Application questions what makes you unique

Alternatively, fluency in multiple languages might not be especially uncommon but this valuable skill may be enough to set a customer service candidate apart from other applicants.

This can provide further evidence for the traits you claim to have. When answering any interview question, use specific details or real-life scenarios whenever possible. The better you demonstrate your abilities through examples, the more memorable and reliable your answer. Related: Top 16 Interview Questions and Answers. Here are a few sample responses to help you determine how to answer what makes you unique:. Everyone has something special that makes them an ideal candidate for a job.

Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Key takeaways: Instead of comparing yourself, select relevant qualities most important for the role. Include a mix of hard and soft skills you are most frequently rewarded or complimented for.

I was in politics when I was younger. When I was 18, I was elected mayor of my hometown. I enjoyed working with people and loved the entire election process. It was the best education I could have given myself at the time. Now, I love to teach others and share my story so they can go for their dreams, no matter their age.

Can you guess what position this person is applying for? Yes, they are a teacher and what an incredible story. I think my capacity to remain calm in stressful situations is what makes me unique. From my first high-school job flipping burgers to my last job working as an editor for a newspaper, time management has always been an important factor in my work.

Past supervisors have commented on my ability to keep a cool head under pressure, which makes my coworkers, as well as any clients present, feel more confident in our ability to get the job done on time. Whenever I move to a new neighborhood, whether that was in Madrid, Buenos Aires, or right here in San Jose, I make it a point to meet and know my neighbors. I like to be a source of aid for those around me, and it really makes me smile to help someone find a solution.

Not a chance. There are a ton of questions you might run into during your interview. Consider your answers to these questions, too:. What sets you apart from other candidates? Is there anything else we should know about you? What motivates you?

Why should we hire you instead of somebody else? How would your friends describe you? Vote count:. No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post. Kristin Kizer. Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications.

By Kristin Kizer - Jun. Articles In Guide. Common Questions. Types Of Questions. Job Specific Questions. In This Article. Are you looking for job opportunities? Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there. See My Jobs. Create My Resume Now. Build My Resume Now. Create My Free Resume. For a deadline-driven job I think my capacity to remain calm in stressful situations is what makes me unique.

Create Your Resume Here. For instance, if you're applying for a position as a team leader, it's critical that you demonstrate strong communication skills and an ability to connect with a diverse group of people. If you tell the interviewer, "I am a very good communicator and find it's easy for me to relate to other people", you're able to match your personality to components of a successful leader. By mentioning your passion for learning new things, you're demonstrating you're growth-focused and unafraid of challenges.

Additionally, answering the question in this way allows you to remind the interviewer why you're uniquely qualified for the role -- while other candidates might have more prior experience in the industry, you're proving your desire to exceed expectations of the job quickly. If you have prior experience in a role vastly different from the one for which you're applying, you might use this as an opportunity to explain how your background uniquely qualifies you.

With an answer like this one, you're able to alleviate concerns the interviewer might have with your lack of experience in the field. It's critical, however, that you provide specific examples of how your prior experience has provided you with certain transferrable skills.

For instance, you might say, "My prior experience in customer service provided me with technical skills and an extensive knowledge base for how our product works. As a marketer, I will be able to use this knowledge to ensure we're meeting our customers needs with every campaign we launch. Similar to the answer above, this answer is a good one if you're attempting to switch industries.

If you think your prior experience could deter interviewers from seeing you as exceptionally qualified, this is an optimal chance to prove them wrong. Consider how your background has allowed you to gain unique skills that others, who followed a more linear career trajectory, might not have. For instance, if you previously worked at a small startup and now you want to transfer to a large corporation, it's important you mention how those skills will make you successful in this new role.

This answer shows your interviewer that you're not afraid to take risks. Of course, you'll only want to say this if you have a positive example to reinforce the importance of failure in the workplace. You don't want to sound like you make mistakes all the time, but you'll stand out if you mention how you turned a failure into a success. For instance, you might say, "I'm not afraid of failure. In my last role, we tried to streamline our SEO process and, along the way, found we'd accidentally decreased traffic to our site.

However, this initial failure allowed me to see the errors in our previous procedure. With this answer, you're showing you're capable of remaining flexible and open-minded when something doesn't work right away, and you know how to take failures and use them as learning opportunities -- a critical skill for any work environment. If you're stuck on deciding how to demonstrate your unique qualifications, start by thinking about how other people approach problems at your company, and how you differ.

For instance, most people are either logical and use analytics to solve problems, or emotional and use creativity. It's rare to find someone who is both. If you truly believe you combine these two aspects, it's an impressive ability you should highlight. Remember, when your interviewee asks "what makes you unique", she's really wondering "how will you help our company? To avoid sounding like you're bragging, consider a personality trait or skill set that helped your last company achieve results.

If the results are quantitative, make sure you have the specific numbers to support your claim.