In a tight job market, employers have so many candidates to choose from  and they interview more people so that they can select the best. When you get invited to an interview it's essential that you be ready to sell yourself and what value you can bring to the position. In other words, why you are the best person for the job?

By doing some basic preparation, you can determine your uniqueness. The first step in this process is to identify your five areas of strength. In order to help you through this process here is a branding exercise that will help you get started.

First, write your education, training, certifications and years of experience.

List degrees, military training, certifications, overall years of experience, years in a particular type of position or specialty.

Then, determine your area of expertise.

What do you know a great deal about? Is there any subject that interests you above all others?

Next, determine your transferable strengths.

These skills that you can  with you to any job you hold. This is how you excel in being the type of person or employee who has what it takes to get the job done. These skills are sometimes referred to as the "soft skills."

Examples of these skills are your communication and people skills, or your time-management and project-management skills, or your ability to build strong relationships or your ability to influence others. 

You should also examine what your past says about you? 

This is a good place to think about your work ethic, loyalty, integrity, and overall disposition in the office. Do you get along well with most coworkers? What would your ex-bosses say about you? 

Lastly, think of the personal traits that make you unique.

Maybe you never miss deadlines, or perhaps you're willing to go above and beyond what is asked, or perhaps you have a great attitude. Sometimes letting the interviewer know that you have a great sense of humor that helps lighten the environment – especially during tense situations is appropriate. All these things make you the person that you are – a unique "brand" of a person.

When you have identified your five unique areas, try writing yourself a  statement about yourself using this information. This is where you brand yourself into a product that is better than the others -- someone who leaves an impression behind.

In summary, by narrowing your uniqueness you can guide the conversation to include this information. By focusing on five areas of strength, you will become more focused and feel more confident and in turn become more remembered.

For more interview tips or career advice, visit Military.com's Career Center.