How to answer the dreaded ‘tell us something unique about yourself’ in a job interview

Every job interview comes with difficult to answer questions, but ‘tell us something unique about yourself’ ranks quite high on that list. It can be hard to come up with an answer that you think is relevant to the job and valuable enough to bring up, without sounding forced or reiterating what the interviewer has already read on your CV. To put the question into new wording, the employers are simply asking ‘what makes you an outstanding candidate?’

Here are some tips on how to answer the question for your next interview:

• Avoid generic phrases
  Although it’s good to let the interviewer know about your transferable skills, simply stating ‘I’m organised,’ as an answer to this question will not work. Your response needs to be more compelling and demonstrate your individuality. If, in an interview situation, you did just blurt out a general trait, then make sure you follow up by explaining how that skill can help the company thrive.

• Provide examples from past roles or accomplishments
  You can highlight prior achievements to answer this question, especially if they are applicable to the role you are applying for.

• Tell them what you are passionate about
  Passionate about baking? Tell them what you do with that hobby. For example, you may watch ‘The Great British Bake Off’ to further your technical knowledge. Although this may not apply directly to the role, it shows the potential employer that you take an interest in things and are always on the lookout for ways to expand your knowledge and skillset. 

• Explain how people describe you
  Saying ‘my friends and family describe me as X,’ is a great way to show that you are self-aware and know how people perceive you. It also allows you to illustrate on your strengths and personality for the potential employer to see.

• Offer a short summary of who you are
  This gives you the chance to show the potential employer that you can be concise, always a desired quality for an employee, as well as showcasing that you know your fundamental personality traits.

When heading into a job interview, you should expect to have to answer this question and, in order to prevent panic setting in, we suggest you prepare a go to answer that you can use to direct the dialogue toward your key strengths, accomplishments or anything else you want to demonstrate to the potential employer.