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Tough Interview Question - How do you think you can add value to our company?

How do you think you can add value to our company?

Similar interview questions:
What is your greatest value add as a candidate?
Do you think you can have a positive impact on our stock price? How?
Tell me about what you did to add to shareholder equity in your last role.
What is the value you bring to the table as a new employee?

Why the interviewer is asking this question:
The interviewer is asking you to specifically quantify how you add value to the company. Not just punching a clock or putting in your time, but at the end of the day, how will your work contribute to the overall value of the company? Most candidates do not think about this type of question in advance. Therefore, it can often be used as a stumper question to catch a well-practiced candidate off guard.

The best approach to answering this question:
You need to understand both the value you bring to the table as well as the employer needs in the role to make a specific tie in with one of your recent experiences. If you have an example or two which produced x dollars in cost savings or generated y dollars in revenue or profit, this would be the time to reference them. If not, speak directly to your productivity and deliverables. Simply working hard is not a valid answer. You need to be specific in how your work has translated into tangible value.

An example of how to best answer this question for experienced candidates:
"In my current role, I have both contributed cost savings as well as new revenue drivers for the company. Last year, I won the CEO Award for saving the company over $500,000 per year with a new productivity enhancement that was rolled out globally. This year, my current project was launched and is already projected to drive $10 million dollars of new revenue by the end of the year, with ongoing revenue of $15 to $20 million per year. Would you like to hear more about that project?"

An example of how to best answer this question for entry level candidates:
"My recent internship gave me the opportunity to research a new product line for the company which was recently launched and is now driving more than a million dollars of revenue per year. When I started on the project and did the initial research, I knew that expanding into an associated product line would allow us to make use of our current facilities while expanding into a relatively untapped market. Would you like me to walk you through that project?"

An example of how you should not answer this question:
"I guess I provide value by making sure I log my 40 hours each week. I know that if I didn’t, I would get my pay docked for not being there. That happened to me one time and since then, it hasn’t happened again. Besides, they already pay me like dirt anyway. I don’t need my pay docked just because I went home early a few times during the week…"

Remember to answer each interview question behaviorally, whether it is a behavioral question or not. The easiest way to do this is to use an example from your background and experience. Then use the S-T-A-R approach to make the answer a STAR: talk about a Situation or Task (S-T), the Action you took (A) and the Results achieved (R). This is what makes your interview answer uniquely yours and will make your answer a star!

Further review: know the answers to these 100 Standard Interview Questions to be fully prepared for your interview!

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