Greatest AccomplishmentI constantly struggle answering the "what is your greatest accomplishment" question during interviews. Obviously I feel I have accomplished many things in my life, however, I don't have a solid career-wise accomplishment. So I revert back to the "Honestly, I feel my greatest accomplishments are yet to be realized". Does anyone have solid examples of ways to answer this question? Am I reading into the question too much? Thanks
You really need a concrete example. I think you should try to accomplish something amazing right now so you'll have a good answer for next time.
I always hoped they wouldn't ask that question. As far as I am concerned, my greatest accomplishment is my son. Anything that I did before or after his birth pales in comparrison. But, that is not what potential employers want to hear, so I had to refrain from saying it. An accomplishment doesn't have to be a single piece of work. It can be a skill that you are particularly well-versed or proficient with. It could be an area of study that you did wonderfully well in. An accomplishment can be anything that you did or assisted with that raised the status of your department. If I had an interviewee come in and say that her greatest accomplishment was that she mastered the use of powerpoint and now likes to rely on it for courtroom presentations as opposed to posterboard layouts and such, I would think that is a wonderful accomplishment because while I know powerpoint and it applications, I can never get the presentation to come across the way it should. You stated that you don't have a "solid" career-wise accomplishment. But you have done something that you are particularly happy with or proud that you did.
It's funny that you ask this because I address this very issue in my book on interviewing when talking about your greatest accomplishment. Many applicants have trouble coming up with something job-related, but as I say in my book, it's not absolutely necessary! The reason is because the interviewer wants to know what makes you proud. He or she wants to see that you take pride in doing well. Yes, it's better to have a work-related one, but pride in doing a good job is something that crosses over into life itself. And so, it's not overly important to have a work-related example. For instance, if you were struggling in school and went from say a D average to a B, then that's a huge accomplishment. And something to be proud of! So telling an interviewer this makes you look good!! But if you are asked for one, then you'll have to think of something you are truly proud of. In my interviewing book, I cover this exact question. And you're definitely not alone in struggling with it, because it can be a "toughie." To successfully handle it, you need to realize that it doesn't have to be a business-related accomplishment. Yes, that would be better, but it's not absolutely essential. The interviewer wants to measure how proud you feel when you do well. Do you take pride in doing good work? The answer had better be YES! So think back to all the things you've done and ask yourself, which one are you most proud of? Then say why. The point is that the interviewer wants to see that you take and show pride when you accomplish something meaningful to you. What that is isn't overly important, but your attitude towards it is. | |
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