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!

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous 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."

Stephanie's Feedback

Starting your own business is a significant accomplishment! I'm glad you were able to capture the importance of this.

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Anonymous Answer

"My greatest accomplishment in my last job was our team increasing our overall standings from number 3 to number 1 in less than 14 months in an established market. We also met our year-end goal."

Kevin's Feedback

Your answer includes very specific numbers, goals, percentages, and achievements. That sounds like quite the achievement. However, this question asks you what your greatest accomplishment was, not that of your team. In the way you’ve phrased your answer, it comes across as not having any accomplishments of your own. Try to reframe your answer so that it speaks to your individual experience.

"My greatest accomplishment in my last job was when I lead our team on a very involved, multi-tiered project to increase our overall standings. I was proud of how I motivated our team and got everyone on the same page with our vision. Ultimately, we increased our standings from number 3 to number 1 in less than 14 months in an established market. We also met our year-end goal."

Anonymous Answer

"¢ S: In my final year, I Co-led weekly mentoring sessions to 15 first-year economic students were aimed at easing them into the various aspects of university life.

"¢ T: Leaving home, moving to a new city, starting a new chapter of your life can be challenging to settle into.

"¢ A: I wanted to reflect on my journey and help, and this was a great opportunity.

"¢ R: It was very satisfying to see them grow as people, and even more so that 10 out of 15 decided to become mentors the next year."

Cindy's Feedback

Ok, fantastic example, and your heading in the right direction with the STAR format. Expand on the "action" you took. What action did you take to assist your mentees?

Anonymous Answer

"My greatest work-related accomplishment is as follows:

Background/situation: During my previous role as a project manager, I managed an Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to identify and protect a corridor for the extension of a road, which was required to support economic development in the area. It was a prominent corridor through the Business Park, and the extension of the road was expected to generate significant interest from local business groups. Adjacent landowners within the subject area were interested in developing their lands for residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial purposes. Thus, accessibility for existing and future land developments and to support/promote alternative modes of travel (i.e. walking, cycling, transit) were the goals of the project. A thorough consultation program was required to solicit, receive and address comments and input from those individuals and groups.

Task: My key role was to follow the minimum mandatory public consultation, as per the planning requirement in the Environmental Assessment Act. Thus, starting from advertising the Notice of Study Commencement through the Notice of Study Completion, I was proactively monitoring project key stakeholder engagement. Two local developers had a greater interest in the project and were not ready to buy in the preferred roadway alignment option, especially on the preferred option. Thus, the conflict posed a great risk to the project's success.

Action:

It was very important to negotiate with both developers for a win-win solution prior to going for the POH. I met one-on-one with both and listened to their concerns and needs. After some negotiations with each, I proposed a solution for further discussion and it was acceptable to both.

Result:

The negotiation with key stakeholders was a great success as both had their interest in land development. The POH went smoothly through the end.

I effectively managed the main component of the planning process, i.e., Consultation, using my interpersonal skills. I successfully resolved conflicts and closed the project on time and under budget."

Chad's Feedback

This is an excellent answer! You use the STAR method perfectly, and the highly detailed example you describe is certainly an accomplishment to be proud of. It is evident from the example that you are a skilled negotiator and have strong interpersonal skills. Great job!

Anonymous Answer

"My greatest work accomplishment was being on the top 10 sales rep list within my first year in pharmaceuticals."

Stephanie's Feedback

Wow! That's a significant accomplishment. While this is a great start, I'd like to see you develop this answer a little more. What steps did you take to achieve this goal? How did it impact profits for your company? What are you most proud of? Adding a few additional details will allow your interviewers to learn more about this accomplishment, making your answer more memorable!

Anonymous Answer

"When I started working for this company, I noticed that my department struggled with cash flow. 20% of revenue was not able to collect within 45 days per the company policy.

I was the account receivable then and recognized the need for a stronger collection payment initiative.

I did some research and found out the root cause of the delayed payment. After I addressed it and worked with the IT team, we implemented the changes (Result) After three weeks, we reported a 20% increase in cash on hand."

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! You've used the STAR method here to effectively describe the situation, your task/actions, and the end result. What was the root cause of the delayed payments, and how did you fix this issue? Adding these details will make your answer much more memorable and meaningful to the interviewer. Otherwise, good job!

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.

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous 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!"

Kevin's Feedback

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!"

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Anonymous Answer

"I created the syllabus for the onboarding CT clinic by using my own time. My manager appreciated my work because this syllabus shows the new CT nurse the clear direction for onboarding regarding what to learn for the day, what to review, and move on to the next day and when the onboarding would be done."

Rachelle's Feedback

This sounds like a very important syllabus that would help many people to come! Way to go over and above your typical job requirements.

Anonymous Answer

"I have previously undertaken a technology internship at Wetrack which provides digital products for event management. After frequently testing the software, I would find bugs and have to communicate these to developers in the Bulgaria office. English was not their first language, so I had to communicate very clearly.

I decided to use fewer words in my messages to them and use screenshots to show exactly what page and where the bug was. This resulted in them easily understanding the bugs and being able to fix them quickly for a more fluid web experience for our customers."

Kevin's Feedback

Good example. You're demonstrating a number of qualities that employers value, including conscientiousness about meeting goals, problem-solving skills, and good communication. I've modified your answer for clarity, flow, and to more effectively communicate your message.

"I interned at Wetrack, an event management digital products platform. One of my responsibilities was frequent software testing. Whenever I found bugs in the software, I’d communicate these to our developers in the Bulgaria office. This proved to be something of a challenge at first, since English was not their first language. This put my communication skills to the test. It was a real challenge finding alternate methods to communicate clearly. I quickly adapted, though, deciding to use fewer words in my correspondence, using screenshots instead to communicate exactly where the bugs were so that they understood. They understood, fixed them quickly, and together we provided a more fluid web experience for our customers."

Anonymous Answer

"At My last role, I produced the cash forecast for 2021/22. We had a new team leader who delegated this duty to me which I wholeheartedly accepted as a good experience. Initially, she asked that I work on some lines, but having completed those I was confident to have a look at the rest so I did. She was very pleased with what I did."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great--you may wish to share a bit more about exactly how this contributed impacted the team.

Anonymous Answer

"I opened up new accounts in my territory to help my team as a whole grow the most that we could. I did this by opening new accounts, gaining trust, and building relationships."

Stephanie's Feedback

Excellent! What was the impact of opening these accounts? If you're able to actually quantify your response, that is always helpful. (For example: "As a result of these new accounts my team's revenue increased by X amount.")

Anonymous Answer

"Very recently, our management decided to move onto the cloud version of UiPath and this meant taking on the entire migration process with very few resources and continuing mundane bot development and support and maintenance activities. Even though faced with time constraints, I took the lead in this process and successfully migrated to the cloud implementation within a month's time."

Jaymie's Feedback

This is a great example! Be sure the interviewer knows what your job title and role were at this company so they can better understand what the expectations might have been for you in this transition. That way, they can see just how much you went above and beyond to support this project.

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.

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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!"

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I was originally recruited for the 2 subsidiary companies. I was trained on the treasury for the parent company because they were short of staff. I picked it up so well and was helping once a week. I offered to take a whole week's duty as one colleague was sick and so the other could take her scheduled leave."

Stephanie's Feedback

This shows your work ethic and commitment to teamwork! To strengthen your response, I suggest adding a closing sentence to wrap things up. For example: "I have an exceptional work ethic, and I am always willing to go beyond the call of duty if it means supporting my colleagues."

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Anonymous 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."

Rachelle's Feedback

Wow - that is thinking outside the box. Good work!

Anonymous Answer

"¢ S: When I worked at Nike, my manager had not completed the schedule for the following week.

"¢ T: Rather than complain, I offered to take some of her workloads so that she would have time to complete the schedule.

