How to Answer ‘What Makes You Unique?’ & Stand Out in Your Next Interview

Whenever I get asked ‘What makes you unique?’ aliases ‘What makes you guidelines retired from different candidates?’ successful an interview, I usage it arsenic nan cleanable opportunity to explicate why I’m nan champion personification for nan role.

And I for illustration to get specific. I’ve recovered that interviewers respond positively erstwhile I skip nan generics and necktie my answers backmost to what I person to connection based connected my individual background.

Your reply could yet make aliases break your interview, truthful it’s important to really nail it. I’ll locomotion you done really to reply this mobility nan correct way.

Table of Contents

• Subtle Ways Interviewers Ask 'What makes you unique?’
• Why do interviewers inquire ‘What sets you isolated from different candidates?’
• How to Answer 'What makes you unique?'
• 7 Sample Answers to “What Makes You Unique?” and Why They Work
• Prepare Beyond ‘What Makes You Unique?’

Subtle Ways Interviewers Ask 'What makes you unique?’

There are galore ways that interviewers effort to tease retired what makes you a stand-out candidate.

Here are immoderate of nan communal questions that are really ‘What makes you unique?’ successful disguise:

• What makes you guidelines retired from different candidates?
• What sets you isolated from different candidates?
• What tin you bring to this domiciled that’s different from different candidates?
• What makes you a valuable campaigner for this role?
• Why are you nan champion campaigner for this role?
• Why should I take you complete different candidates?

No matter really this mobility manifests itself during your interview, nan overarching extremity remains nan same.

Why do interviewers inquire ‘What sets you isolated from different candidates?’

The interviewer is asking you this mobility to springiness you an opportunity to showcase your value.

They want to spot that you’ve done thorough investigation astir nan institution and nan position. And they want you to link your skills and acquisition backmost to nan domiciled you’re interviewing for.

For example, let’s opportunity I’m trying to onshore a societal media role, and I announcement that nan institution could beryllium doing a amended occupation connected TikTok.

I tin usage this arsenic an opportunity to:

• Show that I’ve done my homework — I’m already acquainted pinch nan company’s societal media beingness and nan platforms wherever it’s presently progressive (e.g., TikTok).
• Highlight applicable skills — I person respective years of acquisition managing and increasing TikTok accounts, truthful I’ll beryllium judge to mention that.
• Provide a ray recommendation — I’ll stock really my skills and acquisition let maine to place and instrumentality that recommendation.

Think astir it for illustration this: If you tin show nan interviewer that you tin thief nan institution meet its goals (and that you cognize what its goals are successful nan first place), that’s 1 awesome measurement to group yourself isolated from nan rest.

Plus, it becomes clear to nan interviewer that you’ve taken nan clip to hole if you tin supply circumstantial examples related to nan role.

These are each reasons why this is specified a celebrated question and reply mobility — truthful travel ready, and don’t beryllium acrophobic to humble brag astir yourself a little.

My workfellow Jamie Juviler, managing editor of our esteemed Website Blog, precocious hired a caller writer connected his team. Here’s his proposal for answering ‘What makes you unique?’:

“I would opportunity don’t accent astir providing a highly unsocial reply aliases thing that nary different campaigner has said, since that’s unlikely,” says Juviler.

“Instead, usage this arsenic different opportunity to item a accomplishment aliases property that you whitethorn not person had nan chance to stock yet. I spot it arsenic a chaotic paper wherever nan campaigner tin stock thing other they’re proud of and solidify what makes you guidelines out.”

Here are 5 different tips to consider.

1. Mention nan skills listed successful nan occupation description.

This is 1 of nan champion ways to show nan interviewer that you’ve done your research. Also, nan occupation explanation is fundamentally for illustration your cheat sheet. Use it arsenic a guideline truthful you cognize precisely which skills to item passim nan interview.

My recommendation: Refer backmost to nan occupation explanation but don’t singing it connection for word. Use it successful discourse to explicate really your skillset aligns pinch nan role's expectations.

2. Provide circumstantial examples from your background.

This is different smart measurement you tin usage nan occupation explanation to your advantage. Reference anterior accomplishments aliases results from past roles that subordinate to nan position you’re interviewing for.

