Structure your answer effectively. Heres a sample answer from a professional interviewing for a Chief Human Resources Officer position: "What is your greatest professional achievement?". RESULTS: My calls started getting better, and after a month into my course, I was awarded employee of the month for offering the best solutions to our customers. I asked team members what features they wanted and needed and discussed budgeting with my higher-ups. There are times when having no answer is still an appropriate response to a question youre asked. We raised $20,000 from that cohort by the end of the year. Its known as a behavioral interview question, which means the hiring manager is looking for an example of your past behavior that will indicate success in the future. 4. The finance team of my organization was struggling with a project involving our . First, when an interviewer asks, "What is your greatest achievement?" they're really asking for your greatest professional (or academic) accomplishment. Example answer for returning to the workforce. My first job out of school was as a customer care agent at a fast-paced tech company. As an experienced professional, you have a wealth of professional achievements on your resume. Dont just stop at your work-related achievements. 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. Honesty is the best policy. is a common behavioral interview question, so be sure to practice your answer ahead of time. Shows resourcefulness, teamwork, and leadership qualities. Top 10 Best Example Answers When a Hiring Manager Asks What Is Your Greatest Achievement?, Sample Answer 2 Continuous Learning Professional Achievement, Sample Answer 3 Side Hustle Personal Achievement, Sample Answer 4 Paying For College Myself Achievement, Sample Answer 5 Persevering Through Injury Achievement, Sample Answer 6 Living Abroad Greatest Personal Achievement, Sample Answer 7 Management Achievement at Work, Sample Answer 8 Building Back After Loss Achievement, Sample Answer 9 Overcoming Bad Online Reviews Achievement, Sample Answer 10 Understaffed Project at Work Biggest Achievement, Tips To Improve Your Answer To What Is Your Greatest Professional Achievement?, What Not To Say or Do When Answering What Is Your Greatest Achievement?. In an interview setting, the achievements you discuss can be professional or personal. If you dont have much professional experience to draw from, consider accomplishments from your academic career and any internships or volunteer work youve done. Not only does it illustrate your skill and competency as a nurse in critical situations but it also expresses an experience that is meaningful to you. The restaurant was completely packed 90%+ of the time, and we barely had any breathing room. First, I decided to create a document of the Frequently Asked Questions I was getting, for personal use. 99%+ of the customers were happy, and we didnt receive a single bad review.. What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation? Well cover why interviewers ask about your greatest accomplishment, provide tips for giving the best answer, and tie it all together with a few sample answers. Recruiters and hiring managers dont just want to hear that you know how to work they want specifics. What is your greatest accomplishment as an accountant? 3 A little about your problem-solving skills, if possible. The way to best accomplish this is by using the STAR method. The top achievement of my career has been the transformation of my former department as vice president of human resources. Your Greatest Achievement In Life As A Student Is Beyond Academics . All Rights Reserved. Buying your first car. Describe your accomplishments by promoting your abilities and focusing on results. Tell Me About A Time When You Made A Mistake On The Job, How To Answer Tell Me About A Time You Disagreed With Your Boss. Copyright 2023 Novorsum ApS. Says a lot about the candidates values (i.e. That is to say, dont make a story where there isnt one. By reading and understanding the job description, you should know what the job requires. Shows relevance to the specific workplace. Answering this common behavioral question about your greatest professional achievement is a great way to show you are the best candidate for the role. ResumeGenius.com is owned and operated by Sonaga Tech Limited, Hamilton, Zweigniederlassung Luzern with offices in Luzern Switzerland. 5 Tips for Your Answer. If you have questions about resumes, cover letters, or CVs, we answer hundreds of them here. Your first travel experience. 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. 1. Win over hiring managers with our expert tips. 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. The company promoted me from a mid-level position and tasked me with improving retention and recruitment. Result: Sales of the drink doubled and the store owner promoted me to assistant manager, where I boosted sales another 15%. 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. The first step when handling such what is your proudest accomplishment question is to give a good thought about it. I can hold 3/4 of a cup (180 mL) of water in my mouth. Your response provides them with insight about your personal and professional achievements, and your ability to establish and achieve goals. Lets take a look at another sample answer. I see my greatest accomplishment as implementing a new customer relationship management system at my previous job. Use the STAR method. Next, its important to understand the company to get a better understanding of what the hiring manager values or is looking for in a candidate. This question essentially forces a full S-T-A-R behavioral answer, since it puts the "R" (results achieved) first, which makes it easy to trace the trail for how you got there. S [SITUATION] Describe the situation that led to the achievement, T [TASK] Talk about the task you had to do to accomplish the achievement, A [ACTIONS] Describe the actions you implemented to achieve the accomplishment. First of all, I was incredibly lucky in my life. RESULTS: Today, my blog is one of the biggest in its niche, and I no longer write articles because we produce long-form content every three days a week. What is your greatest accomplishment? Professional templates for applicants in formal industries. 