"¢ A: We worked a couple of hours overtime that day, and we were able to help her catch up on everything.

"¢ R: It was very satisfying to help."

Cindy's Feedback

Great example of solving a problem rather than complaining about it. The STAR format is working well in this example. Good job.

Anonymous Answer

"I always go above and beyond whenever I work. However, there was a time when my supervisor was not feeling well, and she had a procedure the next morning when she and I worked together. This is a 430 beds hospital and the NP always needs to be with an MD, but that night I knew that she wasn't well so I told her to go rest and I would take care of what needed to be done. I did and there was no issue."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great response; once again, this really shows your ability to go the extra mile in helping the team! Your colleague was fortunate to have someone so considerate of her needs.

Anonymous Answer

"When I was working at Nordstrom Rack, it was a busy Saturday afternoon and I was putting away go-backs and working with customers to find their sizes. I saw a young lady next to her mom crying hysterically. I asked if they were okay and the mom explained her daughter took off her engagement ring to try on costume ring bands for fun. Her ring went missing. I got on my hands and knees to look for the ring. I found the ring under the luggage wall - the girl started crying tears of relief and gave me a huge hug."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great example of going above and beyond! You may wish to add a concluding sentence that re-states your commitment to going the extra mile at work.

Anonymous Answer

"Recently, I helped cover my co-worker's shift who was on leave even though I hadn't worked in her department for several months. Also, I agreed to stay past my scheduled work hours."

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! It sounds like you went above and beyond the call of duty. Can you give more details about what kind of work your coworker does and how you managed to cover her duties despite not being overly familiar with them? Also, consider talking about how this helped the company. By covering her shift, how did this benefit the company and its customers?

Anonymous Answer

"While in pharmaceutical sales I did not get to meet with one of the providers during my office visit like I usually do. They really wanted to see me and rather than waiting until my next visit in a few weeks I went to the office early on a Saturday so that they knew I was there for them."

Stephanie's Feedback

It's clear that you have a customer-service mindset, and you're committed to your clients! I'd like to see you take this response a step further by showing what happened as a result of this "above and beyond" approach. You went on a Saturday; what happened then? Did this improve working relationships? Did your sales increase as a result?

Anonymous Answer

"Updated Answer -When I worked at _____ there was an Advent Campaign mailing we were running behind on. There was a deadline to get it out the next day and we still had around 1,000 brochures and inserts that needed to be put in the envelopes and stamped. As soon as our donors could receive the campaign materials we could start fundraising and receiving donations. I knew this campaign was a priority so I readjusted my schedule for the day and I was able to recruit a few people from my department to help. We worked through lunch and were able to get the mailing done by 5 pm. I dropped off the mailing at the post office that evening and it was mailed the next morning. Going above and beyond on this campaign was beneficial to the company and I enjoyed being an integral part of this campaign."

Marcie's Feedback

It's great that you put the extra effort in, but why did this matter? Why was getting the Advent campaign mailed out so quickly important to the organization? Going above and beyond benefited who and in what way? Make sure to add in these details to explain why your actions mattered. Good job!

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."

Answer Example

"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."

Admin

"I recently volunteered to be on our business' social committee. Part of what we do it raise funds for local schools and other needs for the community. I am new to volunteering but plan to dedicate myself more often to giving back to others. Do you have a volunteer program set up at your office, or any suggestions on ways that I can give back?"

Manager

"I recently headed up a day of volunteering for myself and my team. Twelve of us spent the day working at the local food bank, preparing and serving lunch for over 100 of our city's homeless population. I am currently putting a plan in place for us to have a standing commitment with the shelter, coming in once per month to help out. It's important to me that our teamwork for the good of others, and not be focused solely on our own needs."

Marketing

"I help people out when the opportunity presents itself, rather than commit to a formal volunteer role. My strengths are in marketing and content writing so, for that reason, I look for opportunities that will allow me to share these strengths with others. Most recently I helped a single mom who lost her job by re-doing her resume and helping her to fix up her brand. It made all the difference in her level of confidence, and she landed a job shortly after."

Retail

"Every Monday I volunteer at the local animal shelter! I love animals so much, which is a big reason why I am applying to work at your pet store. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to help animals."

Sales

"For the past two years, I have helped set up a coat drive in our office. Every winter we collect hundreds of coats and other items for warmth and food. Each January, our office gathers with increasing strength to distribute these "warmth kits" to different shelters and soup kitchens throughout the city. We are not only helping those less fortunate but also we can make a personal connection with another human. Humanity is often forgotten, and this is a great way to remember how we are connected."

Teacher

"Aside from being a teacher, I am also the parent of two young kids. Their preschool is often running community fundraising events. This year I volunteered to be their treasurer. It doesn't take up much of my time, but it does feel great to be an active parent helper."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I'm a Cubs leader, so I'm involved with a troupe of 30, 9 to11-year-olds. Scouting contains a program of activities that include areas such as social, physical, intellectual, character, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life. It's great fun, and the kids learn to respect each other, their leaders, and contribute to the greater community."

Rachelle's Feedback

Awesome! Employers always look keenly on volunteer work. Make sure this is on your resume, too. :)

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Anonymous Answer

"During my time at university, I took the opportunity to help impact clean water in Kenya, through fundraising for a charity called Dig Deep. Creating thriving sustainable communities is a deep passion and long-term goal for me."

Cindy's Feedback

Amazing. Can you talk about what steps you took and the specific impact you had? You might discuss how and how much you raised.

Anonymous Answer

"I am an active Children's Teacher in Church as I see the need to support the younger generation to build character to be achievers in society. I am also a Minister, in the Welfare Team, Womens' Leader, and head of the Finance Team. I also volunteer as a Mentor with CVS with an unaccompanied minor mentee in college with little English. I supported her to write her GCSE maths and English."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great--it sounds like you're very engaged as a community member, which is awesome.

Anonymous Answer

"I volunteered with Baker-Ripley which is a local nonprofit assisting the community to fill out their citizenship paperwork."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great--this sounds like a meaningful experience!

Anonymous Answer

"I use to volunteer at my CrossFit gym after college. Sometimes the owner could not get to a class on time or would need someone to be there to start the music and get everyone warmed up. I went to school for exercise science and guided the class in a warm-up and dynamic stretching until the coach got there to take over."

Stephanie's Feedback

I like that you show another aspect of your life outside of work, and how you show up as a great community member! My only suggestion for improvement is just adding a quick closing sentence that basically states this. For example, "Both inside and outside of work, being a good community member and contributing is important to me."

Anonymous Answer

"I frequently volunteer at a local temple, where they offer free food to people and help cook food in their kitchen on Sundays. They usually cook and serve over 200 people each Sunday. I also am a regular blood platelet donor and have pledged to donate my eyes too."

Jaymie's Feedback

These types of questions are light-hearted and allow you to give the interviewer some insight into who you are and what you enjoy outside of work. Great job!

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.

Answer Example

"I know you mentioned that the average tenure in this position, before promotion, is anywhere from 6 months to a year or more. I intend to prove over the first three months that I am a rockstar in the organization and would be of greater benefit to you in an account executive role than I am in a sales development role."

Admin

"If hired today, I would start with analyzing all quantifiable data from the last month, quarter, and year to identify any bottlenecks or shortfalls in productivity. I would make corrections from there. Perhaps this will be in the form of creating better processes, implementing new applications for productivity, or simplifying the vendor process. This work will, of course, coincide with your biggest pain-points at the moment."

Manager

"You mentioned earlier that staff training and retention had become a pressure point for your organization. I considered that and created a 90-day plan to increase retention while streamlining the training process via an online training manual with self-guided lessons. Would you like to take a deeper look?"

