This is a common interview question that pops up and is one that pretty much sums up the point of a job interview in the first place.

In other words, what can you do for our company?

Essentially the company is looking to hire someone to solve a problem or fill a need.

It can be very easy for people to forget this when they go into an interview and to focus on what the company can do for you.

Here are some suggestions to ensure you structure the whole interview to focus on what you can do the company and hence, why the company should hire you:

1. Answer the question by telling them what you can do for this company specifically. In other words, while you want to mention some general skills that any company would desire (ie. strong communication skills, strong organizational skills, etc) you also want to mention specifically what you can do for this company. This means you need to understand exactly why the company is trying to fill the position you are interviewing for and then tell the interviewer specifically what skills and experience you have to address this need.

2. Make sure you fully address the main points contained in the job description and in particular the most important aspects of the description. Proactively refer to important aspects of the job description and discuss specifics related to your experience that illustrates your ability to handle these tasks.

3. In advance of the interview, look for any press releases, interviews or articles that discuss the direction of the company and their business. If possible during the interview, consider referring to what you read and try your best to relate how your experience and skills lend well to the direction of the company and their business. Not only does it illustrate that youve done your homework for the interview, it can also be a great way to make a specific reference to what you can do for the company that other candidates might not consider.

4. Remember to discuss relevant aspects of your background that could set you apart from other candidates for the job. If you hold a certification or specific training relevant to the position that others might not have, make sure you mention it. Dont make the mistake of assuming the interviewer knows it already even if it was contained in your resume.

Asking how much money theyll pay you is a good example of a question not to ask. The issue of money will come up at some point and its best to let the interviewer ask about it.

Carl Mueller

My name is Carl Mueller and I'd like to thank you for learning a bit more about me!

I feel that I have numerous relevant experiences during my career that come in useful when helping people with their careers:

I know what it’s like to work internationally, having worked overseas (in New Zealand, from 1994-1998).

I've survived several corporate downsizings while many of my colleagues were being laid off.

I have also experienced being laid off twice myself during corporate downsizings.

I know what it’s like to be self-employed.

I've helped many people find better jobs. I started to work as a professional recruiter in 2000 first as an Information Technology (IT) recruiter and then in general recruitment across many industries including IT, manufacturing and marketing. Since this time, I have helped many people find their dream career and it’s a great feeling.

I experienced one of the slowest hiring periods in recent memory especially during the general hiring slowdown that followed the Y2K frenzy in 1999, the bursting of the dot com bubble in early 2000, and then the employment market bottoming out following September 11, 2001.

These were certainly not great times to be a job searcher in most industries nor was it a particularly good time to be a recruiter.

Following this, I began running the day to day operations of an Internet-based company in early 2003 that focused on developing online software and subscription-based websites for consumers. It was then that I fully realized the power, usefulness and potential of the Internet which really spurred me to set up my own website which you can view in my Personal URL section below this bio.

I’m also a Platinum Ezine Articles Expert as recognized by EzineArticles.com, one of the most visited websites on the Internet. This special designation is earned by having consistently high-quality articles published and viewed on their website. All of my submissions are related to helping you find your dream career and many of my articles get reproduced on other websites by their webmasters.

Good luck with your career and I hope I have been of assistance to you!