle to getting the job you really want.

The scenario: most of you will likely be asked the question, “Why should I hire you?” at some point in the interview process. What will you say to differentiate yourself from your competition?

Overcome Three Hurdles

Your strategy for a strong response to the ‘Why should I hire you?’ question centers around clearing the three knock-out hurdles to getting hired for the job you most desire. These hurdles allow hiring managers, human resources staff, and recruiters to ‘screen out’ candidates efficiently (although not necessarily effectively). The number of job applicants (at all levels) is huge, and their available time to process those applicants is limited.

First Hurdle: Minimum Requirements

Job postings typically include specified job duties and job requirements. Meeting all the requirements will allow you to progress to the next hurdle, provided you show evidence in your resume that you have attained those requirements and have responded to the job posting correctly and in a timely fashion (in case there is a cutoff for the number of applicants accepted).

For new grads, requirements would likely include a Bachelor’s Degree with minimal (0-2 years) of experience. Most of your competition will be able to check off these same requirements as you. Meeting the minimum requirements simply gets you ‘in the game’.

Can you proceed without having all the requirements? Sure, that can happen, but it necessitates special ‘end-run’ strategies (to be discussed in a future post).

Second Hurdle: Accomplishments

Simply reciting the litany of your skills and part-time jobs is not sufficient. Other college graduates will speak about having the same skills and will also have held part-time jobs.

Surpass your competition: show how the skills and knowledge you gained during your academic years, as well as any work experience you had (part-time or full-time), volunteer activities, sports activities, and leadership activities culminated in accomplishments. This will enable you to clear the second hurdle.

Accomplishments can be the end results of your skills and academic learning (e.g., GPA, Honor Society, Dean’s List), activities (e.g., leading a record-breaking sorority/fraternity membership drive), and jobs (e.g., 100% attendance at all part-time jobs and academic classes for your entire college career).

Third Hurdle: Personal Brand and Brand Value

This is the final, and most difficult, hurdle to overcome. Why? Not because you do not have a personal brand or brand value. You most assuredly do have both. The problem is that you are likely not aware of your personal brand and brand value, and most definitely are not equipped to talk about them in a convincing way.

Your personal brand addresses how you are uniquely different from your competition. It is the HOW you do what you do (personal attributes, personal strengths) that provides clues to the prospective employer about whether you will be a ‘best-fit’ with their company culture. Brand value is the ultimate reason – the WHY an employer should hire you – because of the value and impact can you bring to the company or organization.

Are you ready to make the most persuasive case possible for yourself? Do you want to outshine your competition? Clear this hurdle and you will position yourself as a must-have candidate.

Even if you are not asked, ‘Why should I hire you?’ in a job interview, you still need to overcome all three hurdles. Does this take some work and preparation on your part? Of course. But what is the alternative? Perhaps spending a lot more time in job search mode or settling for a ‘so-so’ job. Are those viable options for you and your career future?

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on Google+
Google+
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Share on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon
Share on Reddit
Reddit
Digg this
Digg

Filed Under: Interviewing & Salary Negotiation, New Grad Campus, Personal Branding Tagged: brand value, first job, job interviews, job search, new college graduate, personal branding

About the Author

Dubbed the Career Assessment Goddess by colleagues, my specialty is helping you find your Dream Job. National Certified Career Counselor certified in personal branding, LinkedIn Profile branding, online identity management, and branded career communications. Master Resume Writer, 25+ years' experience.

  • Subscribe below and receive new posts once a week.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Leave a Comment Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

#26 Top 100 Career Blogs

Subscribe to the Blog

You are already subscribed.

Recent Posts

  • The Myth about Resume “Secrets”

    April 24, 2018
    You’ve probably seen at least one article with a title somewhat like this: “5 Resume Secrets You MUST Know for a Successful Job Search.” Those …
  • How to Hit Curveball Interview Questions Out of the Park

    April 16, 2018
    “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” Or how about, “What is your favorite song and can you perform it …
  • 6 Critical Reasons Hiring You Is a Corporate Risk

    February 28, 2018
    Facts about the executive hiring process that have an impact on the interview process and your candidacy.

Categories

  • For Career Industry Entrepreneurs (37)
    • Career Superhero Corner (14)
    • CDI Certifications & Courses (6)
    • CDI Competitions (8)
    • CDI Conference (13)
  • For Job Seekers (299)
    • Award-Winning Career Leaders (14)
    • Bio Writing (4)
    • Career Change (45)
    • Career Coaching (35)
    • Career Management (68)
    • CDI Certified Career Coaches (4)
    • CDI Certified Resume Writers (9)
    • CDI Trusted Bloggers (2)
    • Cover Letters & Communications (26)
    • Employment Trends (16)
    • Executive Insights (33)
    • Federal Employment (2)
    • International Job Search (11)
    • Interviewing & Salary Negotiation (52)
    • Job Search (138)
    • LinkedIn Profiles (36)
    • Military Transition (9)
    • Networking (56)
    • New Grad Campus (6)
    • Online Reputation (14)
    • Personal Branding (31)
    • Resume Writing (89)
    • Social Media (26)

Learn More About Training & Growth

  • Fly Higher Tribe for Career Biz Success
  • Resume Writing Certification & Training
  • Career Coaching Certification & Training
  • Business Development & Consulting
  • Awards & Competitions
  • Expert Webinars & Teleseminars
  • Member Forum

Learn More About Membership & CDI

  • Why Join CDI
  • Member Success Stories
  • Become a Member
  • CDI’s Superhero Origin Story
  • The CDI Dream Team
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us

Learn More About Everything Else

  • Find a Career Professional
  • Blog
  • B2B Service Providers
  • Free Job Seeker Resources
  • How to Select a Career Service Provider
  • Innovator Award Winners
  • Resume Award Winners (TORI & WBRW)

Copyright 2017 Career Directors, All Rights Reserved

Looking for something? Visit the Sitemap

Recommend this post

You can recommend this post to several users by putting 1 email on each line


Lost your Password

OR

  • Login with Twitter
  • Login with Facebook