But these kinds of questions can put the candidates in a difficult position, when suddenly asked, often leaving candidates feeling ill-prepared. In my previous position as a sales representative, our team produced at lower levels than in other regions. Highlight both your relevant " soft skills " (leadership, conflict resolution, decision making, etc.) Now, your answer is obviously going to vary depending on your background and where you are in your career right now. Here are the four parts of the STAR method: S: Situation The situation or the task that is relevant to the job description. First, I decided to create a document of the Frequently Asked Questions I was getting, for personal use. 3. 1. Because of this experience, next time I run into this challenge, Ill be able to use my newfound abilities with [skill or concept].. Try our cover letter generator and make a cover letter fast. All Rights Reserved. How To Respond To A Recruiter Email (With Examples), How To Answer Why Are You Interested In This Position? (With Examples): Job Interview Question, Topics: Get The Job, Guides, Interview Questions. I set the goal of reducing turnover by half and cutting cost-to-fill by 10%. SITUATION: My biggest achievement was buildingafter a devastating loss. Describe the challenge you were up against, your plan of attack, and the success you saw on the other side. Achievements are the building blocks that enable someone to construct a sense of themselves as a success. If you're success-oriented and if you've gone above and beyond in your work. Check out our professional templates. You dont want to be scrambling to remember a story at the last second. No matter how you frame up your answer to this sometimes tricky question, you should have a prepared answer to maximize an opportunity to showcase why youre a good fit. It could be something personal, such as completing a difficult project or achieving a personal goal, or something professional, such as receiving a promotion or winning an award. It wont matter how good your story is if they dont understand the context. At MatchBuilt, we believe in empowering individuals to pursue their passions and reach their career goals, regardless of industry experience or formal education. How did you ensure that you would meet your objective? Further, great answers about your proudest accomplishment can show how well you communicate and display your creativity, leadership skills, and other useful skills that the job requires. You're simultaneously making the program easier to understand while also removing a lot of potential sources for bugs (research tells us that the number of bugs in a program is proportional to the number of lines i. At MatchBuilt, weve counseled 1000s of job seekers on how to answer common behavioral interview questions just like this one. When describing the outcome, if possible, mention numbers and quantifiable facts. If thats not possible which it often isnt at this level you can still pick something that impacts others. The more examples you have to pull from, the better youll be able to tailor your stories for multiple interviews. Your hard skills might be on display while you answer this question, and your soft skills certainly will be. The restaurant was completely packed 90%+ of the time, and we barely had any breathing room. And now a few full sample answers to tie all our advice together: My greatest accomplishment happened at my last role as an HR manager. Why Are You The Best Person For This Job? This ultimately saved the company thousands of dollars a year in materials and lowered our cost of goods sold, which had a big impact on company profitability. T: Task The goal you aimed to achieve, such as increasing sales, decreasing costs, or others. Topic Ideas for Writing the Greatest Accomplishment Essay. can be challenging, regardless of where you are in your professional career. Connect the dots. Learning how to play an instrument. 30 Life Accomplishments You Want to Remember. Use a recent and relevant accomplishment. At my current job as a fifth-grade teacher, my greatest accomplishments always involve watching my students achieve something. I really wanted the blog to work, and even though I used to share the link to my contacts on Whatsapp and followers on Instagram, it was still underperforming. Learning how to cook an exotic dish. Look for actions you took that made it possible for you to be in the position to interview for this job. A few more tips from HEC Montreal for students seeking jobs. Its easy to get carried away talking about your proudest accomplishment. Be the first to rate this post. My part of the project was [your duties]. Learn more: How to Prepare for a Behavioral Interview. education, discipline, etc.). Tips on how to answer "tell me what your proudest accomplishment is". I started a blog last year on a topic I was passionate about, but it did not do as well as I had expected. They needed volunteers, so I took the initiative. Results - In the end, we managed to decrease the average monthly ticket count by around 25%. To answer this question effectively, choose the accomplishment that best demonstrates the relevant skills and qualifications needed in the role youre applying for. To answer just about any behavioral job interview question right, we recommend using the STAR method. SITUATION: My greatest achievement was paying for college myself. We were having trouble selling our new product, despite our best marketing efforts. 2. A year later, we had met and exceeded the goals I set when I took on the position. Your response provides them with insight about your personal and professional achievements, and your ability to establish and achieve goals. It can be particularly difficult if you're a recent graduate and don't have a lot of experience to draw on. He obtained his BA and Masters from Appalachian State University. How much work are you willing to put in to accomplish something at work? Do not enhance your part in group achievements or take credit for a team effort on projects. ACTION: I started by talking to my neighbor who could speak a bit of English, and then my interest grew to me signing up for a French class and dedicating hours a day to learning the new language. TASK: The only way to keep the region open was for sales to improve. Mastering a new skill. Just kidding, my real greatest achievement is. It isn't uncommon for the details to fade a bit as time passes, making it difficult to add in the information. Theyre hoping to gain some sort of insight about you from the way you choose to answer the question. Follow the tips below to ensure you mention all the relevant facts and answer the question appropriately. As the founder of MatchBuilt, a premier career coaching and recruiting firm, I am passionate about helping individuals transform their professional lives. 