# What makes you unique? How to answer this interview question

Name a combination of skills, experience or background that few other candidates for this role will have, and show with one example how that mix helps in this job. Personality claims like 'I'm very passionate' don't make you unique; an unusual pairing, like nursing experience plus data skills, does.

By the Speaking Coach team at Sodhera Intelligence. Updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://www.orecci.com/speaking-coach/interview-questions/what-makes-you-unique/

## Unique doesn't mean one of a kind

Nobody expects you to be the only person on earth with your skills. The question is really: among the people applying for this job, what do you bring that most of them won't?

That's almost never a single trait, and it's often strongest for people who have [changed careers](/speaking-coach/interview-questions/why-do-you-want-to-change-careers/). Plenty of candidates are hard-working, friendly and organised. What's rare is a combination: the accountant who used to run a restaurant, the developer who speaks Portuguese, the nurse who taught herself spreadsheets.

## Find your combination

1. **Make four short lists:** your skills (technical and practical); the industries or settings you've worked in; languages, places or communities you know well; and side experience such as volunteering, a hobby with real responsibility, a family business or a caring role.
2. **Look at the job post.** Circle anything in your lists that it mentions or would clearly value.
3. **Find the pairs.** Which two circled items rarely appear together in one person applying for this role?
4. **Test it.** Can you give one example where having both helped? If yes, that's your answer.

## Personality claim vs. a real combination

| Common claim | Unique combination instead |
| --- | --- |
| "I'm a people person." | "I've worked in both hospitality and IT support, so I can fix the problem and keep the customer happy while I do." |
| "I'm really passionate about education." | "I taught for six years before moving into instructional design, so I know how training lands in a real classroom." |
| "I'm a fast learner." | "I'm a mechanical engineer who also builds the team's data dashboards, so I can analyse test results without waiting for someone else." |
| "I'm detail-oriented." | "I trained as a pharmacist before moving into compliance, so I'm used to work where one wrong detail matters." |
| "I'm creative." | "I studied fine art and then spent three years in retail merchandising, so I design displays that look good and actually sell." |

## A simple formula

> "What's less common about me is the combination of [A] and [B]. [One example where having both helped]. In this role, that means [what you'd do with it]."

About 45–60 seconds. One combination, told well, is stronger than three listed quickly.

## Example answers

Made-up examples to show the method. Use your own combination.

### Teacher moving into corporate training

> "What's less common about me is that I've spent six years teaching teenagers and the last two designing staff training for my school. So I know how to hold attention in a room that doesn't want to be there, and I know how to build a course from scratch. When I redesigned our new-staff induction, I used the same techniques I use with Year 10, short tasks and frequent check-ins, and new teachers rated it far more useful than the old version. For your sales onboarding programme, I'd bring both: the course design and the ability to stand up and run it."

### Bilingual customer support

> "I'm fluent in Spanish and I spent four years in retail before moving into support. That mix matters for you because your fastest-growing customer base is in Latin America, and many of your customers are shop owners. When I handled our Spanish-speaking accounts at my current job, I could explain fixes in their language and in their terms, like stock and tills rather than 'inventory modules'. I'd be useful on day one with those customers."

### Engineer with factory floor experience

> "Before I studied engineering, I worked three years on a production line. So when I design a part, I think about the person who has to assemble it at 3 am. On my last project, I changed a bracket design after watching how the line team fitted it, and assembly time for that step dropped noticeably. Your job post talks about design for manufacturing, and I've lived the manufacturing side."

### Graduate

> "I worked part-time as a bookkeeper for my family's shop all through my accounting degree. So unlike most graduates, I've already done month-end for a real business, chased late payments and dealt with the tax office. My degree gave me the theory; the shop showed me where it gets messy. For a trainee role at a firm with mostly small-business clients, I think that's a useful head start."

## Mistakes to avoid

| Mistake | Why it hurts | Try instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A trait everyone claims | Nothing unique about it | A combination of skills or experiences |
| A qualification most applicants have | "So does everyone else" | Pair it with something less common |
| Putting other candidates down | You don't know them; sounds arrogant | Talk only about what you bring |
| A quirky fact with no link to the job | Memorable, but irrelevant | Choose something that helps in this role |
| Listing four "unique" things | Dilutes the point | One combination, one example |

## How it differs from related questions

"[Why should we hire you?](/speaking-coach/interview-questions/why-should-we-hire-you/)" asks how you meet the job's needs. "What makes you unique?" asks what you have that others won't. They often share an example, but this answer leads with the rare combination rather than the job's requirements.

## How to practise it

Say your answer out loud and ask yourself honestly: could another candidate say this sentence? If yes, sharpen it. Then practise the follow-up "Why does that matter for this role?" until you can answer it in one breath. Speaking Coach's AI interviewer follows up on what you actually said, which is a quick way to find out whether your combination holds up.

## Questions people ask

### What if I don't think anything makes me unique?

Do the four-list exercise. Most people have at least one unusual pairing, such as an earlier career, a language, a family business, or a long-term volunteer role, that they've never thought of as an asset.

### Can my answer be about my personality?

Only if you back it with a combination of experience. "I'm calm" alone isn't unique. "I'm calm because I spent five years as a lifeguard" starts to be.

### What can a fresh graduate say?

Your combination might be your degree plus a part-time job, a placement, a language, a society role or a project outside your course. Pick the pair that's most useful for the job.

### Is it okay to mention something from my personal life?

Yes, if it's relevant, like growing up in a family restaurant for a hospitality role. Keep it short and link it to the work. If they ask for something personal directly, see [tell me something not on your resume](/speaking-coach/interview-questions/tell-me-something-not-on-your-resume/).

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