What Makes You Unique: 7 Interview Answers That Stand Out
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
6 min read
Answer "what makes you unique" with one combination of skills or experience that is unusual for applicants to this job, one specific example that proves it, and one sentence on why it helps them. The one constraint is relevance: unique means unusual among the people applying for this role, not a fun fact about you. CareerOneStop, from the U.S. Department of Labor, frames interview prep the same way in its interview tips: "Be sure to prepare stories about your skills that the employer wants". Seven full answers follow. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
The interviewer asks what makes you unique. Your brain offers: you can name every state capital, and you once ate a whole pizza on a dare. Both are true. Neither is what they mean, and the real answer is already on your resume.
A full answer to "what makes you unique"
A customer support applicant with a nursing background, about 60 seconds spoken.
Mid level: what makes you unique, support specialist at a health app (105 words)
"I am the rare support specialist who used to be a nurse. I spent four years on a hospital ward before moving into customer support at a telehealth company, so when a patient writes in confused about a prescription refill or a lab result in your app, I understand both the product and the worry behind the question.
At my current job I wrote the escalation guide for medical questions that support should never answer alone, and our clinical team now uses it. For a health app, I think that combination keeps patients safe and keeps your nurses' time for the cases that need them."
The combination (nurse plus support), the proof (the escalation guide), and why it matters to them (safety and the nurses' time). Nobody else in the pile has that exact sentence.
The formula: combination, proof, payoff
- Combination. Two things that rarely sit together in one applicant: a background plus a skill, a language plus a market, a trade plus a certification.
- Proof. One short story with a result, the way you would tell it to a friend.
- Payoff. One sentence connecting it to the job, in their terms.
Find your combination by laying the job posting next to your resume and asking what you have that the posting wants and most applicants would not. NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, lists among its career readiness behaviors: "Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals." That is the question in one line.
Sample answer for a first job
Entry level: what makes you unique, first job at a hardware store (69 words)
"I have been fixing things with my grandfather since I was ten, so I already know the difference between a wood screw and a drywall screw, which aisle the plumbing fittings are in, and how to explain it to someone who has never held a drill. Most people applying for a first job here are learning the products from scratch. I would be helping customers on my first weekend."
Sample answer for a recent graduate
Graduate: what makes you unique, junior data analyst (69 words)
"Most applicants for this role will have the statistics degree. I also spent two years working weekends at a grocery store while studying, and for my capstone project I analyzed that store's sales data with the manager's permission. I found that two promotions were losing money, and the store dropped them. I know how to get from a spreadsheet to a decision someone in a store will actually make."
Sample answer for a career changer
Career change: what makes you unique, teacher moving to corporate training (74 words)
"I have taught teenagers for eight years, which means I have trained the hardest audience there is: people who did not choose to be in the room. I design lessons that hold attention, check understanding every few minutes, and adjust on the spot. Last year I also trained 20 colleagues on our new learning platform. Your training team teaches new hires who are nervous and overloaded; I know how to make that room work."
Sample answer for a sales role
Mid level: what makes you unique, account executive (68 words)
"I sold property management software for three years, and before that I managed apartment buildings for four. So when I talk to a property manager, I am not guessing at their week: I have done the 2 a.m. leak call and the month-end rent chase. That is why my close rate is highest with mid-size management companies, which is exactly the segment your posting says you are growing."
Sample answer for a skilled trade
Experienced: what makes you unique, maintenance electrician (61 words)
"I am a licensed electrician who also programs PLCs. In most plants those are two people, and when a line stops, the electrician waits for the controls technician to arrive. At my current plant I handle both, and I cut our average downtime on the packaging line because nobody waits. For a single-shift plant like yours, that saves hours every month."
Sample answer for a manager
Senior: what makes you unique, operations manager (61 words)
"I have run operations at two very different sizes: a 300-person distribution center and a 25-person startup warehouse that I built from an empty building. Most candidates have done one or the other. You are about to open a second site while keeping the first one running, and I have done both halves of that: the steady system and the startup."
Answers that do not work
- A personality trait with no proof. "I am very passionate" describes everyone who wants the job.
- A trivia fact. Hobbies are fine for "tell me about yourself" small talk, not for this question.
- "I am a perfectionist." It sounds like an answer to a different question, the weakness one.
- Criticising other candidates. You do not know them; talk about yourself.
- Too many things. One combination with proof beats a list of five strengths.
Practice it aloud until it takes about a minute. MIT's Career Advising and Professional Development offers mock interviews for exactly this kind of question. For the related questions, see why do you want to work here, how to sell yourself at an interview and common interview questions and answers.
Your resume should make the same point before the interview does. CVBooster compares it with the posting: filling any of the 99 templates is free after you sign in, with the ATS score and gap list; the PDF and Word download is Pro.
Frequently asked questions
How do you answer what makes you unique?
Name one combination of skills or experience that is unusual for applicants to this job, give one short example that proves it, and finish with one sentence on how it helps the employer. Keep it to about a minute. The answer should be specific enough that no other candidate could say the same thing.
What is a good example of what makes you unique?
"I am a licensed electrician who also programs PLCs, so when a line stops I can fix both the wiring and the controls, and at my current plant that cut downtime on the packaging line." It works because it is a rare combination, it has proof, and it ties directly to the job.
What makes you unique if you have no experience?
Look at school, volunteering, sports, family responsibilities and hobbies for skills the job needs: a second language, years of helping in a family business, or knowledge of the products. Pick the one that most applicants for this job would not have, and tell one short story that proves it.
Is what makes you unique the same as why should we hire you?
They overlap. "Why should we hire you" asks for your overall fit with the job, so it covers several requirements. "What makes you unique" asks for the one thing that separates you from other applicants. Use your strongest combination for the second and your full match to the posting for the first.
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