Why should we not hire you?

[t_amos]

I was interviewing for a civil engineering position the other day and I got this out of the box question. I was certainly not expecting it and I obviously did not have time to prepare for such a question.  I could not articulate a good answer and I could tell the interviewer was not satisfied with my response which went something like this,
I do not believe there is a particular reason why you should not hire me, because my skills match the requirements of this position.... and I went about talking about other topics not related to the question.
So, afterwards I researched and found some tips that I thought it will be nice to share with  everyone,
How to attack this question,

• Point out a possible (negative) employee trait and point out how you differ from that trait. For example, you could say, "if you are looking for someone who sticks to themselves and does not interact with other employees, then I might not be a match because I am a team player and like to engage my coworkers on tasks that require team input."
• Another approach is to totally flip the question and make it appear that you are confident that you will get the job. This could be said by indicating that "you would not want to hire me if you don't' want your business to grow or you don't want someone who can really contribute to your organization." - Ofcourse, this carries a comical twist so you should use it only when you believe it will be well received.

The main reason a potential employer would ask you this question is to test your reaction and how quickly you think. Impress them by having a self-praising well-thought-out response to that question.

[1smartengineer]

I never thought this type of question would be asked in an engineering company type of interview. The few interviews I have been on constantly focus on my experience and education.

If such a question was posed at me, I would definitely re-highlight the reasons why I believe I am the right candidate for the job to in a way imply that there is no reason why they should not hire me.  I think plainly saying that you don’t think there is a reason why they should not hire you, sounds simple and clearly not well thought out.

[dougFred]

I too was asked this weird question during my last interview. I wasn't expecting such a reverse psychology-type of a questions so my response at the time was not all that impressive. Later I thought about it and I think this following response would have been more ideal for that situation"

"Well, you are not concerned with the long term growth of the company, then I would recommended that you go with someone else who will be less passionate and less dedicated than I intend to be. In reviewing this position, I find that the company needs someone who will be focussed to not just the immediate success of the company, but also one who recognizes the competitive nature of this industry and is willing to invest their time and skills for the long term development of the company. I believe that I am that person."

Slightly cocky, but I am sure it will get their attention.

Good luck.