What is the biggest risk you have taken in your career so far?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
What NOT to Say
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example
Community Answers

American Express values individuals who are willing to take risks. The interviewer wants to know if you are a risktaker or risk-averse. If you are a risk-taker, they want to know how you evaluate risk. Taking a chance on innovation is different than being an obsessive gambler.

You can't grow if you're not willing to risk getting outside of your comfort zone! Talk about results, what you learned, and how you've grown from your experience. Give an example that exhibits sound judgment and calculated risks, and thinking on your feet! Sometimes you have to take a risk by trusting your judgment when a supervisor is not available and solving the problem in the way you know best. A risk for you may have been changing careers after working in the same job for ten years. Or maybe you interviewed for a promotion even though you knew it was going to be highly competitive.

Avoid examples where you went outside of the chain of command. You want to come across as an innovator and risk-taker, working for the greater good, with integrity.

"One of the greatest risks I have taken in my career was to jump from staffing into the finance world. I wanted to be in a role that included more strategic numbers but still had a sales component. I made that leap about five years ago and had never looked back!"

"I was hired as a widget developer. Not much later they were promoted to management. This was rewarding, and I learned a lot about the business. But after a while, I felt like my career was veering in a direction I hadn't intended. The pay was quite good, but I felt like the change I wanted to make was in widget development. Armed with a better understanding of how the business worked, I was ready to make a change and demoted myself, taking a serious pay cut. But the leaps and strides I made in developing widgets increased our profits, and in a couple of years they awarded me a team and I surpassed the income I made when I was in management."

Anonymous Answer

"I left my already made career to do a master's in Information Management. This was totally different from what I have done in my past education. It was a calculative risk as I wanted to upgrade my knowledge with the latest technology tools for my professional growth."

Chad's Feedback

This is a good start! Leaving an established career to pursue your Master's must have been a difficult decision for you. To strengthen this response, add additional details so the interviewer can understand the full picture, and how you evaluated the risk. How long were you in your previous career? Has this risk ultimately paid off? How have you grown from this experience?

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Anonymous Answer

"The biggest risk I've taken in my career is to quit the easy life in Houston, TX and came to New York in 2017. At that time, I felt my career was limited by the oil & gas industry in Houston, TX. I am in an oil & gas service company and so do all my friends. I felt our views were set in the only perspective of oil & gas. Feeling New York is a much more dynamic, innovative city full of different kinds of industries and opportunities, I decided to move to New York. Before I moved, I discussed with my college friends and figured out that it will be much easier to get the ideal job I already located in New York. With this knowledge, I quit my job in Houston, TX, and came to New York to look for opportunities. It turned out to be a great decision. I quickly settled on a data engineer job with ________ and now I have been with the City for five years. I grew a lot with my current job and also developed new curiosities. It is a perfect time to chase this new curiosity as I am technically and mentally prepared for a new challenge."

Stephanie's Feedback

Wow! It sounds like you took a significant risk and it really paid off. Good for you! This response shows your grit and agility.

Anonymous Answer

"Entering into the world of software implementation and product delivery. Much of my earlier experience was always in administration until I landed my first role in a tech company. I was able to apply admin and customer experience from one industry to another opening a new career avenue. Making this change has paid off immensely and has also been the most rewarding."

Marcie's Feedback

Awesome! This definitely sounds like a big risk - but one that paid off! Can you talk more about how you felt when you took this risk? Why did you decide to do this? Did you do much research or prepare in any other ways before you made this change? And in what specific ways has this decision benefited you? Finally, connect your ability to take risks to the role to show the interviewer that you're the ideal fit. Good job!

How to Answer: What is the biggest risk you have taken in your career so far?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an American Express job interview.

2. What is the biggest risk you have taken in your career so far?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

Written by Kevin Downey on February 9th, 2022

How to Answer

Written by Kevin Downey on February 9th, 2022

What NOT to Say

Avoid examples where you went outside of the chain of command. You want to come across as an innovator and risk-taker, working for the greater good, with integrity.

Written by Kevin Downey on February 9th, 2022