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. Be sure to take credit for your accomplishments. I assigned a few new team members to the project and worked through a weekend to bring myself up to speed. My greatest accomplishment so far was finishing my Bachelor's and Master's degree in time with a 3.9 GPA. If you want to become successful in life, you must help yourself first. In my previous position as a sales representative, our team produced at lower levels than in other regions. 2 If you have the right attitude and are a good fit with the company/team. Organizing a successful charity event. I used to post weekly and engage with the comments on a particular day of the week. When I left that role, 97% of new hires gave positive reviews for the training program. For 16 months, I often stayed late to make additional sales calls and would go on-site to dormant accounts one to two days per week. Youre one step away from getting the job. 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. So, I didnt really have a lot of instructions. Preparing an answer. Additional interview resources. 2. Highlight your most notable publications and research with one of our research-focused CVs. In fact, they had talked of stopping supply to that market due to the limited sales volume. RESULTS: Between saving in those summers, working during college, and applying for scholarships, I graduated from Michigan State University debt free. Applying for an academic role or have substantial teaching experience to list on your CV? Wondering how to answer the question modestly (while at the same time, showing off how awesome you are)? Create a connection. Youll leave out details, or worse, forget your best stories. It may seem to be a simple question, but asking "what is your greatest achievement?" is a clever way for interviewers to examine your personality, work ethic, and suitability for the job. Training for and completing a marathon. Automation (e.g. Action: With my supervisors permission, I created promotional posters and asked everyone to suggest the drink to people who seemed indecisive. Boost your application with an effective cover letter. For some job candidates, its difficult to determine what accomplishment to use and how to communicate it effectively, but the tips in this post should help you get started framing up a great answer. Examples: My greatest achievement' examples could include: Giving a great presentation at work. A lot of it was fast-paced too, and at first, I wasnt even sure if I was doing things right., Task - I felt out of place and I had to think fast if I wanted to move up in the company. ', Sign up to become a member of Glassdoor so you can, Why employers ask about your accomplishments, How to answer 'What is your greatest accomplishment? Obviously, the result should be monumentally positive for this answer, since were talking about your greatest accomplishment. 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. The interviewer knows the candidate is motivated, independent, and possesses relevant career skills. Check the job listing to see what skills the company is looking for in a candidate, and tailor your answer accordingly. Weve also continued to use the same strategy for new products, which has cut down the time it takes them to reach customers significantly. When answered properly, youll be able to share what you value most, demonstrate your work ethic, and showcase why youre the best person for the job. We got together during his break period once a week to read Lord of the Rings and make drawings for each chapter. This research can help you to identify a story thats targeted to what the company needs. Situation - Well, as a recent graduate of XYZ University, I think my greatest achievement was what I managed to accomplish during my time there. Try to stick with professional career or job-related strong answers. I started a blog last year on a topic I was passionate about, but it did not do as well as I had expected. Looking for a job-winning customer service resume you could use as inspiration? Be concise, avoid rambling and don't lie or embellish the truth. In my research, I learned about SEO and engagement, which made me drop a few things I was doing on the side to focus on the blog fully. 4. And if not, what made it an outlier? I collected feedback from various people for about two weeks, then used the other two weeks to create awareness about the product in the area, with specific demonstrations on how to use the product. Because of my poor test grade, the amount of time I studied more than doubled, which made me a . The company had instilled fines for that, but certain employees still came in late regardless of multiple fines. 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. When they ask about your greatest accomplishment, they're interested in learning about three main things: Work ethic: Interviewers may want to know what you view as an accomplishment and the work you completed to . You should review the job description, any social media sites, the company website, and any employee reviews you can find online. During an interview, a hiring manager is evaluating not only a candidates skills and abilities but also their personality to determine how well they will fit within the organization. Its relevant to a fresh graduate who might not have a lot of. RESULTS: After one month of the new demonstrations, that region was our biggest market, and our sales as a company increased by 10%. 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. I recently moved to a different country, and the first few days were so hard because I could not understand what anyone was saying. This helped retain new remote workers and decreased the the time it took to get them up to speed, saving the company an average of $2,650 per remote employee. 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. I was part of a small team assigned to redesigning the agency website in hopes of attracting new regional clients.". This can often be tied together with the situation in one or two sentences. The whole experience taught me how to effectively manage and prioritize my time. Reflect on your time in education, extra-curricular activities and hobbies to identify something you accomplished that made you feel proud. What is your greatest accomplishment example answer? Set your story up with a brief description of the situation that led to your accomplishment. There is no standard answer to the question, What is Your Biggest Achievement? similar to discussing your greatest strengths because people come from different backgrounds and have different levels and ideas of success. In other words, associate your accomplishment with a specific percentage or dollar amount. Soon after, I started a summer landscape business where I earned over $10,000 in my sophomore, junior, and senior years. Its easy to get carried away talking about your proudest accomplishment. But at a job interview, your job is to be anything but humble. Be the first to rate this post. What if I dont have any accomplishments? EXAMPLE ANSWER: "The accomplishment I'm most proud of is completing my degree with a 3.95 GPA. Sometimes, its not easy to talk about ourselves and our past experiences but practicing for this, and other key behavioral questions will pay dividends in the long run. 