2. Shows relevance to the specific workplace. This way, I never missed a deadline, assignment or any other responsibility., Results - In the end, I graduated with a GPA of 3.8, almost no student loans, and also interned as the university social media assistant during my last 2 semesters. What is your greatest accomplishment? is one of the most common job interview questions, but particularly for someone fresh out of college or high school it can be daunting to answer. This gives them some insight into big projects you might have undertaken in the past, and it gives them a basis for their expectations of your work in the future. 2. Answering the interview question 'what is your greatest accomplishment?' " My most outstanding achievement is completing my Bachelor's degree in 4 years with a 3.8 GPA. My greatest accomplishment happened last quarter, when my team was behind on our sales quota. Acquiring Skills. I finally went with the [XYZ] CRM system and worked with the IT team to implement it. The accomplishment that Im most proud of is how rapidly I was promoted to the team lead position for our sales team. Choose a career achievement even if they don't specifically ask for it. I was assigned the task of reworking how we onboarded remote hires, since it was taking a long time to bring them up to speed. Your first travel experience. How hard do you routinely work? There was no more lag-time between sharing documents with HR, Payroll, and supervisors. Mistakes continued, even after teaching the waitresses all of the receipts so they could explain the ingredients clearly to the guest. While academics is the basic scale of measuring success for students, what they do and learn beyond their textbooks also plays a vital role in forming their personal attributes. First of all, I was incredibly lucky in my life. After all, odds are pretty good that if youve worked long enough to have one big accomplishment, its not the only accomplishment that youve had. Generally, the best full proof . 4. The restaurant was completely packed 90%+ of the time, and we barely had any breathing room., Task We had to be very efficient at work to make sure that we wouldnt get overwhelmed., Action - The most important part of making this work was being proactive. In this article we break down what interviewers want to hear when they ask you about your greatest achievement, and how to answer this question the right way. If you dont have much professional experience to draw from, consider accomplishments from your academic career and any internships or volunteer work youve done. The STAR method allows you to frame your answer in a way that shows what you did, how you did it, and what happened as a result of your efforts. E.g. Business Recovery. Sample Answer 2 - Continuous Learning Professional Achievement. If you need to simplify your story for simplicity and the sake of keeping it brief, thats fine as long as the essential terms of your accomplishment are accurate. Looking to enhance your professional life? The finance team of my organization was struggling with a project involving our . The top achievement of my career has been the transformation of my former department as vice president of human resources. Obviously, the result should be monumentally positive for this answer, since were talking about your greatest accomplishment. Yes, this has been tested. Making a resume is easy with the right tool. Action: With my supervisors permission, I created promotional posters and asked everyone to suggest the drink to people who seemed indecisive. Using this method, you talk about the situation or problem you . The following are common types of accomplishments followed by a few more specific examples. If youre having trouble choosing just one example for your greatest accomplishment, keep the following things in mind: Stick to work examples. Check Out These Videos, 40 Strategic Interview Questions To Ask Candidates: What To Ask and Why, Maximize Your Job Search: How To Land More Interviews. When asked about your greatest accomplishment in an interview, take the opportunity to share a story that highlights your skills, work ethic, and determination. I needed to find a full time job to support my studies, because my family couldn't help me. Here are a few example answers to questions about your accomplishments: In my last job, our senior web developer had to take time off unexpectedly. Accomplishing any task requires a set of values. Why Interviewers Ask "What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?" Let's start with the basics: what's the point of this job interview question? Starting your first job. RESULTS: Following months of hard work and my doctor telling me hes never seen anyone recover so quickly, I lead the team in batting average. While this project wasnt revolutionary, Im proud of it because I learned [skill or concept you learned that relates to the job]. Home Interview What is Your Greatest Accomplishment, December 20, 2022 | By Corissa Peterson | Reviewed by Conrad Benz. TASK: To get back on the field in time for the high school season, I had to physically and mentally prepare to endure a rigorous therapy process. How to answer "What is your greatest accomplishment?" https://passmyinterview.com/50-interview-questions-and-answers/#interviewquestion. A simple way that you can show a potential employer what youre capable of is to quantify your accomplishment. Display specific qualifications. If you dont think you have any accomplishments, self-reflect and ask others for help. From sharpening resumes and elevating LinkedIn profiles to providing interview preparation and career advancement strategies, our blog is a wealth of knowledge, drawing from our extensive experience working with hundreds of clients and positively impacting the lives of thousands of job seekers. The candidate proves their ability to meet and exceed HR objectives on a large scale, while focusing on what they did to get there. Women at Cambridge. TASK: I had to try something different to gain more awareness, or else my blog would not grow. What are your greatest accomplishment examples? The main idea here behind the STAR method is that every answer should cover the following topics: Now, lets take a well-written behavioral job interview answer using the STAR method, What is a professional achievement youre most proud of?, Situation - Well, my last role was as a manager at a seasonal restaurant in Nantucket. and your relevant "hard skills" (computer technologies, project . If you're applying for a job as an accountant and your greatest achievement is baking the best cake ever at your office party, you're not making the cut. The materials we had for training werent very relevant or helpful for their duties, and we had received only 19% positive reviews from new hires who completed the training. This is the meat and potatoes of your answer make sure you can tell the interviewer all of the important parts without getting over-the-top detailed. In addition, good answers are concise and entice further follow-up questions. Examples for your greatest accomplishment could be: Giving a presentation for an important event, Providing mentorship to a fellow student or employee, Winning an award for academic or professional activity, Completing a rigorous training or educational course, Exceeding expectations in a metric-based assignment. By taking initiative, I earned myself a senior developer position and a company car to help me navigate from home to work. 'What is your greatest accomplishment' is one of the best questions you can be asked in your next interview because it's really just a chance for you to brag about something great that you did. If you want to become successful in life, you must help yourself first. Our guides cover formatting, writing, and more. Shows resourcefulness, teamwork, and leadership qualities. Self-reflections gives you opportunity to look back on your life and see how it brought you to where you are today. That way, they can frame their answers in a way that is helpful. Running your first marathon. The achievements that matter most combine to form a version of success that has meaning and substance for the individual. EXAMPLE ANSWER: "The accomplishment I'm most proud of is completing my degree with a 3.95 GPA. TASK: I was tasked with understanding why people stayed out so long on their breaks, even after the fines were introduced, and how to overcome the issue. This response is focused, specific, and goal-oriented. Follow the STAR method as an answering format for a comprehensive reply. Agent of Change (pushing change forward) Artistic Expression. Choose an answer related to your professional or academic life. If youre a recent graduate, you may want to think about volunteer work that youve participated in or even academic accomplishments that youre proud of. New graduate interviewing for an entry-level marketing job -. Certainly it was a team effort, but I was the main man on the sales floor, helping customers to . I also set up in-person meetings with three donors who had expressed interest but had not donated. Contemporary templates perfect for new job seekers or anyone looking for a fresh start. I began my career in fast food washing dishes and worked my way up into a management role in just four years. Achievements also provide tangible evidence that colleagues, competitors and the wider world use to judge a person as more or less successful. First, when an interviewer asks, "What is your greatest achievement?" they're really asking for your greatest professional (or academic) accomplishment. What is the best answer to What is your biggest achievement?. The whole story follows the STAR method down to the T. It uses numbers and data to describe the context and shows relevance. 12 Example Answers to What Is Your Leadership Style? Interview Question, Vice President of Purchasing in Sarasota, FL, Highlight your best qualities and values in your answer. With a successful track record of supporting job seekers in securing positions at top companies across industries, our team is dedicated to providing expert guidance and support every step of the way. My consistency and effort were rewarded with a promotion after just four months. The greatest achievement question can be stressful for students and new graduates. There were times that I had to put in 18-hour days to get everything done. The more prepared you are, the better it will go. The first step when handling such what is your proudest accomplishment question is to give a good thought about it. What Sets You Apart From Other Candidates? Last year, I had a student who was struggling with dyslexia. Win over hiring managers with our expert tips. You should review the job description, any social media sites, the company website, and any employee reviews you can find online. The most effective way to answer any tough interview question is to follow the STAR approach. You should answer such questions by following the S.T.A.R method in a reverse manner, meaning you'd start with the result and end with the . Spend a little time reflecting on your career. Sample Answer 6 - Living Abroad Greatest Personal Achievement. Sample Answer 1 - Sales Achievement. Your answer should serve as another opportunity to talk yourself up and let hiring managers know why you should be their top choice. Describe the situation and in which context it happened. How you answer an interview question is almost as important as what you say. Based on your response, they can also determine what you consider important as an employee. Boost your application with an effective cover letter. Sometimes, the hardest problem youll face in answering this question wont be coming up with a single answer: Itll be choosing between several different ones. Scholarships or grants. I see my greatest accomplishment as implementing a new customer relationship management system at my previous job. My experience taught me time management, habits and prioritization. 