When doing the same job as others the applicant has to compare themselves to those people and think about why they are better for the job. Such things as motivation and drive are good ones. Employers like motivated workers with lots of drive and energy. They may ask what the motivation is, and the answer could simply be the love of the type of work, or the goal to succeed, or anything along those lines. Other answers could include qualification and experience. If the applicant has more qualifications such as training, or more on the job experience, then the employer has more reason to accept this applicant over anyone else.

Other things that one could bring to the table include leadership qualities. Although employers want good team players, they also want leaders in the field that they can promote into other positions. Versatility and flexibility are also valued. Being able to move employees to various sectors or ask them to complete various projects is a very good trait to have. Since these are traits that not everyone has, if an applicant does in fact fit these qualities then they need to be mentioned.

Items that should be left out are traits that while may work well in some areas, can also be potentially annoying. Mentioning extra self-confidence is not something that is taken extremely well generally speaking. An applicant should have confident, but also should be respectful to others at the same time. Leaving out these items and mentioning the better traits will go over much better.