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. Your answer to this question really can give away all of the above. There can be a time and a place for humour in a job interview, but it is not when . Sample Answer 2 - Cashier Job at a Fast Food Restaurant. 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. Unfortunately, he had been leading a client project that was due in a week and no one else was as familiar with the client or could code at his level. 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. can be challenging, regardless of where you are in your professional career. I wanted to increase productivity and efficiency, and in the end, save time spent on looking for documents., Action - I decided to take initiative and implement a new team HR document management software. Your greatest accomplishment reflects your values, goals, and aspirations. Never miss an opportunity thats right for you. Instead of simply saying "I increased sales by 600 percent in one year," describe how you did it. Spend Time Reflecting (and Taking Notes) Sometimes, the hardest part of answering this question is remembering what you've achieved over the years. The fact that you ran a marathon after eating an entire box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts is impressive, but maybe not pertinent to how good of an engineer you are. Dont hold back here include even small achievements. By using feedback from the evaluation forms and best industry practices, I was able to develop a new onboarding system from the ground up. How to Choose Your Greatest Achievement for Interviews: 1. This question is a behavioral interview question. Use a creative template and give your resume a little flair to highlight your creative side. Answering the interview question 'what is your greatest accomplishment?' A business driver is often a key metric (e.g., quality) but not always (e.g., best practice). 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 Bottom Line on The Biggest Achievement Interview Question. You can start by describing the problem that your team or company faced. 1. There was no more lag-time between sharing documents with HR, Payroll, and supervisors. Understanding Greatest Accomplishment. Try to determine if your involvement made a difference, such as creating a new website, a fundraiser, or a department restructuring. As the founder of MatchBuilt, a premier career coaching and recruiting firm, I am passionate about helping individuals transform their professional lives. Buttoned up yet stylish. 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. Work accomplishments are positive and notable work outcomes. Are accomplishments in general out of the ordinary for you? I finally went with the [XYZ] CRM system and worked with the IT team to implement it. The task that was required to be . Because of this experience, next time I run into this challenge, Ill be able to use my newfound abilities with [skill or concept].. send our content editing team a message here, 25 Best Why Do You Want to Work Here Sample Interview Answers, 21 Best Describe a Challenge You Faced and How You Overcame It Examples, 50 Most Asked Nursing Interview Questions with Answers, 20 Best Answers to Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job, 10 Best Answers to Why Do You Want to Be a Manager, 11 Best Answers to What Does Leadership Mean to You Interview Question, 50 Most Asked Front Desk Interview Questions with Answers, 10 Best Ways to Answer Sell Me This Pen in an Interview, 10 Most Asked Integrity Interview Questions with Answers, 25 Most Asked Confidentiality Interview Questions with Answers, 50 Most Asked Phone Interview Questions with Answers, 10 Best Answers to What Are Your Interests and Hobbies. SITUATION: My biggest achievement was persevering and thriving following an injury. The hiring department had difficulty locating specific files and managing documents, especially during busy periods, and this ate up too much time., Task So, I thought there was room for improvement with employee file management. Theyre hoping to gain some sort of insight about you from the way you choose to answer the question. Sample Answer 4 - Paying For College Myself Achievement. You can also use the STAR method to help you find the answer. " My most outstanding achievement is completing my Bachelor's degree in 4 years with a 3.8 GPA. Using this method, you talk about the situation or problem you . They close with a measurable positive impact on the company, placing the focus back on the benefit for the employer. 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. I started making short, funny videos around the office, showing what we did as a company while humanizing the brand. Contemporary templates perfect for new job seekers or anyone looking for a fresh start. Learning the best way to answer What is your greatest accomplishment? or What is your greatest professional achievement? is extremely important when interviewing with a potential employer. He obtained his BA and Masters from Appalachian State University. R [RESULTS] What were the results of what you did? In only four months, we were achieving 50-80% above our chosen goals. It's a reflection of my hard work and discipline, as well as my ability to work well with others on group projects while also shining on independent work. Let's begin! Just kidding, my real greatest achievement is. So, to help you learn how to answer behavioral job interview questions better, were going to cover 3 more examples and sample answers below: Other common behavioral interview questions include: Check out even more common interview questions, and sample answers here: 35+ Common Interview Questions and Answers. Be clear in your description and avoid any vague generalizations. Write about the moments in your life when you felt the proudest, such as when you finished a marathon or were congratulated by your boss. However, I decided to find a way to get to the office at least four hours before opening to pull in my weight and