1. For more help preparing for your interview, check out some of our other articles below: Corissa is a Career Advisor and Staff Writer at Resume Genius, where she loves equipping others with the tools they need to pursue their dreams. All rights reserved. My first job out of school was as a customer care agent at a fast-paced tech company. Your answer could look something like the following: Situation - I think my greatest accomplishment was during my last job as an HR administrator. Be concise, avoid rambling and don't lie or embellish the truth. Tell me about a time where you set a specific goal for yourself. We've got a lot more example answers for the most common interview questions: If you want to read up on interview tips instead, check out our in-depth guides here and ace your next interview: To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. The following are common types of work accomplishments with examples of each. For the next three months, I was able to begin a weight training program and hitting lessons. Choose something that is as modern as possible and somewhat relevant to that job. R [RESULTS] What were the results of what you did? SITUATION: My biggest achievement was growing sales in an underperforming territory. Applying for work where you might need to wear a suit? Pick one that highlights how you can benefit the employer. Whats your greatest accomplishment? is a behavioral job interview question. Spend Time Reflecting (and Taking Notes) Sometimes, the hardest part of answering this question is remembering what you've achieved over the years. However, the content wasnt interesting and no one was engaging with us online. I was promoted to sales manager in charge of the region and ensured that we hit the set target every month. What do you view as being an accomplishment? 1 people already answered this question. There can be a time and a place for humour in a job interview, but it is not when . Refrain from including confidential information from previous employers in your own answer. Plus, I learned time management skills that will serve me well throughout my career. The company was taking a loss every time we entered a new market. Let's begin! I recently moved to a different country, and the first few days were so hard because I could not understand what anyone was saying. What happened and how did you handle it? However, in the end, we completed the project a day in advance and the client was thrilled with the end result. Try to stick with professional career or job-related strong answers. The basics of a great response. Create a connection. Recently graduated college with not much work experience to speak of? Download one of our 2-page CV. I used to post weekly and engage with the comments on a particular day of the week. (S) Situation - Describe the situation and the context in which the event took place. Then work on building out the supporting examples for these accomplishments. Your answer says A LOT about you as a candidate. Make sure you prepare for this question ahead of time. Task: "As a senior member of the team, I was tasked with being both the content strategist and the overall project manager. Try to determine if your involvement made a difference, such as creating a new website, a fundraiser, or a department restructuring. ". My parents could not afford the tuition fees initially for me to attend college, but I knew I wanted to further my education no matter the circumstances. When answering this question you want to make sure you prepare your answer, read the job description, and use the star method in your answer. While finding an accomplishment that's relevant to what the company is looking for is an important first step, how you structure your story is also something you should consider. (A) Action - Explain the actions you took to address the above-mentioned challenges or responsibilities. Situation - My biggest achievement was during my internship as a customer support representative at Company X. I was the first custom support intern there, so I didnt have a lot to go off of and had to learn a lot by myself. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users. ACTION: I took a second job to help with the extra bills, maximized my time so I could continue with a rigorous college curriculum, and leveraged help from neighbors and friends. RESULTS: As a result, our food tastes better, and positive online reviews increased threefold. Use the opportunity to relate what you've accomplished to the position you're applying for. Common Phone Interview Questions And Answers, How to Answer What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?, Example Answers to Whats Your Greatest Accomplishment?, Tips for Answering What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?, How to Choose Just One Example for Your Greatest Accomplishment, Why Interviewers Ask What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?. Work accomplishments are positive and notable work outcomes. His parents called to tell me that they had never seen him excited to do homework before, especially when it involved reading. For some job candidates, its difficult to determine what accomplishment to use and how to communicate it effectively, so well try to get the juices flowing with some sample answers here. Dont hold back here include even small achievements. Building Support. I asked team members what features they wanted and needed and discussed budgeting with my higher-ups. Action. In other words, associate your accomplishment with a specific percentage or dollar amount. When a recruiter or hiring manager asks you about your greatest accomplishment, they really want to know three main things: Your work ethic. Dont just stop at your work-related achievements. They will be looking at your response to see if you have the skills and experience necessary to do the job. Thats all for this one! Your values. RESULTS: We took a month to find the right suppliers and implement the plan, but after that, lunches were less than 30 minutes, and work output was never affected again. Never miss an opportunity thats right for you. Be clear in your description and avoid any vague generalizations. But you want to talk about something thats not just impressive to you you want it to be impressive to anyone. It's something you're proud of and shows what you're capable of. your challenge or responsibility). Automation (e.g. Office of Personnel Management Structure Interviews, Harvard Business Review 10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them. Because of my poor test grade, the amount of time I studied more than doubled, which made me a . In addition, your great achievement can show how well you communicate and display your creativity, leadership skills, and other useful skills that the job requires.