"What makes you unique?" or "What sets you apart from other candidates?" is a question many people find uncomfortable because they don't want to sound arrogant. But this is not a question about being superior to other people. It's a question about what you bring that's specifically relevant and valuable for this role, and why hiring you rather than someone else is a good decision.
What the interviewer wants to know
The interviewer has seen several CVs with similar qualifications and experience. They want to understand: what is this specific person's edge? What combination of skills, background, perspective, or approach would add something the rest of the candidate pool doesn't have? Your answer should be specific enough to be memorable and honest enough to be credible.
How to find your unique combination
Most people's uniqueness comes not from one extraordinary skill but from an unusual combination of skills, perspectives, or experiences. Think about:
- Cross-industry or cross-functional experience most candidates in this pool won't have
- A combination of technical and interpersonal skills that's rare in your field
- Domain expertise that directly applies to this company's specific challenges
- A track record of a specific type of outcome (turning around teams, launching products, building from zero)
The answer formula
A good answer has three parts:
- Name the combination or quality that sets you apart
- Give one concrete evidence point that proves it (a result, a specific project, feedback you've received)
- Connect it to what makes it specifically valuable for this role
Sample answers
For a product manager role
"I think what distinguishes me is that I came up through engineering before moving into product, so I sit unusually close to both the technical side and the customer side. Most PMs have one or the other. In practice, it means I can have a very different quality of conversation with an engineering lead about what's actually feasible, and I can also hold my own on the business case in a board presentation. In my last role, that combination meant I was often the person who resolved the gap between what the business wanted and what engineering said was possible. I think that's particularly relevant for this role given the technical complexity of the product you're building."
For a sales role
"I spent four years in customer success before moving into sales, which is an unusual path. It gives me a very different approach to the sales conversation: I'm focused on long-term fit, not short-term close, because I've seen what happens when a customer buys something that isn't quite right for them. In practice, that's led to a higher-than-average renewal rate and a significant amount of revenue from customer referrals in both of my previous sales roles. For a business like this one where retention matters as much as acquisition, I think that approach is a genuine differentiator."