How to Answer “What Makes You Unique?” Interview Question

Well, there are numerous factors that make us unique from each other in some or the other way. 

Here are a few instances of mine- I switch off my cellphone at around 10 PM to avoid disturbance while sleeping, though many of my friends suggested that putting the phone in airplane or silent mode works too. I am very much impatient, I can’t read thick books sitting for long hours as the studious people do. So, I often take breaks in the middle of work while in office. I can’t spend the night away from my home because I need my taut soft bed to sleep at night.

But, these are not the things which I would ever admit in an interview. 

Job Interview
Job Interview

When the employer asks you the question- “What makes you unique?”- then you should not consider it an opportunity to tell about all your weird habits. You need to make use of it in a better way that will make the interviewer realize that you are the perfect person for the post. Try to represent yourself to be someone who can prove oneself at the plate. 

The inner message of “What makes you unique?” is “What makes the best fit for this job or role?” Or, “What makes you the most suitable candidate?”

In order to skip any odd conversation where you find yourself running out of words, it is better to prepare a solid answer to “What makes you unique?” while in an interview. 

Here I have profiled a list of smart tips to help you get an idea of how your answer can be framed in a better manner. So, let’s dive in: 

  1. Mention your skills that relate to the job requirement.
  2. Explain whatever you say with an example. It is better if you can show it with your past experience or events. This will back up your background in a better way. 
  3. Try to avoid phrases that are commonly used by many, like “I can work hard”, “I can adapt to situations”. Make a compelling answer. 
  4. Maintain the main personality traits which will help you deliver indistinguishable results in the long run.
  5. Convince the recruiter saying how your skills could prove fruitful to the company’s interest and success.

Do’s and Don’ts:

Do

  • Try to answer a bit diplomatically which will show a balance between your good and bad habits, like you can say that you make quick decisions. Quick decisions can be risky if taken for personal causes. But, it could be really fruitful to handle a company during its bad phase.   

Don’t

  • While mentioning your skills to be unique, DON’T fake out or try to represent it in a way that seems unnatural to the employer. It might add a red flag to your interview. 

Additional Tips

  1. Discuss the soft skills that you are an articulated speaker cum communicator and how can be fruitful while dealing with direct clients.
  2. Try to show how much you enjoy grabbing new skills and knowledge. This could be an advantage to the company as it will indirectly serve the company’s progress and benefit.

There are many other tactics you may apply to win the interviewer’s mind. But, the above-mentioned ones are guaranteed to make you stand out from the rest (if applied perfectly).

Charu decided to unite her Honors Degree in New Media and lifetime of geekiness to pursue a career in tech and gaming journalism. You can usually find her writing about a variety of topics and drooling over new gadgets and games.