If it is at the start of the interview, don’t answer it but ask some questions and find out more about their needs so you can answer it more accurately.
So, rather than listing skills and experiences which you may consider to be great, but the employer is looking for something else, question what the role entails, the challenges, how prior employees succeeded or failed. Even if the job is a common one or you feel you know the role inside out already, the questions are still useful. If it’s at the end of an interview, hopefully you would have covered off the above questions and know what the needs of the employer are and you can go on to answering it fully.
Include
- your skills relevant to the role.
- provide examples of where you have solved what the problem is that they are encountering.
- share ideas on how you would go about tackling the problem and give any relevant examples that can demonstrate this.
While answering the question, try to
- showcase your ability to think outside the box and provide unique solutions
- be enthusiastic and confident in yourself and your abilities, without sounding arrogant
Finally, and most importantly, make sure you tie it back to the needs and potential solutions that the employer identified.
And if you want to take it one step further, you can always finish with one of the following
- “I’d love the opportunity to show you what I can do and how I can help your company.” This helps reaffirm your desire and commitment to the role and to their organization.
or
- “Are there any skills required in the role that I haven’t mentioned yet that you think I would need to be successful in the role?” This will give you a chance to provide further examples if needed or if it’s a skill/experience you don’t yet have you can reiterate your ability to learn and grow with them as you have done in previous companies.