The Uniqueness Effect in Selection Interviews

Today’s job market is competitive, leading applicants to try and “stand out from the crowd.” The job interview is an ideal situation for doing so, for instance by preparing original or unique answers to traditional interview questions. This study tested empirically how an applicant providing a unique answer was evaluated relative to applicants providing qualitatively equivalent but nonunique answers. Applicants providing unique answers obtained higher evaluations and improved their chances to get a job offer. Our results suggest that interviewers may be influenced by the uniqueness of applicants’ answers, irrespective of applicants’ true abilities to perform on the job.