The Hardest Interview Question is My Favorite One

Do you want to know a secret? I certainly want to tell it. Shout it even.

I just interviewed for my dream job!

For this moment in time, compared to all the other jobs I have held and interviewed for, that statement is true. My dream job, you guys—an interview for the history books. My personal history books, of course.

Now that the interview is over, the jig is up and I am ready to spill out so much about my dream job interview.

The first time I applied for this job, I was not selected for an interview and it was pretty crushing. Was my resume not right? Do I have the wrong degree? Maybe I submitted my application at a weird hour of the day and they didn’t like the timestamp. I guessed so many reasons why I didn’t get an interview.

Fast forward six months—six whole months!—and the same job was posted again.

I applied. Again.

I told myself it wouldn’t hurt to try.

I told myself it was important to keep making an effort on the job front—not just for me, but for my husband who has been bringing in our sole income since we moved.

Wouldn’t you know? I got the interview.

I didn’t change in the past six months. I don’t think my resume did. This time though, I had a shot—a chance. This time I had an opportunity.

An opportunity that was exciting, but also made me want to throw up. Not just butterflies in my stomach, but I honestly felt like I could get physically sick because I was so nervous. The nerves didn’t stop until I was inside the building, waiting to be called back and several people said hello to me in the friendliest way strangers could. Turns out two of those smiling strangers were part of my interview panel and I relaxed… just a little.

The interview was pretty standard. They asked questions. I tried my best to answer. Then it was my turn to ask questions. Finally, they asked my favorite interview question.

 “Of all qualified applicants for this job, why should we choose you?”

The hard part about this question is that unlike any other interview question, you really have to forget about any skills you have learned from past experiences. Everyone else that they are going to consider is qualified too. Everyone else being considered has skills that would help them competently complete the job in question in a satisfactory manner.

How will you stand out? What will you say? Why would it matter enough to make you the right choice?

I certainly can’t tell you the best answer for you if you ever encounter this question at an interview. However, since I am so stoked about completing an interview for my dream job, I will tell you my answer.

Now, I’ve been asked this question at two other interviews before, and I’ve even had the privilege to ask this question myself when I had the honor of being on an interview panel for my previous employer. I think it’s the hardest interview question. I was sincerely stumped for what felt like forever the first time someone asked me.

A few months ago, and about five years ago when I encountered this question the first two times, my response was, “I think you should pick me because I will be the most grateful for the opportunity, and I think when employees are grateful for their jobs, they will do better work.”

It’s a decent answer.

It’s also a true answer.

Today though, when asked, I was ready. You see, I had started drafting a writing piece about this very question several weeks ago. I’m so glad I started that draft because it led me to understand the answer I had given twice previously was incomplete. It was true, but it wasn’t my whole truth. Today, when that question came up, I had my whole, complete, true answer and I knew it. I smiled.

I explained how it was my favorite question. I shared that I was even working on a writing piece related to this question. Then, I answered.

Giving today’s answer was the shining moment of my interview, but I didn’t arrive at that full answer during any shining moment. I think that the complete, true, honest answer was a long time coming, and it took some struggle and frustration for me to realize that my original answer wasn’t complete anyway.

I have been unemployed for more than a year now. I’ve left jobs due to PCSing three times in my seven-year time span as a military spouse. At our present duty station, I have applied to 10 jobs and interviewed for six of them within an eight-month time span. I went to the on-base job fair and attended a class on direct hire opportunities and resume writing tips for military spouses.

I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s not easy and don’t need to mention all of these details. Maybe you personally know. Maybe you’re aware that there are programs in place and legislation being passed to help military spouses with their career paths because of how opposite of easy it actually is. At some point though, it is easy.

Easy to get burnt-out.

Easy to not care.

Easy to feel incredibly discouraged.

Easy to disregard the fact that you alone are not the only one facing this particular struggle.

It even became easy for me to not feel the excitement I should have when my chance for my dream job interview arose. I was mad that the excitement wasn’t there. It was disappointing to be so aware of how I wanted to feel and then not actually feel it. I shared this frustration with a close friend. She wisely suggested that my mismatched emotions could be a defense mechanism.

Now, after some processing and searching for understanding, I’ve figured out how to make my answer complete. My complete-truth answer is more like this:

“I think you should pick me because I will be the most grateful for the opportunity, and I think when employees are grateful for their jobs, they will do better work. But, you should know why I would be the most grateful. I would be the most grateful for this job because I would consider it a personal win. I need the win. I wouldn’t be here today, interviewing, if I was satisfied. I’m ready to be grateful for the win—for the new job.”

I feel pretty good after being able to say my whole answer to my favorite hard interview question. Good enough to accept that regardless of the outcome of my interview, I took the shot. I said my true answer. I’ll be holding on to my own satisfaction from this interview for a long time.

So, across the pages of my personal history book, I can now record that I did it. I layered up my internal
defenses as best I could, and then I went for it—my dream job, the ever-elusive carrot finally dangling right in front of me. I interviewed. I answered my favorite, hard question with my full and honest answer, slaying my inner frustrations and struggles with a smile on my face. Then I threw on a hoodie and walked home in 55-degree weather with more than a little bounce in my step.

It felt like a victory lap.