Lisa Barrow recently sat down with Patrick Algrim to discuss the best way to answer the question, “What makes you unique?”.  

Most of the time, interviewers aren't looking for an outlandish answer or wanting to see how crazy you are. They are giving you the opportunity to tell them what you bring to the table that nobody else will or a way that you can do something faster, quicker, better.

This is a question to which you should already have an answer prepared before going into the interview. Practice saying your answer out loud to a friend or a partner. Avoid bland answers like "I work hard". Use storytelling to get your point across. Instead of saying, "I work hard", share a story of how you have gone above and beyond in previous positions, for example, "I never stop working until the end goal is met, in my past roles I was the last one to leave the office for 3 months straight in order to meet our goal."

The answer to this question doesn't have to be a dissertation, but always provide details to whatever it is that makes you unique.

A good tip in answering this question is to start with "I was the only one who..." or "I was the first to..." and fill in the blank with what you've accomplished that many others in the same situation didn't or took longer to do. Use the opportunity to respond as a way to share a special achievement that you're particularly proud of accomplishing.

Don't try to be clever in your answer and share weird physical traits or oddities that aren't relevant to the role. You'll miss out on the opportunity to share something great, you can come off a bit weird and create an awkward moment in interview.

Read more of Patrick’s thoughtful insights can be found here - https://www.algrim.co/posts/168-what-makes-you-unique

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