Tell me about an accomplishment you're proud of.
Sharing the accomplishments which you're proud of, how that accomplishment fits into your career goals and why you're proud of the example, will clue them into your values, your personality, your motivators, and could provide insights on how to coach you in the future. It will also clue them into the level of your work experience in the industry.
It is okay to boast a little when answering this question. Be proud yet humble. Describe how this achievement acts as a milestone towards your goals, and why you regard it as a success in your personal development. Focus your answer on your own accomplishments as opposed to being part of a collaborative effort. If possible, try to present yourself as an innovator, with a unique lens toward outside-of-the-box thinking. Once you offer your example, share where you hope this achievement will lead you on your path. The road to self-improvement is never-ending.
"They needed volunteers for a project that was lacking in direction and information. So I volunteered and expressed to our leadership that I want to have a sit down before I embarked on the project to determine not just what they wanted, but what they needed, and what the trajectory for this project was. I worked with them for all the big-picture 'need to know basis' intel on what we were shooting for with this project and why. It took some work to get all the details from them, but once I had all of that, I knew what to shoot for. So that helped me establish a guideline for what I was shooting to achieve. Any time something raised the question of what direction I should take with the project, I padded the job. As long as I wasn't exhausting company resources, I explored every avenue. Once my tasks were complete, I handed over my work, and it turned out I was so thorough that in the following stages of the project, the work my leadership planned to handle, I'd already completed. They were extremely pleased with my work. But that's my standard, and I'm proud of it, to be as consistent as possible in being an above and beyond performer."
Unlock all 30 Department of State questions
Master diplomatic interview questions that assess your foreign service readiness and policy knowledge.
Get Started