Marketing

"I created a strategic plan for you to take a look at, using one of your biggest clients as an example. This outline shows how I can make an impact as your Head of Marketing in the next 30, 60, and 90 days. First and foremost, my focus would be on getting to know your highest-spending clients by booking face to face meetings with them. It would be a discovery meeting where I would set out to see where we could serve them better, and increase their marketing spend in areas they were lacking."

Retail

"If you hired me today, I would dive right into the training manual, learning all of your products and pricing. I would study your best selling products and work on my sales scripts."

Sales

"When we were speaking earlier, about sales targets in this position, you mentioned that most new sales professionals begin to hit their KPI's after 120 days. If hired today, my goal would be to exceed my KPI's after the first 90 days. I plan to make a positive impact very quickly by getting on the phone, getting to know my clients, and discovering their needs immediately. I will upsell from there."

Teacher

"The first thing I would do is acquaint myself with my students, and their parents. The better understanding I have of my class and the dynamics, the more effective of an educator I can be."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"At this point, I think the company could assign me to write a product manual the first day on the job, and I would first create an outline, a publications plan, and a production schedule with milestones and dates, and then I would call a meeting with all the stakeholders of the project to agree on the scope of the manual and to discuss any special handling for the product."

Cindy's Feedback

Good! You're demonstrating how your skills can be put to good use.

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Anonymous Answer

"While preparing for this interview, I observed that some of the policies posted on the company's website had been overdue for revision, some as far back as December 2018. I would discuss with my Audit Manager on the need to reach out to the leadership of the Departments involved informing them of our observation and the need to review and approve the policies, to incorporate any changes that might have occurred after the last review date."

Kevin's Feedback

Sounds like you have a strong attention to detail, one that is worth advertising. However, you should familiarize yourself with 30-60-90 rule. As it stands, whenever you start in a new position with a new company, you haven’t yet learned the whys of why they do things, nor the priorities your leaders are aware of that you are not yet familiar with. So it is more important to be observant and ask questions. Being presumptive, that just because you observed their website was dated or flawed doesn’t necessarily mean they will prioritize this, nor that they will delegate the responsibility to you just because you noticed it. It very well may be that they are already aware of this, and delegated the task to someone else. However, by adjusting your communication, you can still drive a similar message home.

"I’d work on learning the ropes, gaining as much of a big-picture-scope as I can, while building relationships. It’s my philosophy that it’s basically my job to make my bosses’ jobs easier. I have a keen eye for the details, and would point out my observations while asking questions. For example, while preparing for this interview, I observed that some policies posted on the company’s website were outdated and required revision. So, I’d ask my Audit Manager if they were aware of this and see what they had to say. I would gauge if this was a priority, or if there was a reason they sidelined this task. I’d put my all to earn my keep and build the trust of my coworkers to ensure I complimented my new team."

Anonymous Answer

"You said that this position will staff a brand new unit, and the selectee is to facilitate the development of unit preceptors including effective delegation and interpersonal skills. When hired, I will create a 60 days training process by way of online self-guided training for all staff."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great start, although I suggest developing this response a bit more. Providing a few more details and specifics about what this 6o-day training program would look like would be impactful.

Anonymous Answer

"If I was hired today, I would establish a relationship with my clients in order to better understand their needs and start working on the projects that are placed on standby, as Corey mentioned due to COVID."

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! Getting to know your clients and their needs sounds like a great first priority if you are hired, in addition to working on projects that have been sidelined due to Covid. Great answer. Consider explaining more why these would be the first things you would focus on (i.e., why do you feel it is important to introduce yourself and uncover the needs of the clients?)

Anonymous Answer

"Having a good knowledge of the Oracle system already and my experience with the NRPF Team, I expect to be able to impact the various budget holders with a sound understanding of budgeting and the impact on the organization. This I will do by building trust, confidence, and good rapport and critically analyzing data to ascertain any way we can generate extra value for money as well as cost savings and efficient use of resources."

Stephanie's Feedback

This response is very action-focused and illustrates your urgency and desire to make an impact. My only suggestion for improvement is quantifying your future accomplishments, if possible. (For example: "In my first 90 days, I'd increase decrease costs by 10 percent.")

Anonymous Answer

"If I were hired today, I would ask the hiring manager to be my mentor to help me with a solid career path once I complete my training."

Stephanie's Feedback

While having the support of a hiring manager is important, I suggest creating a more action-focused response. Can you quantify exactly what you'll accomplish? (Example: "Increase sales by 10 percent.")

Anonymous Answer

"If I am hired today, I would have a meeting with my boss to learn the work priorities of my position. I would set goals and action plans for the next 90 days and communicate this to my boss to be aligned on the action plan. I will communicate to my boss what is going well, what is not going well, and what support is needed to get the work done. and I will also ask for feedback to improve my work."

Chad's Feedback

This is a good answer! You have included numerous steps you would take to ensure you are meeting the requirements of the position, including setting goals and seeking feedback on your performance. To improve your response, provide more detail on some of the specific goals you would set in the first 90 days, based on your pre-interview research of the organization. Sharing your strategic plan to make an immediate impact on the business will set you apart from the other candidates.

Anonymous Answer

"I would prefer to observe the organization, teams, challenges, customers, stakeholders, culture before making any significant changes. First of all, I would like to accomplish my own 30/60/90 days plan and preferably be part of important projects.

1. Absorbing and understanding

2. Implementation

3. Delivering"

Marcie's Feedback

Excellent. Make sure to focus your answer on the fact that you will start by absorbing information, understanding/learning, and getting to know your colleagues and manager. You might also mention how important it is that you determine what your manager's expectations are for you and what success looks like them.

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.

Answer Example

"In my career, so far, I feel that the most difficult accomplishment for me to achieve were the three back-to-back promotions in my current company. Because promotions are granted based on results, I had to put in a lot of overtime hours, and hustle, to get there."

Admin

"The most challenging accomplishment I achieved was the fluid communication created in my current office. I did this through creating an online memo board and incorporating new methods of communication such as iCalendar and setting everyone up on Hangout. When I first started, communication was so poor that it greatly affected the company's profits. By creating this smooth communication, we were able to increase sales by 155% in the first year."

Manager

"My most challenging accomplishment was to boost employee morale, lower turnover and increase productivity in the first 90 days of starting my current role. The previous management had been quite tumultuous and, after the year they had, it was not easy to take over, gain their trust, and put a smile back on their faces. Now, we run a well-oiled machine, and I feel it couldn't have gone better."

Marketing

"The most challenging accomplishment for me to achieve, as a marketer, has been staying on top of shifts in trends related to social media marketing and paid advertising. For instance, the Facebook algorithms are constantly changing, so it's challenging to become a subject matter expert in that arena. For this reason, I took three workshops this year to ensure my knowledge was current and helpful to my clients."

Retail

"In my previous role, as a sales associate for a local chocolatier, I was tasked to memorize the ingredients in every one of our products. There were over 100 varieties! I took my workbook home, hunkered down for the entire weekend, and came to my first day on the job with everything memorized to a tee! My new manager was very impressed."

Sales

"So far, I would say the most challenging accomplishment has been to lead the scoreboard continually. I made it my goal to be on top of the scoreboard at least four of the five days in the work week so that I would have the highest KPI scorecard to read each Monday morning sales huddle. By doing so, I received a promotion to the next position in record time. I may have received the promotion the fastest, but it was probably not the easiest on the road there!"

Teacher

"I believe the most challenging career achievement has been moving from the substitute list to a full time, permanent teaching opportunity. Our school district is oversaturated and competitive. I believe my success in landing a full-time role was because of the diversity I offer having expertise in science and language arts."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"Changing my career has been a very difficult journey for me. I sacrificed a great deal by going back to study, sacrificing financially, working long hours, and investing three years of my life in getting where I am today. I knew it was what I wanted to do, so I just persisted. At times I wanted to quit, but I just kept on telling myself that it will be worth it. And it is!"

Rachelle's Feedback

A sacrifice that will definitely pay off. Good job.

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Anonymous Answer

"In my opinion, nothing is impossible as long as you're motivated and committed you will be able to accomplish and achieve your goal. Every day, life is full of challenges. Like when I decided to build my own business here in the U.S. If you think of it, it is difficult to achieve because I hear a lot of people saying that I'm so brave to start a business here in the U.S., but because I'm committed and dedicated and I don't get affected on other people saying I was able to succeed in my goals. This experience taught me that no matter how hard it is we just need to keep going in order to achieve our goals in life and career. I will bring this positive attitude to my next career opportunity."

Stephanie's Feedback

You do a good job of sharing a personal example here, but the wording is a bit too lengthy. I suggest really focusing on the question that was asked (what accomplishment do you believe was the most difficult for you to achieve?) I've provided an example of how this might be restated below.

"The most difficult accomplishment I've achieved was building my own business here in the U.S. As an immigrant to the U.S., I heard a lot of people saying that I'm so brave to try to start a business here, but I remained dedicated and committed and didn't get discouraged by other people. This experience taught me that no matter how hard it is we just need to keep going in order to achieve our goals in life and career. I will bring this positive attitude to my next career opportunity."

Anonymous Answer

"When I was a mentor at University, giving an experience that inspired my mentees was challenging. It required a lot of emotional intelligence, dedication through extra hours of research so I could have the most accurate knowledge to provide them. I impacted them positively, and that means a lot."

Cindy's Feedback

Good example! Being a mentor can be a challenge.

Anonymous Answer

"My most challenging accomplishment is to even the contract with project documentation in the system. For example, the contract is signed and agreed upon for projects to be completed on June 1st but in the system, the project was executed and utilized on August 1. All my projects were aligned with the signed contract and I was able to align other projects once it was time to review the contract, next year."

Marcie's Feedback

Great! So it sounds like you worked hard to make sure the project documentation in the system was accurate. Consider explaining more why this was important to achieve, how it benefited the clients to fix this issue, and what steps you had to take to accomplish this. The more details you can provide to the interviewer, the better!

Anonymous Answer

"Response: In my previous role as a project manager with the Municipality, I managed the review of a Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA) report, which was completed by a consultant on behalf of his client developer.

(Situation): I reviewed and approved the report after multiple revisions. The traffic issues were already identified upfront in the pre-consultation meeting regarding the spacing and configuration of proposed driveways. The development was proposed at the corner of two busy arterials. I also hinted at some road improvements as part of the development, subject to the findings of the report. The third version of the report provided a detailed analysis that clearly documented the warrant analysis for road improvements. Soon after the approval of the report, my planner came to my desk and said, the developer met with the ward councilor and both agree NOT to implement road improvements as they were not economically feasible for the project. The developer and their consultant wanted to meet me.

(Action): I chaired the meeting and after listening to their perspectives on the issue at hand from various angles, I offered them three options: a) modify the land use to avoid implementing improvements (generate a lot less amount of traffic); b) a meeting with ward Councillor to discuss the professional recommendations in the report; c) consultant provide a brief summary stating that "despite recommended improvements for public safety reasons, I consider improvements were not necessary." The consultant immediately denied going for the third option. The developer didn't want to modify the site plan. So, the meeting was already set up with the deputy mayor and two other councilors including my manager also attended the meeting. I provided/delivered a briefing to attendees and walked them through various scenarios including the negative safety impacts on the general public. The councilor asked a few questions and was fully convinced of my position based on facts. However, he still left it to me to decide. The meeting was dismissed and we went back to the office.

(Result): About an hour later, the developer and their consultant called me and said, they were on-site and wanted to move forward as per the recommendations of the TIA and that there was no ill-feeling. Thus, I maintained my trust and rapport with our customers/developers. My manager sent me a note, which was also added to my performance appraisal. The note read, "You showed your leadership skills and solved the problem by involving all stakeholders in such a way that everyone was happy in the end."

Learned: Communication is off-course the key to solving any problem. By involving all stakeholders and collaborating on the solution of problems, I can maintain trust and rapport."

Chad's Feedback

Great! This is a tremendous achievement, as recognized and validated by the note from your manager. It sounds like you are highly organized in your work, are a strong presenter, and have the ability to develop and maintain relationships with numerous stakeholders, all of which contributed to your ability to overcome the resistance of the stakeholders to accomplish your goal.

Anonymous Answer

"I believe graduating from college was the most difficult to achieve. I was not the best student in high school and I needed to create a whole new mindset in college. I became more goal-oriented and organized. I set higher standards for myself and graduated all while working full time and playing women's basketball. While playing basketball I also was team captain."

Stephanie's Feedback

This sounds like a great accomplishment and one that you worked hard for! To deepen the impact of your response, I suggest adding a closing sentence to tie your answer together. Example: "This was a significant accomplishment and one that I worked hard for. I have proved to myself that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to."

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.

Answer Example

"I am very much an over-achiever and find that the best way for me to be recognized for a job well done is to hear words of kindness and recognition. I am easily encouraged, and the best reward for me is to know that my hard work matters."

Admin

"I am very simple. I do not require any formal recognition, but kind words from my coworkers and superiors will keep me motivated and working hard."

Manager

"The success of my team is a direct reflection of my success as a manager. For that reason, I prefer that my team receive accolades for a job well done. For instance, our group exceeded our targets for the past business quarter. Thus we were collectively rewarded. This method of recognition is my preference."

Marketing

"I feel best when I know how my hard work has positively impacted another person. In my current role, our marketing director will often share our customer satisfaction surveys in our office meetings. If my name is mentioned, I cannot help but grin from ear to ear."

Retail

"Having worked in a retail environment, I am accustomed to being acknowledged publicly such as a company-wide email stating that I was top in sales. I have also received store credits and gift certificates for my hard work. Those types of credits are always fun to receive."

Sales

"I am a highly competitive person who is compensation driven. I like to see recognition for my accomplishments through monetary bonus' or contests where the stakes are high."

Teacher

"I am not one to enjoy the limelight. If you catch me doing a great job, I like a note of recognition or to be pulled aside and acknowledged."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"A job well done should always be acknowledged. I'm success orientated rather than financially driven. I think getting positive feedback is important so that you know the good work you are doing is being noticed. Promotion is the ultimate recognition for accomplishments."

Rachelle's Feedback

Good answer! You are giving the interviewer a lot to work from.

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Anonymous Answer

"I'm a very simple person and the best way for me to be recognized for a job well done is to hear words of kindness and recognition. I am easily encouraged, and the best reward for me is to know that my hard work matters. Like in my previous role as a loan closer, every time I exceeded the company expectation my Manager just always said good job and keep up the good work. Those simple words mean a lot to me because someone noticed my hard work and commitment to my job."

Stephanie's Feedback

Excellent response! You articulate very clearly how you like to be recognized for your accomplishments.

Anonymous Answer

"What drives me is the impact I can have on my team and organization. It's all about winning and performance. Added responsibility would be ideal for me."

Cindy's Feedback

Great. Recognition by being trusted to handle more responsibility is the gold standard of recognition. You can expand by adding an example, which would showcase your potential value as well as answer the question.

Anonymous Answer

"I would like to be recognized through the unit-wide email where my accomplishment would be made known to other members of the unit."

Stephanie's Feedback

Great; everyone likes to be acknowledged at work a bit differently, and it's evident from your response that you've given thought to how you like to be celebrated for your accomplishments.

Anonymous Answer

"I like to be recognized through bonuses in pay. I am very driven to be successful."

Stephanie's Feedback

It sounds like you're very self-aware! You understand how you like to be recognized and what motivates you in the workplace. Because not every employer has the ability to provide cash bonuses or other perks, you may wish to consider sharing other ways you like to be recognized (for example: verbal praise, schedule flexibility, etc.) It may be helpful to do some research on the company and compensation, so you're not asking for something they are unable to provide.

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.

Answer Example

"I enjoy seeing my coworkers succeed and will help them whenever possible. One way that I support my coworkers is to help them keep organized by making suggestions on new tools that I have discovered. I had one coworker with a brand new smartphone, and she wasn't sure all the ways it could be utilized to make her day better. I spent my lunch hour helping her set it up. She was golden, after that!"

Admin

"I work closely with accounts payable, ensuring our bills are paid on time. However, my coworker in accounts receivable was struggling to obtain payments from customers. I stepped in and helped her make collection calls one day, knowing that my work could wait until tomorrow. I could see she was drowning and discouraged, so it was the team-oriented thing to do."

Manager

"When a new hire starts, I have become the de-facto go-to for shadowing. I always make sure to introduce myself to new-hires immediately. I schedule time for them to sit down with me and shadow what I do and how I do it. I want to see everyone succeed and, since there is no real training program in our company, I feel I need to be the change maker in the organization."

Marketing

"Nearing the end of Q4 last year, all of those who had not reached their content quota were facing potential layoff. I was 123% to quota, and my co-worker was struggling at 98%. I transferred a small client to him which pushed him to 104%. He was a strong team member, and I didn't want to see him lose his job for one difficult year."

Retail

"I had a coworker with a customer who tried on nearly everything in the store! She didn't end up buying a thing but left the change room a complete disaster. I helped my colleague fold and put everything away. If she were on her own, it would have taken her off the floor for so long that she would have lost out on a ton of potential commission."

Sales

"As a sales manager, my team is only as successful as the lowest producing employee. It is imperative that my entire team is motivated, engaged, and on point with their KPIs. Last month I hired a new employee who was struggling significantly with sales. I sat him down and realized that he didn't understand the product. We spent a few hours together over that next week learning the product. In the end, his sales increased by 64%, and he was significantly more confident. It helped the team morale as well."

Teacher

"I recently helped a coworker with marking their students' final papers. She had encountered a health issue earlier and, due to that, was running behind on her work. It always feels nice to help someone out and, I know she would return the favor if I ever needed."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I enjoy my co-worker's success because I love high performance. In my previous role, I was given the responsibility of restructuring data for our clients. A fellow intern had less experience with this process, I mentored her and also stayed after work to make sure she understood how to do it."

Cindy's Feedback

Great. Helping a coworker in this manner is a good way to demonstrate your commitment to a high-performing team. You can expand by discussing specifically how you assisted.

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Anonymous Answer

"When I was a sales manager, I used to track the progress of all the new hires. Occasionally there would be a rep whose figures weren't on target. I'd make a point of shadowing the rep on a few calls and help them with their product knowledge of sales techniques. Sometimes if a sales opportunity landed on my desk, I'd give to a rep that I felt was having a bad month and could do with a morale boost."

Kevin's Feedback

This is a very hands-on approach. Nice answer, and it shows that you care. I've modified your answer slightly to emphasize some of your big-picture thinking.

"When I was a sales manager, I used to track the progress of all the new hires. Occasionally, a rep’s figures weren’t on target. So, recognizing that sales can be competitive, and often an individual can end up fed to the sharks, per se, you have to be able to identify such growth opportunities early on. So, often there’s the opportunity to mentor them, setting them up with the right tools and techniques to foster their success. So, on those occasions, I’d make a point of shadowing the rep on a few calls and help them with their product knowledge of sales techniques. Sometimes if a sales opportunity landed on my desk, I’d give to a rep that I felt was having a bad month and could do with a morale boost."

Anonymous Answer

"I worked with a young woman in sales who had just graduated and it was her first sales role. She needed to create a territory that had not been active in some time. I made sure to call her and give advice and always answer any questions that she had. She soon grew confident and slowly grew her territory. She is still a close friend."

Stephanie's Feedback

You sound like an excellent colleague! To take this answer to the next level, I suggest providing specific examples of what happened as a result of this mentorship that you provided. You mentioned that this colleague grew her territory. If you're able to, I suggest quantifying that (Example: "She grew her sales by X amount, increased revenue by X percent, or obtained X number of new clients as a result."

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.

Answer Example

"In my current position I am expected to cold call 100 customers per week. Most of our associates will break this down into 20 per day, five days per week. What has attributed greatly to my success in this role is that I call 50 customers each day for the first two days and then have time to make additional calls throughout the week. This action equals a 25% surplus of cold calls to my portfolio. I am always ahead of target by going over and above that cold calling schedule."

Admin

"In my current role, I was given the task of migrating our payroll system to a new provider. I completed the project two weeks ahead of schedule allowing us to start the new service sooner."

Manager

"It drives me crazy, not being early. In my first job, at sixteen, I was told the adage, 'If you are not 10 minutes early, you are late', and it has stuck with me. I apply this same logic to how I train my team and their level of reliability. Gaining buy-in from my team is very important to me, and this is where I started with them. Every member of my team is early to client meetings, deliver their work before the deadline, and are eager to show up before ever being asked."

Marketing

"The majority of my projects are completed ahead of schedule. I believe that my clients deserve the best of me and I will work overtime when I can to deliver faster than expected. For instance, I had a client who was releasing their new brand strategy for January 1. The deadline was right around Christmas but, rather than stressing their team out by delivering on time and right around the holidays, I worked overtime every day for the first two weeks of December, to ensure timely delivery."

Retail

"Every month our store is given until the last Monday of the month to submit our inventory counts. This month I decided that my team would be better off having the count complete before the weekend rush hit. We submitted our inventory count by the Thursday afternoon. I plan to make this a habit every month, moving forward."

Sales

"I'm required to make 100 calls with 70 minutes talk time, and two appointments set daily. I prefer to set goals at about 125% to target. I never want to get myself into a situation where I cannot hit a simple metric like calls made or talk time, by being complacent. I cannot control if a customer shows up for a meeting that we've set, but I certainly can overachieve the call volume to attempt to mitigate a pipeline problem in the future."

Teacher

"I completed my quarterly student reviews five days ahead of schedule this last time around. I worked so hard and put my nose to the grindstone for a week. It was well worth the added effort not to feel the pressure of a looming deadline."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"In my role as a Finance team leader, there was a migration of task from my team to another; I had two months to clear the accounts and queries still pending before the hand over. I delegated some of my task to the rest of my team to have more time to focus in the accounts, as I knew pretty well the accounts and I was able to spot the reasons of the difference I could find. I finished the clearing of the pending job in less than a month and the migration could be done earlier than expected. This gave me the opportunity to have more time to provide a proper training for the new team."

Cindy's Feedback

Nice! Can you expand with details about how you achieved this feat? What organization skills did you use? How did you prioritize?

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Anonymous Answer

"In my previous role as a technology intern. I was always given the task of restructuring data for clients. I always completed this before the deadline, allowing the client to receive service quicker."

Cindy's Feedback

Good! You're following an effective format for answering these questions: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. I would recommend expanding on the actions you took to get to your good result. How did you organize your time (for example) to deliver before the deadline? What strategies did you employ?

Anonymous Answer

"In my current MS program, we were asked to work on a data analytics project where we need to work on data and extract some insights from it. We as a team decided to work on the USA nutrient data set. I came up with the plan to complete the project before the deadline which includes: explore the data individually and come with individual findings and suggest the techniques to be used, discuss the ideas and make a decision on them and set up the roadmap for the tasks. For keeping all the work on schedule, we set up 5-minute stand-up calls every alternate day to discuss the status of the individual work, identify any impediments and come up with an action plan to resolve them. Constant communication and working on the roadmap made sure we were on schedule, therefore, we were able to complete our project one week before the submission date."

Marcie's Feedback

Excellent answer! You provide a very thorough example of a time when you led a project that was ultimately successful and completed before the deadline. Great job! Any interviewer would be impressed by this example and your leadership role in it.

Anonymous Answer

"As a member of the Best Practice Committee of my previous job, we were required to identify issues that we thought were negatively affecting patients on our unities, and we were to come up with plans to improve those issues. We were told to submit the document 2 weeks prior to our committee meeting date. I always submitted my document prior to the deadline. My last project was ____________."

Stephanie's Feedback

Good response; you provide specific examples of how you are able to execute projects ahead of schedule, while also providing a bit of insight into your previous role.

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.

Answer Example

"In my most recent position we had an ongoing concern with our most popular stock depleting before the new shipment would come in. Customers would become annoyed and upset, which then became an issue for me as the customer service manager. I decided to document the cycle and then approach the inventory manager about my concern. We were able to work on a solution for ordering from that particular supplier. In the end, this solved the majority of supply issues."

Admin

"Clear communication was an ongoing problem in our office when I first started as senior administrator. With the support of management, the use of Microsoft Project, and a weekly status email template, we quickly overcame the communication issues. All five of our departments are now talking to each other instead of pointing fingers."

Manager

"In my current position, one ongoing problem is the gossip and separation in the workplace between the warehouse staff and the sales team. I have begun to overcome this by implementing weekly lunch and learns where everyone is welcome. The topics are focused on a variety of situations that we all face in the company. I feel that the better we all understand each other's jobs and functions, the better we can all get along. So far this tactic has been working very well."

Marketing

"An ongoing issue in our marketing department was a lack of funds allocated to the projects that our board had already approved. It seemed as though they wanted us to perform miracles with very little financial support. To overcome this, we created a catchy new hashtag, and it ended up going viral on Instagram. Luckily we did not have to spend funds to make this happen, and we were able to promote our product to an audience much larger than we thought possible."

Retail

"Staff turnover is almost always an ongoing problem in my current position. The company does not pay a high commission, and often our top sales reps are recruited by competitors. I made a recommendation to head office that they incorporate a deeper staff discount as well as one flex day per month. It would cost the organization less money than a raise but would still be enough to satisfy employees who were on the fence."

Sales

"Lately the senior sales team has found that our sales assistants had oversold or misrepresented aspects of our product to our clients. It seemed that either they were poorly trained or were so eager to get the "yes" the setting an appointment, that they failed to mention important caveats. Booking appointments are the main KPI the assistants need to reach, which created some glitches when it came to honesty in our product. To overcome this, our sales manager had us collaborate and create a training manual, scripts included, for our sales assistants. By bringing it back to the basics and making sure everyone received proper training, we saw a huge improvement in client satisfaction."

Teacher

"In my last teaching position, we had a lot of trouble with parent participation and volunteerism. A strong percentage of our parent body were single parents who could not afford to take a day off from work to volunteer. Our faculty came up with the idea of looking for senior citizen volunteers from our community. They were, of course, background checked before being approved. It was adorable to see the young students interacting with the seniors and the seniors cherished the opportunity to support the children in their community."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"The ongoing problem in my previous job was inappropriate documentation of total care patient positioning. Total care pts are pts that are not able to take care of or reposition themselves. However, RN & CNAs kept documenting that patient position self or pt refused, and we were getting a lot of pressure sores on the unit. So I told my assistant nurse manager to initiate a plan where the position of total pts will be documented during rounds using the full circle, L, R, B, instead of documenting, pt position self. This strategy helped to decrease pressure sores on our unit."

Stephanie's Feedback

Excellent response! You do a wonderful job of stating what the issue was, how you worked to overcome that challenge, and what the outcome was.

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Anonymous Answer

"When I was selling merchandise at Wembley stadium, many employees would accidentally take fake money. This could be avoided by using a special pen. I was determined to never take a fake note and I succeeded because I never switched off."

Kevin's Feedback

Interesting! So your diligence and care are what led to the good result? Expand on how you managed this to add color to your answer.

"Fake notes being passed as currency was a common issue for anyone selling merchandise at Wembley stadium. Many employees fell victim to accidentally taking fake money. Yet it was easily avoided by using a special pen everyone was equipped with. I was determined to never take a fake note, but I was the exception. Everyone, it seemed to me, got too wrapped up in the high demand, high stress, fast-paced environment that they often sacrificed this step to keep up. Later, they’d realize they took fake notes, which contributed to their stress, which resulted in them tripping over their own feet and repeating their easily avoidable mistakes. I guess I have no issues remaining calm, not allowing my stress to dictate my work style, and I therefore rarely make such mistakes which would stress me out. Stress so often is self fulfilled. I call it little-big-picture thinking."

Anonymous Answer

"In one of my former companies, we needed to generate the monthly revenue cycle analytics for 100 plus health care organizations who were the company's customers. For this to happen we need to perform the ETL process for every customer within the first 10 days of every month sometimes process used fails because of incorrect files which cause the rework and loss of time. I created the metadata file for the data which we were expected from the customers. With the help of theses metadata file, we were able to create an automated profiling system that profiles and validate the files that are expected from the customers before the ETL process which reduces the rework by 30% and reduce the processing time by 20%."

Marcie's Feedback

Excellent example! It sounds like you were able to add a new and very helpful component to the process that ended up saving both time and effort. Including statistics in your answer also helps to strengthen it. Great job!

Anonymous Answer

"At my previous job, I was caught in between my supervisor and the production manager when my boss wanted the new laser manufacturing instructions to be written at a level for experience technicians and the production manager wanted them written at the level of a trainee. I explained to the production manager that I had to write to the level of an experienced technician but that I would extract all the training info and publish it in a standalone document and link it to each of the lower-level documents if the need for reference. He agreed to it and I never had a problem with him again."

Cindy's Feedback

Good! You are showing good problem-solving and diplomacy skills.

Anonymous Answer

"When covid samples were back-ordered a lot. I just communicated with all the offices I called on and explained the situation and kept that strong relationship with them. I communicated constantly so they were never wondering where we were in the process of receiving samples. The fact I was on top of the situation kept them at ease."

Stephanie's Feedback

It sounds like you practiced great communication skills and problem-solving skills here. Good for you!

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.

Answer Example

"My most recent employer had a solid interest in giving back to the community. So much so that we, as a group, logged our volunteer hours which were treated as another KPI. We would review our community contributions on a quarterly basis. Our goal was always to hit a minimum of 500 volunteer hours per quarter which meant that everyone would volunteer one day per month. It was a great initiative and one that I happily participated in."

Admin

"Every quarter, I commit to working overtime to complete our quarterly inventory counts. Our goal is to be the store with the most accurate inventory count, and we have been able to achieve that for the past two years."

Manager

"I once challenged and pushed my team to a 15% increase in productivity on the last day of the month, to meet our production goal. It was a tough challenge, but we all felt great about the accomplishment in the end."

Marketing

"In my current role, all of our client projects are handled collaboratively, through cross-functioning teams. We all contribute in our way to the final project. My biggest contribution has been in guiding and mentoring the apprentices who come to our department. I encourage them to participate in brainstorm meetings, and to whiteboard with us. By actively participating in open workplace culture, we have seen great ideas come from even the most junior marketers."

Retail

"Every holiday season our company sets a goal to raise $50K for the children's hospital. I contributed by committing to ask every customer at the till if they could donate $1, $3, or $5 for the efforts. We surpassed our goal this year, and I am proud of my contribution towards that target."

Sales

"As a senior sales team member, I am held very accountable for company-wide goals. When we were having a slow month, I took it upon myself to come in early and stay late to get my numbers, and therefore my team's numbers, up. This extra effort motivated the vast majority of the sales staff to take the same approach, without direction from leadership. Because of everyone banding together on our terms, we were able to exceed our monthly quota by 124%."

Teacher

"I have our school district's goals in mind every day; however, even more so when I am building or tweaking the curriculum. Recently we went through some staff changes, and I inherited a couple of additional classes. I kept the district's goals in mind while also considering the students' needs."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I previously have undertaken a technology internship at _______ which provides digital products for event management. Ensuring there were no bugs in the software was paramount and also time-consuming. After frequently testing the software, I found that there was no organized method of tracking it. I coordinated with management to develop and implement a new, more efficient software testing template. This was imported into the in-house system and each element of the testing process was given a red, amber, or green mark. This resulted in easier testing that could be tracked which saved time for analyzing the results."

Cindy's Feedback

Amazing! This is a great example and an extremely effective way to show how you'd take similar initiative in the job. Nice work!

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Anonymous Answer

Cindy's Feedback

Amazing! This is a great example and an extremely effective way to show how you'd take similar initiative in the job. Nice work!

Anonymous Answer

"A persistent challenge we had on my previous job was a hospital-wide staffing shortage. The hospital implemented a program where RNs & CNAs could sign up for an extra shift for 6 or 12 weeks and get pay extra, plus bonus pay at the end of the term. I didn't sign up for this but I picked 2 shifts every week to help with the shortage, and our unit was over staff almost every week, so we were able to help other units. I am always willing to help fill gaps and support my team whenever the need arises."

Stephanie's Feedback

Staffing shortages are always tough, and you do a good job of showing you were able to help respond to this urgent need.

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.

Answer Example

"In my most recent position we had a consistent problem with employees showing up late for their shifts or calling in sick at the very last moment. Rather than the typical documenting and reprimanding style that management usually takes, I decided to track the results of an accountability reward system. For 180 days, my employees received a reward for coming to work 10 minutes early. Also, for every month with zero sick days, a bonus was added. In the end, we awarded those with perfect attendance a $600 bonus. The bonuses cost us less money, in the end than the cost of lowered productivity due to absent employees. The program was a success, and upper management chose to keep it implemented for another six months. We will reassess in December, but it seems to be working very well."

Admin

"I problem solve quite often at work, primarily with customer resolution. Just yesterday I worked with a customer who was unhappy. Through patient communication, I was able to resolve the complaint and create another returning customer."

Manager

"I am a frequent problem solver. Last week, I was eating lunch in the break room when I noticed a bottleneck of people from the assembly line all trying to get to the microwave and vending machines. It was a jumbled mess of people, and they only have 30 minutes. I developed a plan to rearrange the break room for better flow, and now the lunchtime process runs smoother for the staff. This small change alone made a huge difference in the morale of my staff."

Marketing

"I have been able to resolve many issues over my marketing career, primarily surrounding miscommunications with clients. These resolution skills are one reason why, when landing a Director of Marketing role, I implemented an in-depth client intake questionnaire. With this questionnaire, our new clients, and our projects leads have a solid form to refer to after their initial intake. This method has improved communication significantly."

Retail

"We recently had a concern surrounding employee theft. As the retail store manager, I needed to get to the bottom of the situation before the issue escalated. I called the corporate head office to collaborate on a plan that followed the HR guidelines. I implemented the plan, which included additional security cameras, and we caught the employee on camera shortly after."

Sales

"After meeting with the operational support staff, it was clear that they felt as though they were taken for granted and completely disregarded by the sales staff as a whole. Not only did it make them feel devalued and lower their morale, but that in turn lowered their productivity. Rather than just let these feelings fester, I decided to listen to the ops staff and then bridge the gap with the sales team. By sitting down and having a conversation, and laying out a more effective way of delegating work, everyone walked out feeling better about the job, situation, and their coworkers."

Teacher

"I recently had a student who was very disruptive in class and often accused of bullying. I notified my principal of the situation. She called the parents in for a meeting that she led; however, I was present. We made a behavior action plan for the student with attached consequences should he deviate from the plan. It worked well and nipped the problem in the bud before there was any real emotional damage done to the other students."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"Early in my career, we had an incident where a mobile phone was stolen from a company car in the carpark at lunchtime while the carpark attendant was on lunch. I volunteered to take my lunch in the carpark every day so that it was not unattended during that time."

Rachelle's Feedback

You are showing the interviewer that you are willing to go the extra mile. Good work. If this was very early in your career, try drumming up a more recent example from your current role.

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Anonymous Answer

"A client was having a house blessing. They realized that they were missing an important specialized ingredient pertaining to the blessing. She had no car available to go to the specialized store. I was there because I was the real estate agent. I volunteered to go to the store to pick up the specialized ingredient. She was grateful. The problem was easily solved with my assistance."

Rachelle's Feedback

This answer is a good start! It looks like you are using the STAR framework, which is a great choice! I recommend moving around the details of your story ever so slightly. I've provided a slight revision below.

"While in a clients' home as their real estate agent, the client had a house blessing. Once the blessing was underway, the client realized that they were missing an important specialized ingredient pertaining to the blessing. She had no car available to go to this specialized store. I volunteered to go to the store to pick up the specialized ingredient. My client was most grateful, and the problem was easily solved with my assistance."

Anonymous Answer

Rachelle's Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"¢ S: In my last role as a tutor, I worked with an A-level economics student. Early in this process, I saw that he was struggling with essays even though I had provided him with a solid structure.

"¢ T: I needed to find where my training wasn't effective and help him improve his essay standards.

"¢ A: I took an essay into our next lesson and asked him to plan it in front of me. I noticed he was indecisive when applying what he learned and his arguments were weak. I created a separate lesson plan aimed at applying real-world data.

"¢ R: This successfully took his essays to the next level and also taught me the importance of paying attention to all the details in a process."

Cindy's Feedback

Very good use of the STAR format. You're giving enough detail to show creative problem-solving skills which helps the interviewer envision these skills in action.

Anonymous Answer

"In my current role, the Chair has asked me to identify ways in which the Commission could be more effective and efficient in its work. Drawing on past experiences, I pulled together a strategy for implementing change - from everything from simple IT changes to ideas to improve the outward-facing profile of the Commission. I ensured that each solution was feasible with minimal budgetary impact and has resulted in legal officers having additional time to invest in their daily work."

Chad's Feedback

Your answer demonstrates you are capable of utilizing analytical thinking when problem-solving in the workplace. Good job! Be mindful to avoid shifting verb tense (past vs. present) in your response. I have offered a slight rewording below to ensure the answer is in the past tense.

"In my current role, the Chair of the Commission asked me to identify potential ways in which the board could be more effective and efficient in its work. Drawing on past experiences, I pulled together a strategy for implementing change, considering everything from simple IT changes, to ideas to improve the outward-facing profile of the Commission. I ensured that each solution was feasible with minimal budgetary impact and it resulted in legal officers having additional time to invest in their daily work."

Anonymous Answer

"It was a weekend when my team got multiple high-priority escalations and the person on duty was struggling to get through all the incoming tickets. I contacted my manager and offered to come in to clear the queue because all tickets had to be resolved by the end of the shift. My manager was reluctant at first because I was on holiday, but I insisted and was finally allowed to step in and lend a hand. As a result, my colleague and I were able to close all escalations by the end of our shift."

Marcie's Feedback

Wow. This is an excellent example of going above and beyond for a job and for a colleague too! The interviewer will definitely be impressed by your willingness to sacrifice time off to help out your coworkers and please the company's customers. Great job!

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.

Answer Example

"The greatest cost-cutting measurement that I accomplished at work was through new suggestions for theft prevention. Since we implemented some of my suggestions our loss, due to theft, has decreased by 12%."

