Questions About Accomplishments Flashcards
How to answer job interview questions about accomplishments
There are a couple of things you should focus on when you talk about your accomplishments during a job interview:
Give the interviewer an answer in the form of a ‘story.’ Walk them through the challenges you were facing and how you approached them. Furthermore, talk about your actions and the success you had by following them.
Structure your story logically. Use the STAR interview technique to do this. STAR is an acronym that stands for a situation (S), your task (T) in that situation, the actions (A) you took, and what results (R) you got based on your actions. Below the STAR technique is described in more detail.
Highlight your achievements in your answer. This might sound logical but make sure to put the focus on demonstrating that you’re the right person for the job.
Display the skills and abilities that are needed for the job you’re applying for and that the interviewer wants to see. In other words, match your qualifications to the job and skills as mentioned in the job description.
Be serious in your answer and focus on your goal. This is not the time to make funny comments or remarks. Answer the question as a professional and describe to the interviewer what your greatest accomplishments are.
Honesty is key. Interviewers are trained to notice when someone is faking or making up a story. Make sure to prepare yourself well before the interview so that you have several accomplishments that you can discuss if the interviewer asks you to.
Frequently asked job interview questions about accomplishments
Below you can find commonly asked interview questions about your accomplishments:
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Tell me about a time you had a significant contribution to a corporate goal
What professional achievement are you most proud of?
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to achieve something
What professional accomplishment do you think will be the hardest for you to achieve?
Tell me about a recent project that you completed ahead of schedule
Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict at work.
What is the most significant accomplishment you have on the horizon?
How do you plan to develop yourself as a professional in the next year?
Can you describe an important goal that you’ve accomplished?
What the interviewer is interested in
The interviewer wants to gain knowledge about your proven work and which accomplishments in your career are most valuable, according to you. They want to get insights into who you really are and how you approach your work. Basically, they are interested in the following things about you:
Work ethic
It’s interesting for an interviewer to hear you talk about what you find important. Also, he or she is interested in what you view as an achievement and what’s needed in terms of completed work to achieve them.
Core values
Follow-up questions about why you chose the discussed achievement as your ‘greatest’ gives the interviewer more insights into your core values.
Work examples
The specific work examples you choose to use in your answer about your greatest accomplishments give the interviewer insight into how you approach projects. By describing your achievements, the interviewer can get an idea of what to expect from you. Based on this, they can assess your suitability for the job.
Why the interviewer is asking about your accomplishments
These particular interview questions require you to talk about yourself and your career in a very positive way. It’s therefore important that you can provide the interviewer with concrete examples of your accomplishments. This means that you should be able to provide an answer on the spot when you’re being asked about your career achievements. In other words, this is your time to ‘brag’; not to be humble. However, do not overdo it, but it’s very important that you show confidence when you walk the interviewer through your story.
Interviewers ask this question because they are interested in what possibly makes you stand out from the crowd. Therefore, do not regard it as a trick question. You can imagine that a company receives tens or even dozens of applications for the same position. By asking certain behavioral questions, interviewers try to assess which candidates are more qualified than others for the job.
Questions About Accomplishments
Interview questions about accomplishments and achievements are often asked during job interviews. This question is popular among interviewers for several reasons. First and foremost, the interviewer is interested in your character, work ethic, and core values. Questions about your accomplishments are so-called ‘behavioral job interview questions.’ Behavioral job interview questions focus on work situations that you experienced in the past. The way you respond to such questions and the information you give the interviewer reveals a lot about your skills, abilities, and personality.
People, in general, are usually not experienced in talking about their greatest accomplishments. However, when the interviewer asks you about your accomplishments, this is actually a great opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for the job. It allows you to share an accomplishment that is relevant to the position that you’re applying to and show that you’re able to add value to your potential future employer.
Tell me about your most recent performance review. Can you tell me one positive highlight and one area for improvement?’
In my current position, there are performance reviews twice a year. Recently I had my second review of the year with my manager. Overall, she was impressed with my overall work and ability to work well within a team and meeting tight deadlines. Furthermore, she praised my ability to work closely with the management staff to develop strategies to reach set goals.
Like everyone else, I have received constructive input from my managers that really helped me improve myself as a professional. An area for improvement for me is working on my professional qualifications. I am one exam away from getting my degree and joining the global association of investment professionals.
With that said, I enrolled to take this final exam next month. Getting this degree will help me reach my career goal of becoming a manager and eventually running my own team too.
