Every time I get requested ‘What makes you distinctive?’ or ‘What makes you stand out from different candidates?’ in an interview, I exploit it as the right alternative to clarify why I’m the most effective individual for the position.
And I prefer to get particular. I’ve discovered that interviewers reply positively once I skip the generics and tie my reply again to what I’ve to supply primarily based on my particular person background.
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Your reply might finally make or break your interview, so it’s vital to essentially nail it. I’ll stroll you thru the way to reply this query the best method.
Desk of Contents
Refined Methods Interviewers Ask ‘What makes you distinctive?’
There are numerous ways in which interviewers attempt to tease out what makes you a stand-out candidate.
Listed here are a few of the widespread questions which might be truly ‘What makes you distinctive?’ in disguise:
- What makes you stand out from different candidates?
- What units you other than different candidates?
- What are you able to deliver to this position that’s totally different from different candidates?
- What makes you a useful candidate for this position?
- Why are you the most effective candidate for this position?
- Why ought to I select you over different candidates?
Irrespective of how this query manifests itself throughout your interview, the overarching purpose stays the identical.
Why do interviewers ask ‘What units you other than different candidates?’
The interviewer is asking you this query to provide you a chance to showcase your worth.
They wish to see that you just’ve completed thorough analysis concerning the firm and the place. They usually need you to attach your expertise and expertise again to the position you’re interviewing for.
For instance, let’s say I’m making an attempt to land a social media position, and I discover that the corporate might be doing a greater job on TikTok.
I can use this as a chance to:
- Present that I’ve completed my homework — I’m already aware of the corporate’s social media presence and the platforms the place they’re presently lively (i.e., TikTok).
- Spotlight related expertise — I’ve a number of years of expertise managing and rising TikTok accounts, so I’ll you should definitely point out that.
- Present a light-weight suggestion — I’ll share how my expertise and expertise permits me to establish and implement that suggestion.
Give it some thought like this: If you happen to can present the interviewer which you can assist the corporate meet their objectives (and that you understand what their objectives are within the first place), that’s one nice strategy to set your self other than the remaining.
Plus, it turns into clear to the interviewer that you just’ve taken the time to organize in case you can present particular examples associated to the position.
These are all the reason why that is such a preferred interview query — so come prepared, and don’t be afraid to humble brag about your self a bit of.
How you can Reply ‘What makes you distinctive?’
- Point out expertise listed within the job description.
- Present particular examples out of your background.
- Keep away from generic phrases like ‘I am a tough employee.’
- Embody key persona traits that can mean you can ship outcomes.
- Inform the interviewer how your distinctive expertise will assist the corporate succeed.
1. Point out expertise listed within the job description.
This is without doubt one of the finest methods to indicate the interviewer that you just’ve completed your analysis. Additionally, the job description is mainly like your cheat sheet. Use it as a information so you understand precisely which expertise to spotlight all through the interview.
My suggestion: Refer again to the job description however don’t recite it phrase for phrase. Use it in context to clarify how your skillset aligns with the expectations for the position.
2. Present particular examples out of your background.
That is one other good method you should utilize the job description to your benefit. Reference prior accomplishments or outcomes from previous roles that relate to the place you’re interviewing for.
My suggestion: Give attention to examples that tie again to the talents required for the place, and all the time quantify success the place potential.
Utilizing our social media instance, saying ‘I ran a social media marketing campaign which resulted in a 120% enhance in visitors to our web site’ is much more impactful than ‘I’ve expertise operating social media campaigns.’
3. Keep away from generic phrases like “I am a tough employee.”
Keep in mind, it is a very commonplace interview query, so which means each candidate is probably going being requested this query.
Make your reply compelling. As a substitute of claiming you are a ‘exhausting employee,’ give particular examples concerning the exhausting work you’ve achieved associated to the position.
My suggestion: Attempt to keep away from the widespread buzzwords and as a substitute change these with actual descriptions of your previous work.
For instance, you and each different candidate for a social media place most likely take into account yourselves to be “social media savvy.”
As a substitute, make the case to show that you’re truly savvier than the competitors primarily based in your distinctive background.
4. Embody key persona traits that can mean you can ship outcomes.
Another person might need related expertise as you, however your persona is certainly one of a sort.
Being ‘social media savvy’ is one factor. However in case you’re social media savvy and a tenacious one who is ready to assume shortly in your toes, that’s an asset.
Spotlight the traits which have confirmed worth in serving to you develop as an expert.
My suggestion: You wish to know certainly one of my favourite methods to persuade interviewers that I can ship the outcomes they’re searching for? Inform them how I’ve discovered related success up to now and the way my individuality supported that.
5. Inform the interviewer how your distinctive expertise will assist the corporate succeed.
This intently relates again to Tip #3.
Don’t simply discuss generic expertise that the majority candidates have — all the time tie your expertise again to particular tasks you’ve labored on.
Your background is what makes you distinctive. There’s nobody individual that has the precise expertise, expertise, and traits that you just do. Use that to your benefit.
My suggestion: You could not know the corporate’s inside objectives, however you must all the time attempt to join your expertise again to their mission and values when potential.
7 Pattern Solutions to “What Makes You Distinctive?” and Why They Work
1. “I’m an excellent communicator and discover it is easy for me to narrate to different individuals.”
Think about mentioning a persona trait you’re feeling can be a very good match for the enterprise. After studying the job description, make an inventory of attributes that might make you an distinctive candidate.
Moreover, together with a persona trait in your reply means that you can show how you are a good match for a task by which you’ve little prior expertise.
As an illustration, in case you’re making use of for a place as a crew chief, it is vital that you just display robust communication expertise and a capability to attach with a various group of individuals.