help with the extra work. I was diagnosed with a hip impingement and torn labrum after dealing with months of pain during the travel softball season. Practice your example answers before your interview. A great answer includes a real accomplishment thats free of BS, includes a specific example, and is concise in a way that entices engagement from the interviewer. Utilize the STAR Method, Situation Describe the situation in your personal life or professional career that led to the achievement; Task talk about the task you had to do to accomplish the achievement; Action describe the actions you implemented to achieve the accomplishment; Results discuss the results. We were understaffed and needed to complete projects on time to retain our only clients and attract more. Three things you should say for any accomplishment are: This is why using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) is so helpful. However, you should always discuss what sets you apart from the other candidates with specific accomplishments in life or in previous roles. "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.We'll cover why interviewers ask about your greatest accomplishment, provide tips for giving the best answer, and tie it all together with a few . I discussed a plan with the CEO and the accountant to see how we could use the kitchen in the office to make lunch for the workers at an affordable price they could pay at the beginning of the month, and everyone agreed. 1. Task. Youre sitting across from an interviewer, and it happens they look up from your resume and ask: What would you say is your greatest achievement? 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 . (JOB INTERVIEW TIPS and SAMPLE ANSWERS!) Women at Cambridge. Concrete examples of your work. Lets start with the basics: whats the point of this job interview question? 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. Building Relationships. Describe the situation and in which context it happened. 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. Short on time or simply dont like writing? TASK: I had to try something different to gain more awareness, or else my blog would not grow. Well show you how to nail this common question and impress your interviewer with our expert sample answers and tips below. Our professional builder will do the hard work for you. Use the opportunity to relate what you've accomplished to the position you're applying for. 3. This response highlights the students top grades and work experience. Then you can determine to what extent you made this change happen or contributed to it. Plus, I learned time management skills that will serve me well throughout my career. The more prepared you are, the better it will go. I knew automating the process would make things easier and help us close more sales. The STAR translates to Situation, Task, Action, and Resolution. Dont make anyone else look bad in your story; just talk about a time you were really proud of something impressive you did. 1. ". In my last position, I negotiated with a new supplier to lower the cost of the raw materials we purchased to make our products. If we had just rolled with the punches and focused on putting out fires, the whole thing wouldve turned into a mess real fast. Charitable work or volunteering. He then went home and continued reading. Here are the four parts of the STAR method: S: Situation The situation or the task that is relevant to the job description. "My greatest accomplishment was completing my bachelor's degree in 3 years or Graduate Degree in 2 years while pursuing an example (Business Degree), being a single parent, and working full-time. Ideally, the greatest accomplishment you answer with should be from the last two to three years. Is this the kind of work you typically do? "What is your greatest accomplishment? Here is how the STAR approach works: Situation: Provide some context for your accomplishment in the initial portion of your response. 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. Like the examples above, this story focuses on what the candidate did to create real results. I was living just a few towns away from the market, so I decided to move there temporarily and observe the behavior of the targeted consumer group to understand why they did not interact with our product. When interviewers ask this question, theyre usually looking for three things: To come up with a great answer, think of your greatest professional accomplishments and choose one that demonstrates these key components. One that could also centralize file management within the department, streamline onboarding, and also help with other small tasks (like bulk document importing, automated backfile conversions and so on)., Results - In the end, our timesheets indicated that the time spent looking for files and documents had been reduced by 5-10 hours. '. Your answer should serve as another opportunity to talk yourself up and let hiring managers know why you should be their top choice. I researched the best remote training methods and implemented them into a new system using XYZ software. 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?. We were losing customers and getting brutal reviews online. I have delegated duties to my team, signed up for affiliate marketing sites and google AdSense, and monetized the blog without doing anything other than managing the blog. Choose an answer related to your professional or academic life. Your goal is to convince the interviewer that you're the right candidate for the job. E.g. ACTION: I endured painful physical therapy and light walking for the first three months. Follow the tips below to ensure you mention all the relevant facts and answer the question appropriately. My marketing ideas brought in an additional $800,000 in income for the company. Well get you started with a brief template to give you an idea of how to organize your answer: My team achieved our goal of [goal your team was working toward]. This is not one of those times. Be respectful of your current, or previous, employer's "confidential" information. See the Best Places to Work 2023! 1. So if you feel like you dont have any good answers to this question because you havent been working long enough, youre going to have to get a little creative. Use your strongest accomplishment in your answer to make sure that you tell your best story. Moving out of your parents' house. Whenever possible, connect the achievement to key skills needed for the position. Get a sense of the candidate's nursing skills and experience.