What would you consider your most significant achievement?
Your interviewer is curious about what your most recent or significant career accomplishment will say about your experience level and what you are striving for. How you answer will potentially serve to inform the interviewer of your work standard, and whether you aim to go above and beyond or cruise along with the status quo. Those without goals set just beyond their reach are typically a sign of a disengaged employee who is not particularly focused on advancing their career and development.
"I have some great accomplishments on the horizon, including the launch of my biggest ever content marketing strategy later this month. This account is the biggest that I have worked with, and it's a fascinating campaign. I lead a team that created a series of interactive landing pages containing reveal marketing, contests, and gamification. Based on our trials, we expect to grow engagement exponentially. This effort has been challenging and rewarding, and based on how we drove this project home, this already feels like my most significant achievement to date."
The NY Times repeatedly states on their website that they are looking for people who share their values of "independence, integrity, curiosity, respect, collaboration, excellence, and are committed to the mission of The Times." They also state that when it comes to their work and their reporting, "There are no halfway measures." So when thinking of an example of where you've recently passed a significant milestone in your career development, identify all the ways in which it reflects their values.