If you happen to inform the interviewer, “I’m an excellent communicator and discover it is easy for me to narrate to different individuals”, you are capable of match your persona to parts of a profitable chief.
Why this works: Efficient communication is a important trait to emphasise in interviews. If you happen to take into account how 86% of staff cite lack of collaboration as a essential part of office failures, you may start to understand why.
2. “I actually take pleasure in studying new issues and am consistently in search of out new studying alternatives.”
By mentioning your ardour for studying new issues, you are demonstrating you are growth-focused and unafraid of challenges.
Moreover, answering the query on this method means that you can remind the interviewer why you are uniquely certified for the position.
Why this works: Whereas different candidates might need extra prior expertise within the trade, you are proving your want to exceed expectations of the job shortly.
3. “My prior expertise in customer support has supplied me with distinctive technical expertise that I can apply to this position.”
When you’ve got prior expertise in a task vastly totally different from the one for which you are making use of, you may use this as a chance to clarify how your background uniquely qualifies you.
It is important, nevertheless, that you just present particular examples of how your prior expertise has supplied you with sure transferable expertise.
As an illustration, you may say the next:
“My prior expertise in customer support supplied me with an in depth data base for a way our product works. As a marketer, I will use this information to make sure we’re assembly our clients’ wants.”
It is also vital to spotlight: Earlier job expertise has declined in significance with regards to recruiters evaluating candidates. In truth, over the previous few years, that quantity has dropped from 92% to 62%.
So it is okay in case you really feel your prior work expertise would not completely align with the position for which you are making use of — so long as you may clarify how your expertise will enable you to succeed.
Why this works: With a solution like this one, you are capable of alleviate issues the interviewer might need along with your lack of expertise within the subject.
4. “Working at a startup gave me a chance to know the ins-and-outs of the trade, and to tackle duties I may not have at a bigger firm. I feel this expertise provides me a slight edge over different candidates.”
Much like the reply above, this reply is an efficient one in case you’re making an attempt to change industries.
Think about how your background has allowed you to achieve distinctive expertise that others, who adopted a extra linear profession trajectory, may not have.
As an illustration, in case you beforehand labored at a small startup and now you wish to switch to a big company, it is vital you point out how these expertise will make you profitable on this new position.
Why this works: If you happen to assume your prior expertise might deter interviewers from seeing you as exceptionally certified, that is an optimum probability to show them flawed.
5. “I am not afraid of failure. In truth, I feel it’s a necessary a part of the experimental course of that will get you to success. For instance … “
This reply exhibits your interviewer that you just’re not afraid to take dangers.
After all, you may solely wish to say this when you have a constructive instance to bolster the significance of failure within the office.
You do not wish to sound such as you make errors on a regular basis, however you may stand out in case you point out the way you turned a failure into successful.
As an illustration, you may say, “I am not afraid of failure. In my final position, we tried to streamline our search engine optimisation course of and, alongside the best way, discovered we would by accident decreased visitors to our website.
Nevertheless, this preliminary failure allowed me to see the errors in our earlier process. My crew and I got here up with a extra profitable technique to keep away from these errors sooner or later, and ended up rising visitors by 20%.”
Why this works: With this reply, you are exhibiting you are able to remaining versatile and open-minded when one thing would not work immediately, and you understand how to take failures and use them as studying alternatives.
6. “When fixing issues, I apply each logic and emotional elements in equal proportion. As an illustration, I am skilled in search engine optimisation and perceive the way to use analytics to make sure a advertising marketing campaign is profitable, however I additionally majored in design and know the way to apply creativity to a undertaking as properly.”
If you happen to’re caught on deciding the way to display your distinctive {qualifications}, begin by excited about how different individuals strategy issues at your organization, and the way you differ.
As an illustration, most individuals are both logical and use analytics to unravel issues, or emotional and use creativity. It is uncommon to search out somebody who’s each.
Why this works: Most individuals deal with highlighting one ability per query in an interview. If you happen to’re capable of display that you just’re snug combining two distinctive expertise, it is a formidable capacity you must spotlight.
7. “I am exceptionally organized, and at my final firm, I used to be capable of apply this ability to enhance our course of and enhance ROI by 33%.”
Keep in mind, when your interviewer asks “what makes you distinctive”, they’re actually questioning “how will you assist our firm?”
On the finish of the day, it is vital you tie your reply again to how you’ll clear up issues for the corporate.
48% of recruiters say enhancing high quality of rent is a high precedence — so you may wish to guarantee your reply highlights how you’ll excel within the position for the lengthy haul.
Think about a persona trait or ability set that helped your final firm obtain outcomes. If the outcomes are quantitative, ensure you have the precise numbers to help your declare.
Nevertheless, it is also applicable to share qualitative outcomes, comparable to, “my organizational expertise led my supervisor to trusting me with a significant undertaking inside the first two months in my position.”
Why this works: In the end, offering examples exhibits the interviewer you are results-driven, and are not simply saying generic phrases to reply their query.
For much more inspiration on the way to reply this query successfully, try the video beneath.
Put together Past ‘What Makes You Distinctive?’
The age-old “What makes you stand out from different candidates” query is certainly one of many widespread questions that interviewers love, so it’s vital to prep accordingly.
HubSpot’s complete interview information that will help you deal with over 50 totally different interview questions like a professional, together with questions associated to:
- Who you might be and what expertise you deliver to the position
- The way you reply to challenges and battle
- The way you’ll match into or add to the corporate tradition
- Your skilled objectives and desired profession trajectory
Obtain it without cost right here.
Stand Out within the Crowd
Basically, ‘What makes you distinctive’ actually means, ‘What makes you an exceptionally good match for this position?’ Come ready, get particular, and use examples to show that you just’re the best choice within the candidate pool.
