What makes you unique, what makes you apart from other candidates, and what makes you stand out? – There are numerous alternative ways to phrase this interview question, but none makes it any simpler to answer.
Employers will seek information during a graduate job interview to help them decide whether or not to hire you.
The best question to stand you apart from other candidates is, “What makes you unique?”
Similar to the open-ended questions “tell me about yourself” and “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” this can be challenging to respond to.
You must confidently highlight your best traits in your response while being careful to avoid sounding conceited.
Before deciding how to best answer, let’s examine why companies ask this typical interview question, “What makes you unique?”.
Why do interviewers require “what makes you unique”?
1. To allow you to show your best qualities
The question “What makes you unique?” asks, “What abilities, traits, and experiences make you the greatest applicant for this position?”
Employers invite you to praise yourself, share your most significant traits, and explain what sets you apart from other graduate applicants by asking this question.
This is your time to highlight the qualities that make you the most qualified applicant.
It’s crucial to consider 1 or 2 critical characteristics that you know not every applicant will possess. These characteristics could be particular abilities, credentials, volunteer work, employment experience, or anything else.
2. To check if you’ve thoroughly investigated the job role
Your answer to the interview question “What makes you unique?” will show how much you truly understand the position and the firm.
You’ll be informing the employer that you don’t know much about the job role and are probably not a good fit if your response is completely irrelevant, such as talking about your love of art in a graduate finance job interview.
3. To assess your level of creativity
Employers use this interview question to assess your ability to make quick decisions. They will see that you can think creatively about why you are the best candidate for the position by your “unique” answer to the question.
Also Read: Hobbies in Resume
How would you answer the question, “What makes you unique?”
Start by considering…
- A situation in which you excelled at something and received praise from your manager or a colleague.
- Has a family member or a close friend ever commented on good quality or personality traits? Do you have a good sense of judgement, or do you offer wise counsel?
- You could think about any extracurricular or nonacademic accomplishments you have made, as well as a time when you assisted someone or fixed a problem. What skills did you need to do this?
- Think about the things you are most interested in or enthusiastic about.
- Try not to focus too much on the word “unique”; even though it would be fantastic if you could, the company is not looking for you to have an initial response.
- Select a fascinating and relevant topic, and if possible, avoid repetition by using an example that is unlikely to be used again during the interview.
Some examples of answers to the question, “What makes you unique”?
Example 1:being very effective
“My ability to pick up any task and complete it fast and effectively makes me a unique asset to your company.
I’ve previously held positions at a small startup company, so I’m willing to take on duties that fall outside of my “remit,” I’m always eager to get involved with new facets of the organisation.
I see the value of having an open mind and being adaptable, especially in a startup atmosphere.
Example 2: handling situations calmly
“Because I approach things calmly and with a level head, I have the unique ability to provide solid advice.
I frequently receive advice from friends and family, and I recently assisted a colleague in an embarrassing situation involving a dissatisfied client at work.
I believe I might be a significant benefit to your company because of my capacity to approach situations from a fresh angle while using logic and reason to find solutions.
What more ways do you have to express “what makes you unique”?
There are countless ways to respond to the inquiry, “What makes you unique”?
Here are some more suggestions to assist you.
Ensure that the company remembers your response over those of other candidates, and don’t forget to support these claims with convincing examples.
- Extremely upbeat outlook: I find the positive in every circumstance, uplifting the office and inspiring coworkers to maintain their optimism.
- I don’t mind taking chances since I have an uncommon degree of intuition and don’t mind failing. I think that one of the keys to becoming more successful is to learn from your errors.
- I have excellent people skills and can read their emotions and intents.
- I love to read and can quickly acquire a lot of information. I can also apply what I learn to situations at work, which I’ve been told is a very unusual skill.
- I appreciate being different and not fitting preconceptions; I am self-assured and confident, which allows me to take on challenges without worrying about what people will think of me.
- I strongly desire to learn new things and have a highly “can-do” mentality. I constantly want to improve my knowledge and pick up new talents.
- Powerful interpersonal and behavioural abilities; I take pleasure in encouraging and educating others to be their best self.
- Capability to enhance and improve procedures: I enhanced our marketing procedures and raised ROI by 29% in my previous position.
