“Tell us what makes you unique” is an interview question that can throw you off-balance when you are not fully prepared for the interview. Study shows that hiring manager or recruiter deliberately ask this question to know why you are different from the other candidates and to also understand what you will bring to the job.
This question is difficult to answer because you don’t know what the hiring manager or recruiter wants, and that’s why we created this guide to help you stand out from the crowd. Ahead, you will learn how to answer the question “What Makes You Unique.”
Employer Asks: #
- Tell me something interesting about yourself
- Tell me something special about yourself
- What makes you who you are?
- What makes you special?
- What makes you stand out from other candidates?
Employer Means: #
- How are you different from other applicants.
- What makes you qualified for this job?
- It also means what you have to offer the company in exchange for the money they will pay you.
An Example Of How To Answer What Makes You Unique Interview Question #
The right way to answer the question
One unique feature that I possess is that I am a great team player. Growing up, my dad repeatedly told family members how he appreciated God for bringing me into the family and that he had never seen a kid like me. During my short stay at Leventis Biscuit Limited, I was in charge of gathering data from customers. There was this particular month I led a team of 10 evaluators to visit one of our biggest clients downtown. On getting to the company’s facility, I was able to gather all the useful data that we need to improve our working relationship with the company; this led to a 10% growth in our revenue. I really do think that my upbeat attitude and my ability to function well in a team made the company pick me as the best employee of the month above other team leaders.
The wrong way to answer the question
What makes me unique is that I have organizational skills. I really can help your organization plan and execute tasks timely if given the opportunity.
If you closely take a closer look at both the right and wrong answers, you will see a massive difference between the two. The wrong answer clearly points to the fact that the candidate is unique in his or her own right, but that is not what the employer wants at that material time.
The hiring manager will easily consider the first answer because the candidate knows what the employer wants. Here’s the bottom line: what makes a potential job applicant unique is actually very interesting; however, highlighting what makes you qualified for the job offer is what will get you hired.
On that note, let’s quickly look at the proper way to answer the question “What Makes You Unique.”
How to Answer What Makes You Unique Interview Questions #
#1. Know What the Job Needs #
The first thing you need to do when preparing to answer the question “what makes you unique” is to know what the job needs. In fact, the more grounded you are about the job position the better you will answer what the employer wants to hear.
So what does the job of an M&E expert entails? You will find that information in the job posting that the recruiter advertised. Generally, an ideal candidate looking to work as an evaluator in a reputable firm must possess project management skills, collaboration skills, communication skills, as well as organizational skills.
#2. Find Your Biggest Achievement That Fits #
After knowing what the job needs, the next thing to do is to find your biggest achievement that fits the role of an evaluator. Don’t just explain to the hiring manager that you are very skillful when it comes to project management, communication, and collaboration, go a step further by proving it to the employer with an achievement story.
For example, you can mention your past achievements in your previous workplace. During an interview session, recruiters are keenly listening to the responses of a candidate to truly know who is more qualified or suitable for the job they advertised for, so when you tell a story of how you leveraged your skills to help a company, you are likely to be the best among other candidates.
#3. Add a metric or percentage to your achievements #
The perfect answer to the question “what makes you unique” is not all about telling a story of your achievement, you must also include a realistic metric or percentage to help buttress your points. Remember, recruiters or hiring managers want a candidate that can deliver results; so, when you explained your achievement using realistic metrics, you are likely going to end up in their good books.
Another Great Sample To Inspire You #
Interviewer: What Makes You Unique
Candidate’s response: Something unique about me? First off, I take delight in gathering people and resources needed to complete multi-level projects in less time and within the budget of our clients. During my over 2 years at Nestle limited, I was the head of the Monitoring and Evaluation department where I led a team of 5 evaluators to successfully analyze the company’s project outcomes and expenditure data. After the analysis, I presented the data or report to the company for immediate action. The report I presented to the company helped the company to reduce expenses in marketing by 25%. My working relationship in the company all boils down to one thing – I enjoyed working in a team to achieve a set target.
Key Takeaway #
There you go! Answering the question “what makes you unique” can be challenging without the right knowledge. But when you arm yourself with the right answer, you will not only land the job, your knowledge of what recruiters want will pave way for you in the company in the future.
In summary, here’s how to answer what makes you unique:
- Understand the reasons why hiring managers or recruiters ask the question in the first place. We explained above that employers ask this question to know exactly what makes you better than other candidates on the list.
- Use different sample answers to inspire yourself. Samples answers that you will find on the internet will inspire you on how to craft a compelling answer that will wow the recruiter or hiring manager.
- Know what the job requires. This is very simple. You can grab the job advertisement or job posting to read what the job entails. You can also research the company’s official website and social media pages to get insights into the type of candidates they like hiring.
- Pick a skill that aligns with the job requirements and explain how you intend to use the skill to solve challenges that the company faces.
- Finally, explain your achievements using the skills that you highlighted above.
Want to land more Monitoring and Evaluation job interviews? Create the perfect resume in our builder:
- Pick a professional template.
- Get expert resume tips from recruiters.
- Edit and download your resume in minutes.
Start getting more job offers. See our resume templates and create your resume.
How to answer? Visit these guides for in-depth interview help and:
