15 Accomplishment Interview Questions & Answers
1. Tell me about your greatest work related accomplishment.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know which career accomplishment you value the most. Talking about your most significant achievement will give the interviewer a definite idea of where you place your values. It will also show the interviewer more about your personality, how you like to be motivated, and how to coach you in the future. It is okay to brag a little bit when answering this question. Show that you are proud of yourself and your career accomplishments!
Written by Rachelle Enns
1st Answer Example
"The greatest accomplishment in my career was graduating University as an honors student while still working full time in a related field. I was top of my class, and working full time. This achievement showed me that I could dedicate myself to my career and reach the goals that I set for myself. It felt great to accomplish so much."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Admin
"As an administrator, I can stand out by continuing to educate myself in unexpected ways, which will benefit my employer. This year alone I committed to additional coursework in Excel, PowerPoint, and QuickBooks. My boss was impressed with my high level of initiative and gave me a raise, along with additional responsibilities, because of it."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Manager
"My greatest accomplishment was reducing departmental costs by 25% by thoroughly reviewing packing slips and comparing them to invoices and contract terms for accuracy. I then trained my team to do the same so that these savings could become the new status-quo for our department."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Marketing
"I have many accomplishments of which I am proud. Overall, I would say that my greatest work accomplishment is the positive reputation that I have in the marketing industry. Marketing is a full industry, with many professionals fighting to find their voice. I'm so proud to have carved a distinct career path for myself, despite those challenges."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Retail
"When I was the manager of XYZ shoe store, my location had 100% inventory accuracy for 16 months straight. I created a spreadsheet and implemented regular inventory counts, above and beyond expectations from corporate head office. My tracking method was so successful that the company implemented it nationally."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Sales
"My greatest career accomplishment is the fact that, in my current company, I gained a promotion faster than anyone in the organization's entire history. I received accolades from the VP of Sales in front of the entire company, which was an extraordinary moment. Exceed expectations, being promoted, and then financially ahead of where I initially expected, was exhilarating."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Teacher
"As a teacher, my greatest accomplishment is in helping students who are falling behind. I have been a teacher for eight years and in that time have found I have at least one student who needs extra attention and mentorship, each year. To mold the lives of my students is the most gratifying action I can take as a teacher."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Community Answer
"The greatest accomplishment in my career was when I started my own catering business and become successful in the past 6 years. This achievement showed me that I could dedicate myself to my career and reach the goals that I set for myself. It felt great to accomplish so much."
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview Coach
Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
Starting your own business is a significant accomplishment! I'm glad you were able to capture the importance of this.
2. Tell me about a contribution you made to the last team you worked on.
How to Answer
It is essential to show the interviewer that you are a team player. Talk about a time that you were recently expected to achieve a goal in a team setting. Discuss how you went above and beyond to ensure that your contribution made a difference.
Written by Rachelle Enns
1st Answer Example
"Last month our company asked upper management to complete a full inventory audit. There were 4 of us in total and so we broke the audit requirements into shifts. These shifts had to take place when the warehouse was not in its daily operations. In the end, there was one additional shift that nobody wanted to take. I volunteered myself to do that shift to show my dedication to my job and my co-workers. The gesture was appreciated, and the audit completed on time."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Admin
"Before my arrival in my current role, our office faced a great deal of disorganization. The biggest contribution that I made was creating a new filing system, introducing Trello - a web-based project management application, and then training the team on how to properly utilize the application."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Manager
"My most significant contribution to my last team came in the form of introducing a transformational leadership style. This type of leadership means that I spent my time working on inspiring my squad, encouraging effective communication, and creating a comfortable environment by helping my team members to ask the right questions. I am considered a blue-sky thinker and like to promote this way of thinking with my team."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Marketing
"My most notable contribution was my ability to analyze and predict market trends, and then create a successful marketing strategy for a challenging product that nobody else wanted to tackle. As a marketer, the most significant growth comes from taking on projects that may seem undesirable, and completely knocking them out of the park. This initiative showed my team that it's worthwhile to exit your comfort zone."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Retail
"I was the key-holder for a family run print and copy business. We had many part-time employees because the owner liked to hire students. Often they were not trained properly and put in front of customers too soon. I took it upon myself to create a training binder that the employees could reference, should they have a question when the owner was not around. This binder increased the quality of customer service we delivered while reducing employee turnover."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Sales
"In my sales pod, I am the only one with financial industry experience, so I have made it my mission to create educational materials for the rest of the pod so they can feel not only more comfortable but come off as more confident and natural when they are making their pitches to our finance clients. I was not asked to do this, but I knew it would benefit everyone and the company as a whole if we portray ourselves most professionally."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Teacher
"I was able to contribute to my team by exceeding the conventional expectations of a teacher. I will assist other teachers with marking, should they be falling behind. I will help on sports trips, acting as an additional chaperone. Also, if we introduce new faculty members, I will take them under my wing, ensuring they feel comfortable in their first few weeks on the job."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Community Answer
"I think it was a situation that I managed to turn a negative into a positive. My boss complained that I was not communicating with team members when I had finished my part in a particular project to pass it on to the next team member. I had to admit that I was at fault for doing this, but I also felt that we should come up with a useful project management tool to help the whole team. I researched the topic and came up with a tool called Jo, which helped all team members plan, track, and organize our work. It was a big success!"
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview Coach
Kevin Downey Reviewed the Above Answer
Jo is an awesome tool. Fabulous suggestion! It’s also very good that you took ownership of your part in the situation. However, emphasize why this solution was necessary for the entire team, how it benefitted the team and not just you. Since the central issue was your failure to pass the baton, why was it necessary to change the processes for the entire team to solve your performance issue?
"My boss pulled me aside, bringing to my attention the fact that I was inconsistent in communicating with team members when I finished my part in a particular project. It was necessary to pass that information on to the next team member to prevent them backtracking to find out where I left off, and thereby preventing rework. Admittedly, I was a bit hard on myself about it, when my boss revealed it wasn’t just me who had this issue, but over half of the team was struggling with this as well, and he was having several talks throughout the day. So, when I went back to my desk to try to come up with a system that would help me improve in this regard. That’s when I managed to turn a negative into a positive. Knowing I wasn’t alone in this, I shifted my thinking and felt as if we should come up with a useful project management tool to help the whole team. I researched the topic and came up with a tool called Jo, which helped all team members plan, track, and organize our work. It was a big success!"
3. Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know about your willingness to go over and above for your employer, without being prompted to do so. Display to the interviewer that you can do more than just the bare minimum. Show that you can react appropriately when you see that your employer has a need that goes beyond your usual day-to-day expectations.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
1st Answer Example
"I often go above and beyond expectations. Most recently, I agreed to cover for a co-worker who was on short-term medical leave. I worked 10 hour days for two weeks so that our work did not suffer any setbacks."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Admin
"I enjoy going above and beyond in my work. In my last position, I regularly called customers to check in and see how they were doing, even if there was no news or issues with our service to discuss. I believe going above and beyond for customers, and regular touch-base is what kept them loyal to us."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Manager
"Last week I noticed that my manager had not completed the schedule for the following week. Some of the staff were complaining that they didn't have their work schedule yet. Rather than going to my manager with the complaint, I offered to take on some of her workloads so that she would have the time to complete the schedule. We worked together for a couple of overtime hours that day and were able to catch her up on everything. It felt good to help."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Marketing
"One of my clients had committed to a marketing package that did not include any social media management. It's an expensive commitment, and they were on the fence. I decided to offer them a free social management content calendar, to show them what I could do. My boss was delighted with this decision because just a week later, the client committed to a full six months of service from our marketing group."
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Retail
"The clothing store which I work has a very crowded sales floor, and some customers with mobility issues could not navigate around the store very well. I had a customer come in, in a wheelchair. Seeing her frustrated with the store layout, I approached her and offered to bring her items that I thought she might like. She had a successful 'personal shopper' experience and thanked me on her way out, for my empathy and assistance."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Sales
"During sales calls with a prospect or a touch base with an existing customer, I will often hear them mention a feature that would sweeten the software for them. I created a Google Sheet with these suggestions as well as who made them, why, and in what context. I then shared this document with the product team and the other member of our sales team to help them keep a finger on the pulse of what our customer base is seeking. Now, most everyone updates the spreadsheet with feedback, and it is the primary source from which the product team chooses new features to build out."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Teacher
"This year, our French teacher, who was also the girl's soccer coach, suffered a heart attack and needed to take medical leave. I jumped in and took over as the soccer coach. The girls worked so hard to qualify for Nationals, and I didn't want to see their dream crushed due to circumstances out of their control. It was a time of commitment and sacrifice for me but worth every minute. We won Nationals!"
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
Community Answer
"There was a situation where a customer of mine placed an order for a product that was out of stock. Instead of letting the customer down, I bought the stock from a competitor (at full price) and sold it to my customer at a loss so as not to let him down. It was a strategic move as it kept my customers from going to the competitor and possibly losing them forever."
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview Coach
Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
Wow - that is thinking outside the box. Good work!
4. Tell me about an organization or group outside of work that you contributed to.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know if you are giving of your time in the sense of volunteering. Many hiring managers will choose one candidate over another because of their volunteer experience. They feel that it shows strong character and selflessness which are all qualities that make a great employee. Talk to the interviewer about your willingness to give back to your community in some form of volunteerism. If you do not have formal volunteer experience, you can draw on things you do in your spare time to assist friends, family, or even your current employer.
If you do have volunteer experience: 'For the past eight months, I have volunteered every Wednesday evening at our local animal shelter. I will help with grooming the animals, feeding them, and walking them. It's been an enjoyable experience and rewarding at the same time.'
If you do not have volunteer experience: "I have not formally volunteered in these most recent years, however; I spend a lot of time helping my sister who is a single mom. I will babysit on weekends, cook dinners for her and drive the kids to appointments when necessary. I feel that it is imperative to take care of the needs of the family."
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019
5. If you were hired today, what would you accomplish first?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know that you would be ready to make an impact on their organization, immediately after being hired. It's important to come to an interview with a 30-90 day strategic plan on how you would impact the business, should you be the successful candidate. Tell the interviewer what your impact goal is, should you be the successful candidate.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
6. What accomplishment do you believe was the most difficult for you to achieve?
How to Answer
Being able to face a challenging or stressful situation, and still gain some accomplishment, in the end, is very satisfying. Talk to the interviewer about a time when you were able to come out on top despite being faced with an obstacle. Your answer can be big or small. You don't need a grandiose example to make an impact.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
7. How do you like to be recognized for your accomplishments?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know what motivates you to be an over-achiever in the workplace. We all want recognition in some way for our accomplishments in the workplace. Perhaps you enjoy surprise gifts, financial perks, public attention, kind words, added responsibilities, or title promotions. Share with the interviewer how you would like recognition for your hard work.
Written by Rachelle Enns
8. Tell me about a time that you have helped a co-worker accomplish an important goal.
How to Answer
It is imperative to be goal-oriented and determined but even more critical is to support your coworkers in their professional endeavors openly. This support is how teams succeed! What do you do, outside of your own goals, to ensure that everyone on your team is successful? Assure the interviewer that you are always willing to keep the team, or company as a whole, in mind.
Written by Rachelle Enns
9. Tell me about a project you completed recently that was ahead of schedule.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know about your project and deadline related accomplishments. Show that it is vital for you to meet and exceed work-related deadlines. Assure the interviewer that you can remain focused on a project and accomplish your goals ahead of schedule.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
10. Describe an ongoing problem at your current or former employer, that you were able to overcome.
How to Answer
Every place of employment will have its challenges. Talk to the interviewer about a specific issue that you were able to overcome in your previous role. Be sure to remain positive. Avoid complaining or saying negative things about your last employer or co-workers.
Written by Rachelle Enns
11. When have you significantly contributed to obtain a corporate goal?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know that you take an interest in the overall goals of the company. Engaged employees are always the most productive. Assure the interviewer that you are capable of being an involved team member by assisting, in some way, to the end goal of the corporation.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
12. When were you able to resolve a problem within work?
How to Answer
Problem-solving and dispute resolution are fundamental skills to possess. Display to the interviewer that you are capable of problem-solving within the workplace. Show that you can be a team player, even in the face of conflict.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
13. What was the greatest cost-cutting measurement you accomplished at your previous employer?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know about your previous success with cost-cutting. Every company wants to run as lean as possible, and they want to see that you are conscious of this factor as well. Assure the interviewer that you are capable of understanding the importance of this practice and give a strong example of a time when you have done so.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
14. What will you accomplish in the first 90 days of working here?
How to Answer
It's a good idea to have a 30, 60, and 90-day plan set out when you go into an interview. This approach is especially important when you are applying to a management or sales based position where immediate action and results are expected. You can jot down a few ideas or create a slide presentation with graphs - whatever makes you most comfortable! You can discuss numbers, training achievements, pain points the interviewer has mentioned in the past, or how you plan to fit in with your new team.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018
15. What is the most significant achievement you have on the horizon?
How to Answer
When you show that you have goals and achievements on the horizon, you are letting the interviewer know that you put thought into your career and what you bring to your employer. Employees who do not have goals set just beyond their reach are typically disengaged and unmotivated. This achievement does not need to be complicated. It can be as simple as finishing a beautiful Powerpoint presentation, finishing work-related coursework, or reaching a sales target.
Written by Rachelle Enns on August 10th, 2018