Best Interview Answer : What Can You Offer Us That Others Cannot?

By Selipha Kihagi

When going through some of the questions you can come across in your next interview, it is important that you understand what the employer or interview is look for in each question. For every question, there is what is expected as the appropriate answer and the inappropriate one that will cost you the job.

The question we are focusing on this week is; What can you offer us that others cannot? Before you start crafting your answer to this question, it is best that you start by understanding the intentions of the interviewer.

Answering What Can You Offer Us That Others Cannot

You need to know what information and traits the interviewer or employer is looking for by asking this question. Employers want to know why hiring you instead of the other applicants will be a game changer for the company, your value to the company.

In addition to value, most employers will ask this question because they want to identify with your confidence when addressing various situations. They will also want to know how well you prepared for the interview and see if you are indeed serious about the position or it’s just a passing moment for you.

How well you know yourself and understand your strengths will also be under review here, so do your research well and know what to say. There is no right or wrong answer because we all have traits that differentiate us, but keep your answer focused on your training, past experience, skills and your contribution to a company in the past.

Best Answer To The Question

When answering, you can choose to take one of these two approaches to describe yourself depending on what you are good at.

When quoting an achievement from your past experience, you can say;

“I believe my experience in this field and desire to always succeed at anything I commit myself to sets me apart. In my last position, I was able to convince a reluctant team to implement a new monitoring system that improved transparency by 32%. It did take long, but finally my persistence paid off.”

You could also approach it by focusing on your unique skill or skills you’ve been able to perfect.

“In addition to my drive and willingness to succeed in anything I set myself to achieve, I am a motivated individual who will do whatever I can to find a solution to any problems I come across, and I believe this persistence will come in handy in the job.”

Whatever your best skills are or how you decide to go about this question, remember not to sell yourself short and be confident when giving the answer. Let the interviewer know you mean what you are saying.