My recommendation: Focus connected examples that necktie backmost to nan skills required for nan position, and ever quantify occurrence wherever possible.

Using our societal media example, saying ‘I ran a societal media run which resulted successful a 120% summation successful postulation to our website’ is simply a batch much impactful than ‘I person acquisition moving societal media campaigns.’

3. Avoid generic phrases for illustration “I'm a difficult worker.”

Remember, this is simply a very modular question and reply question, truthful that intends every campaigner is apt being asked this question.

Make your reply compelling. Instead of saying you're a ‘hard worker,’ springiness circumstantial examples of nan difficult activity you’ve accomplished related to nan role.

My recommendation: Try to debar nan communal buzzwords and alternatively switch those pinch existent descriptions of your past work.

For example, you and each different campaigner for a societal media position astir apt see yourself “social media savvy.”

Instead, make nan lawsuit to beryllium that you are really savvier than nan title based connected your unsocial background.

4. Include cardinal characteristic traits that will let you to present results.

Someone other mightiness person akin skills arsenic you, but your characteristic is 1 of a kind.

Being ‘social media savvy’ is 1 thing. But if you’re societal media savvy and a tenacious personification who is capable to deliberation quickly connected your feet, that’s an asset.

Highlight nan traits that person proven worth successful helping you turn arsenic a professional.

My recommendation: You want to cognize 1 of my favourite ways to person interviewers that I tin present nan results they’re looking for? Tell them really I’ve recovered akin occurrence successful nan past and really my personality supported that.

5. Tell nan interviewer really your unsocial skills will thief nan institution succeed.

This intimately relates backmost to Tip #3.

Don’t conscionable talk astir generic skills that astir candidates person — ever necktie your skills backmost to circumstantial projects you’ve worked on.

Your inheritance is what makes you unique. There’s nary 1 personification that has nan nonstop experience, skills, and traits that you do. Use that to your advantage.

My recommendation: You whitethorn not cognize nan company's soul goals, but you should ever effort to link your skills to their ngo and values erstwhile possible.

7 Sample Answers to “What Makes You Unique?” and Why They Work

1. “I americium a very bully communicator and find it easy for maine to subordinate to different people.”

Consider mentioning a characteristic trait you consciousness would beryllium a bully fresh for nan business. After reference nan occupation description, make a database of attributes that could make you an exceptional candidate.

Additionally, including a characteristic trait successful your reply allows you to show really you're a bully fresh for a domiciled successful which you person small anterior experience.

For instance, if you‘re applying for a position arsenic a squad leader, it’s captious that you show beardown connection skills and an expertise to link pinch a divers group of people.

If you show nan interviewer, “I americium a very bully communicator and find it easy for maine to subordinate to different people,” you tin lucifer your characteristic to nan components of a successful leader.

Why this works: Effective connection is simply a captious trait to stress successful interviews. If you see really 86% of employees mention deficiency of collaboration arsenic a main constituent of workplace failures, you tin statesman to admit why.

2. “I really bask learning caller things and americium perpetually seeking retired caller learning opportunities.”

By mentioning your passion for learning caller things, you‘re demonstrating you’re growth-focused and unafraid of challenges.

Additionally, answering nan mobility successful this measurement allows you to punctual nan interviewer why you're uniquely qualified for nan role.

Why this works: While different candidates mightiness person much anterior acquisition successful nan industry, you're proving your desire to transcend expectations of nan occupation quickly.

3. “My anterior acquisition successful customer work has provided maine pinch unsocial method skills that I tin use to this role.”

If you person anterior acquisition successful a domiciled vastly different from nan 1 for which you're applying, you mightiness usage this arsenic an opportunity to explicate really your inheritance uniquely qualifies you.

It's critical, however, that you supply circumstantial examples of how your anterior acquisition has fixed you definite transferable skills.

For instance, you mightiness opportunity nan following:

“My anterior acquisition successful customer work provided maine pinch an extended knowledge guidelines for really our merchandise works. As a marketer, I will beryllium capable to usage this knowledge to guarantee we're gathering our customers' needs.”