Admin

"My biggest cost reducing plan was to source new suppliers for our office supplies. By doing some extra research, I was able to bring costs down by 20% in less than one year."

Manager

"I have been able to present cost-cutting suggestions many times to my previous employer. The one that I feel had the biggest impact was when I suggested additional warehouse staff. We had three various shifts and still an average of 100 hours of overtime per week. I presented to my employer that we hire one more warehouse employee for each shift, keeping the hours to just 120 regular vs. 100 hours of overtime pay (@1.5x) This recommendation saved the company $31,000 per year. They implemented this change across 15 warehouses the following year, amounting to nearly half a million dollars in savings per year."

Marketing

"Cutting costs for clients is always the primary goal in marketing; however, our agency often gets forgotten. We were spending an exponential amount of funds on recruitment, only to have many junior marketers leave us for larger agencies after just one year. For that reason, I made a plan and presented it to our department head. The plan entailed a bonus structure for tenure that would peak at the 24th month of employment, resulting in further employee engagement and, at the very least, doubling average tenure. We just implemented the plan last month, but I am confident in its effectiveness."

Retail

"Retail stores are known for having a lot of paper waste such as tissue, bags, plastic, etc. I came up with a new way of packaging our products that utilizes less paper. In a world where we are all very concerned about the environment, this solution will be widely embraced by our clients. Our head office is currently performing a cost analysis on the changes."

Sales

"My most prominent cost-saving measure comes regarding productivity on my team. I was able to craft email copy that I saved as a template and could send out a dozen emails at a time, all personalized, to targeted audiences to set appointments. I was able to do this multiple times per day, while also making calls, and doubled my productivity. I shared this tactic with the team, and it was implemented across the board. While I was not in a managerial role, I was able to roughly double productivity, thereby preventing the need for new hires and surpassing our financial targets for KPIs and financial metrics."

Teacher

"It's no secret that schools are on tight budgets. We were going through a great deal of paper, which is a cost that adds up. I came up with the idea to implement an app where parents could log in and print their forms, paperwork, and any additional paper-based communication sent back and forth. We are currently testing its effectiveness but so far, so good."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"Letting go of five staff members cut the payroll by 30%: a huge cost-cutting but a difficult time for those losing their job."

Rachelle's Feedback

It's good that you show empathy for those you laid off. If possible, go into some detail on what your superiors asked you to deliver when it came to your budget.

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Anonymous Answer

"Cost savings measures initiated included: moving all Service users still inexpensive B&Bs to a more permanent accommodation; renegotiating Service Level Agreement with Providers, at better prices. Working together with the social workers and Therapists, we managed to move some residents in nursing homes to Supported living accommodation which made a huge difference."

Stephanie's Feedback

You share a number of effective cost-cutting measurements here. If there are any that you are able to actually quantify (example: "This was able to save the company X amount of $$" that would be helpful.)

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.

Answer Example

"In the first 90 days of working for your organization I plan to accomplish a deep understanding of your client portfolio and begin to call on the clients who have been left cold for 60 days or more. I understand these are the most challenging clients to resuscitate, but it's important to me that I begin my new role with a solid challenge."

Admin

"I would like to accomplish a few things in my first 90 days. After giving it some thought, I believe the best action I can take is to get to know each member of the team whom I will be supporting. Some people like communication via phone, some in person, and others prefer a quick email. I plan to learn how everyone prefers to communicate. Next, you mentioned that the electronic filing system is disorganized. I would like to fix that for you, first thing."

Manager

"My 90-day plan is to get your team back on track with their tasks, and boost morale. You mentioned in our last interview that this was your biggest pain point at the moment which is why it will be my first area of accomplishment. I plan to meet with each team member individually and created a performance plan for each. Also, I plan to give an anonymous survey that I can learn more about what motivates the team as a group, and where they want to see change. I plan to reduce turnover to just 5% in the next 12 months."

Marketing

"My first 90 days will be spent getting to know each client on my list, paying them visits or phone calls. I plan to go through each file and find out how we can upsell and tweak their current marketing package. I want to accomplish some impressive new activity and infuse these accounts with fresh creativity."

Retail

"My first 90 days will be spent focused on learning your product. I understand that you have 500 different SKU's and I plan to contribute to your excellent customer service standard by providing second-to-none product knowledge. That would be a great accomplishment for me."

Sales

"In the first 90 days, I plan to fast-track my training by spending time on the weekends and evenings studying hard. I believe in doing everything faster and better so you will see results and accomplishments from me very quickly. I would like to be on a full sales budget in the first 60 days as opposed to your typical 90 days."

Teacher

"My first 90 days will be spent getting to know my students. The accomplishment I want to reach the most is to earn their trust and respect. Once that is established, it will make the school year run that much more smoothly."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I want to meet everyone I will be working with and build relationships with them in the first 90 days. I'd like to see myself to be an invaluable member of the team who's input plays a vital role in all the projects I'm working on. I'd like to have led and completed at least one project end-to-end."

Rachelle's Feedback

These are all excellent 90-day goals! Very realistic and achievable.

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Anonymous Answer

"I will make sure to hit all of the goals given to me plus the ones I will give myself. I will be a strong team player and really soak up everything I can to be an expert in my position and a go-to for others."

Stephanie's Feedback

You sound very motivated, but I encourage you to share what specific goal you'd give yourself to work towards in your first 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, how would you know if you'd been successful? You want your interviewer to feel very confident in you and your ability to dive in and get things done!

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.

Answer Example

"This year I have been working towards my Masters' in Accounting while also working full time. This effort has been challenging and rewarding all at the same time. My graduation date is this May, so that is the most significant achievement on the horizon."

Admin

"The most significant achievement on the horizon for me is the completion of my Advanced Excel and MS courses. I have learned a great deal, and have a few modules to go. I look forward to applying these new skills to this role with your company!"

Manager

"There are a few accomplishments on the horizon for me. Next month will mark 12 months accident-free in the warehouse which I supervise. The end of this year will also mark the lowest employee turnover rate that my current company has seen in their entire history. I look forward to making big strides with your organization, as well."

Marketing

"I have some great accomplishments on the horizon including the launch of my biggest clients' digital marketing strategy later this month. This account is the biggest that I have worked with, and it's a fascinating campaign. With that said, I look forward to joining your organization and working with large clients like this more often."

Retail

"I am graduating with my business administration degree this month and will be ready for full-time work! I am excited to get my career started!"

Sales

"On the horizon for me right now is finishing this quarter, top in my company. My sales goal for Q2 was $65,000, and I am currently at $98,000. I seek to tip the scales at over $100K in sales. I love competition so being top of the pack in my organization is very exciting to me."

Teacher

"I am relocating at the moment so on the horizon for me, and a great accomplishment will be to land a wonderful teaching job at a school in our new region. I am excited about the change this season will bring myself and my family."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I'm studying a web development course which will be completed in the next two months. That will be a significant personal achievement on completion."

Rachelle's Feedback

This is a wonderful achievement.

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Anonymous Answer

"I am currently working toward the certified associate Tableau qualification as well as completing advanced Excel courses. It is the start of a journey to master software such as SQL, and Python."

Cindy's Feedback

Great. It's a very good idea to showcase those learning achievements that contribute to the workplace. I also like the act that you're talking about past and future achievements which implies that you value continuous learning.

Anonymous Answer

"I hope to one day be at the top of the company in sales. I want to get to know everyone that I can and build really strong relationships and have a wonderful career that is my family as well."

Stephanie's Feedback

Since this question asks for the "most significant achievement," I suggest just focusing on one future achievement you're hoping for (such as being the top salesperson in the company) and then developing your answer a bit more to share how you plan to achieve that goal. Focusing on one major goal will lead to a more effective response than briefly mentioning several goals.