How to answer "What can you bring to the company"

You answer the question "What can you bring to the company" by researching the company, reviewing the job description, and making a list of your core skills and values. For details on each of these steps and more you can take to answer the question, "What can you bring to the company", use this guide:

• Research the company. To answer this question properly, you must first research the company you are interviewing with.

  Most companies have websites you can utilize that will give you the information you need. Here are some items to look for on the company's website:

  Mission statement. A company's mission statement helps you understand if your career aspirations and values are aligned with those of the company. You should try to figure out how to craft an aspect of your answer that speaks to both your and the company's core values.

  Biographies about high-level employees of the company can also be quite helpful. Learning about executives and other high-level officials at the company can give you a sense of the type of people the company is fond of. It also can give you insights into their goals and how you can help assist in achieving company goals.

  The "About us" page on a company's website can also give you some keen insights into how they operate, what their objectives are, and how you can contribute positively to their goals. The about us page is also likely to tell you about the company's culture, history, and products and services.

  You should also check if there is any information about company activities or their customers in this section. This can help you determine ways you could potentially have a positive impact on the company if hired.

• Review the job description. This is another very important aspect of answering this question properly.

  The job description lists your prospective role's tasks and responsibilities. You should look for any requirements that line up with your own professional experience. When answering the question in the interview, you should seek to include some anecdotes and examples of how you have performed these tasks or utilized these skills in previous jobs.

• Make a list of your core skills and values. This is something you should review several times before your interview.

  You should write out the skills you possess that will assist you in your prospective role. Again, you should try to recall situations from previous jobs where you've utilized these skills so you can illustrate how you will be effective in this new role.

  You should list out soft skills, like problem-solving and critical thinking, or hard skills that are specific to the job, such as proficiency with specific industry software.

  You should also write out a list of your core values. This should include things like what motivates you, the qualities that you want to develop during your career, the type of work culture you prefer, and what qualities you admire most in others.

  The goal is to align your career objectives and core values with those of the company, communicating to your interviewer that you are a good fit for the position.

• Research professional social media sites and networks. You should have a good look at any of the social media accounts the company has, along with any public profiles of individual employees at the company, ideally those that have similar jobs to your prospective position.

  Gather any relevant information that you think might be helpful to you in answering the question in the interview. You can learn a lot from employee and company social media accounts that will help you answer the question.

• Practice your answer. You should rehearse your answer to this question and practice your communication skills.

  You should not memorize an answer to this question; memorized answers can come off as canned and inauthentic. When delivering your answer, it should feel natural and organic in the interview. However, you should still rehearse answering this question by yourself or with a trusted friend or family member to practice your delivery.

  While practicing, you can reference your notes on areas you want to touch on, anecdotes you should bring up, and anything else that is relevant to the answer.

• Review the STAR interview response technique. The STAR interview response technique is a proven way to effectively answer this question.

  The STAR method goes as follows:

  Situation. You need to describe the situation.

  Task. You need to explain your role in the situation.

  Action. Detail the action or actions you took or can take to improve the situation.

  Result. Explain and gauge the outcome of the situation.