What's your greatest work-related accomplishment?
With this question, as they consider you for this role at the NSA, your interviewer wants concrete evidence of your competency. They're also looking to gain a sense of your values and personal motivations on the job through hearing about your greatest accomplishment. A successful answer will highlight your passion for your work and the aspects that give you fulfillment. Be sure to mention the outcome that directly followed this accomplishment and any accolades you received. Assure your interviewer that you continue to set career goals in the field and will continue to do so in this new opportunity at the NSA.
The National Security Agency conducts annual employee surveys through their "Intelligence Community (IC) Climate Survey," which recently reported that their employees are dedicated, happy, and motivated at work and that 92% of their colleagues are constantly looking for ways to do their jobs better. So, when answering this question, consider what made your accomplishment unique, and what it contributed to the rest of your teams. To what extent was your accomplishment above and beyond, and how frequently do you contribute at this level?
Additionally, the NSA is known to have a very supportive and positive work culture, offering unique career paths, and training employees in entirely new skill sets within their agency, which often results in lifelong careers. So reflect upon your drive and ambition as well, and how far you plan to take your career with them if presented with this opportunity.
"Just recently, I spent some time analyzing and identifying the root causes of our department's underperformance and was challenged with addressing these issues in the most cost-effective manner. After a while, I focused on a multitude of bureaucratic systems, checks and balances that seemed extraneous. So, upon some deep inquiry, I learned many of these measures were put into place as a result of a few poorly performing employees who'd set a poor precedent and were detrimental to the performance of the entire department. But those individuals were long gone, and I felt any such prior issues would be better thwarted through training. So, I led a multi-department team in creating an ethical standards guideline for our organization, and for the work we did, and then streamlined all of our systems accordingly. Within three weeks, the entire department was overperforming and we set some new records."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
My accomplishments have largely been personal because I have just graduated from college. I have three projects I would like to mention, they are called ConsoleGraphics3, OpenGL rendering engine, and MuddyTown Algorithm. All of these projects challenged me in various ways and have made me a better developer.
Marcie's Feedback
Consider picking one of those projects and diving into the details. Use the STAR method to describe the situation, task, actions, and result. The more information you provide, the more impactful your answer will be to the interviewer. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
My greatest accomplishment would be my current role as Supply support lead. Successfully manage a staff of 10 individuals and work hand in hand with the U.S. Coastguard to implement new processes and procedures to streamline the supply workflow efforts.
Since creating this process flow the supply department has been able to provision and catalog 256 parts in a three-month time frame.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a great accomplishment with specific data to share. If you completed this ahead of schedule, be sure to share that as well.
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