It's besides important to item that erstwhile occupation acquisition has declined successful value erstwhile recruiters measure candidates. In fact, complete nan past fewer years, that number has dropped from 92% to 62%.

So it‘s okay if you consciousness your anterior activity acquisition doesn’t perfectly align pinch nan domiciled for which you're applying — arsenic agelong arsenic you tin explicate really your skills will thief you succeed.

Why this works: An reply for illustration this 1 alleviates concerns nan interviewer mightiness person astir your deficiency of acquisition successful nan field.

4. “Working astatine a startup gave maine an opportunity to understand nan ins and outs of nan industry, and to return connected tasks I mightiness not person astatine a larger company. I deliberation this acquisition gives maine a flimsy separator complete different applicants.”

Similar to nan reply above, this reply is simply a bully 1 if you're attempting to move industries.

Consider really your inheritance has allowed you to summation unsocial skills that others, who followed a much linear profession trajectory, mightiness not have.

For instance, if you antecedently worked astatine a mini startup and now you want to transportation to a ample corporation, it's important you mention really those skills will make you successful successful this caller role.

Why this works: If you deliberation your anterior acquisition could deter interviewers from seeing you arsenic exceptionally qualified, this is an optimal chance to beryllium them wrong.

5. “I'm not acrophobic of failure. In fact, I deliberation it is an basal portion of nan experimental process that gets you to success. For illustration … ”

This reply shows your interviewer that you're not acrophobic to return risks.

Of course, you'll only want to opportunity this if you person a affirmative illustration to reenforce nan value of nonaccomplishment successful nan workplace.

You don‘t want to sound for illustration you make mistakes each nan time, but you’ll guidelines retired if you mention really you turned a nonaccomplishment into a success.

For instance, you mightiness say, "I‘m not acrophobic of failure. In my past role, we tried to streamline our SEO process and, on nan way, recovered we’d accidentally decreased postulation to our site.

However, this first nonaccomplishment allowed maine to spot nan errors successful our erstwhile procedure. My squad and I came up pinch a much successful strategy to debar these mistakes successful nan future, and ended up expanding postulation by 20%."

Why this works: With this answer, you‘re showing you’re tin of remaining elastic and open-minded erstwhile thing doesn't activity correct away, and you cognize really to return failures and usage them arsenic learning opportunities.

6. “When solving problems, I use some logic and affectional aspects successful adjacent proportion. For instance, I'm trained successful SEO and understand really to usage analytics to guarantee a trading run is successful, but I besides majored successful creation and cognize really to use productivity to a task arsenic well.”

If you're having problem deciding really to show your unsocial qualifications, commencement by considering really different group attack problems astatine your institution and really you differ.

For instance, astir group are either logical and usage analytics to lick problems, aliases affectional and usage creativity. It's uncommon to find personification who is both.

Why this works: Most group attraction connected highlighting 1 accomplishment per mobility successful an interview. If you’re capable to show that you’re comfortable combining 2 unsocial skills, it's an awesome expertise you should highlight.

7. “I'm exceptionally organized, and astatine my past company, I was capable to use this accomplishment to amended our process and summation ROI by 33%.”

Remember, erstwhile your interviewer asks, “What makes you unique?” they're really wondering, “How will you thief our company?”

At nan extremity of nan day, it's captious you necktie your reply backmost to really you will lick problems for nan company.

48% of recruiters opportunity improving ‘quality of hire’ is simply a apical privilege — truthful you'll want to guarantee your reply highlights really you will excel successful nan domiciled for nan agelong haul.

Consider a characteristic trait aliases accomplishment group that helped your past institution execute results. If nan results are quantitative, make judge you person nan circumstantial numbers to support your claim.

However, it's besides due to stock qualitative results, specified as, “My organizational skills led my head to spot maine pinch a awesome task wrong nan first 2 months successful my role.”

Why this works: Ultimately, providing examples shows nan interviewer you‘re results-driven, and aren’t conscionable saying generic phrases to reply their question.

8. I’m nimble, adaptable, and capable to pivot quickly based connected nan needs of nan business.

Adaptability is astatine nan halfway of galore institution cultures. (In fact, it’s nan ‘A’ successful HEART of our civilization code present astatine HubSpot.)

Why? Because location are excessively galore factors that impact nan measurement we do business. From user preferences to pandemics, it’s very imaginable that nan measurement we activity tomorrow will look different from today.

If you extremity up utilizing an reply for illustration this one, retrieve that an illustration goes a agelong way. Is location a clip erstwhile you had to move gears astatine activity and you did it successfully?

Maybe you didn’t get your anticipated fund for a task truthful you had to take which strategies to prioritize.

Or possibly you were unexpectedly down a squad member, and you had to measurement retired of your comfortableness area to support a task connected schedule.

Showing versus telling ever wins.

Why this works: Business needs change, sometimes connected a whim. This reply shows hiring managers that you’re a move worker who tin crook (and not break) erstwhile strategies displacement and caller manufacture trends emerge.

9. I cognize erstwhile to return nan lead and erstwhile to measurement backmost and springiness personification other nan opportunity to do so. I’m comfortable successful some positions sloppy of tenure aliases hierarchy.

I mentioned elasticity above, but this is different awesome measurement to stress that you’re comfortable wearing aggregate hats. However, this takes things a measurement further because it besides speaks to your situational consciousness and squad collaboration skills.

The conception of being a leader manifests itself successful nan workplace successful galore different ways.

Sure, acting arsenic nan constituent of interaction for a run aliases overseeing a task counts. But being a affirmative unit connected nan squad aliases giving personification other nan opportunity to turn are awesome qualities of a leader too.

Knowing nan nuances of activity and squad dynamics is simply a difficult accomplishment to master, truthful it’s decidedly worthy highlighting if this mobility comes up successful your interview.

Why this works: Companies are looking for group who are tin of some starring and being led, and it’s a immense positive if you consciousness empowered to do your champion activity successful some cases.

10. My individual inheritance is an plus that allows maine to admit taste nuances and create abstraction for divers ideas.

Our divers backgrounds are invaluable, and I’m not conscionable talking astir your activity acquisition aliases occupation history. The aforesaid characteristics that make you you besides make you a typical summation to immoderate team.

For example, arsenic a achromatic female and a marketer, I cognize that I’ve faced barriers and gained insights that immoderate of my peers whitethorn not have. And I usage that knowledge each time to beryllium much impactful successful my work.

What makes you unsocial is nan truth that location is nary 1 other retired location that tin beryllium you. Use that to your advantage.

Why this works: The full constituent of this mobility is to tease retired what sets you isolated from different candidates. Who tin reason pinch individual experience?

For moreover much inspiration connected really to reply this mobility effectively, cheque retired nan video below.

Prepare Beyond ‘What Makes You Unique?’

The age-old “What makes you guidelines retired from different candidates” mobility is 1 of galore communal questions that interviewers love, truthful it’s important to scheme accordingly.

Here are immoderate of nan different apical questions you should beryllium prepared to reply (and if you want more, our free communal question and reply questions guide has 50+):

• How would you picture yourself?
• What motivates you?
• What should I cognize astir you that’s not connected your resume?
• What are you looking for successful your adjacent position?
• Why are you willing successful moving for our company?

Pro tip: Don’t hide to prep questions for nan interviewer. In fact, Meg Prater, elder head of trading connected nan HubSpot Blog squad (and my hiring manager), says it’s 1 of nan things that helps candidates guidelines retired nan most.

“If you springiness your questions immoderate pre-work, and make them personalized to maine and/or nan company, that goes a agelong way,” says Prater.

She continues, “There‘s a clip and spot for nan ’What do you emotion astir moving here?‘ type questions, but I besides emotion a good, ’I noticed that you person a inheritance arsenic a copywriter. How does that effect really you tally nan Blog?'”

Stand Out successful nan Crowd

Essentially, ‘What makes you unique’ really means, ‘What makes you an exceptionally bully fresh for this role?’ Use our useful question and reply guideline to prepare, and you’ll easy beryllium capable to beryllium that you’re nan champion action successful nan campaigner pool.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.