How to Answer: Do you consider yourself an overachiever? Why or why not?
30. Do you consider yourself an overachiever? Why or why not?
The Goal
The interviewer wants to know if you resonate with being an overachiever. Overachieving can lead to fast-tracked success in your personal and professional life; however, it's also a fast way to experience burnout. The goal of your response is to assure the interviewer that you are a focused professional, ready to make an impact while also maintaining a healthy balance between work and rest.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
What to Avoid
Avoid giving a response that makes you look like an invincible workaholic. Being an overachiever can sound great at first. However, many hiring companies now know that overachieving can lead to burnout. Instead of attaching your entire self-worth to your successes, be ready to show the interviewer that you understand the importance of healthy achievement and realistic goal-setting.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Pro Tip
First, define what you believe to be overachieving. By definition, overachievers 'perform better or achieve more success than expected.' There are a variety of indicators that you are an overachiever. These include:
- You judge your worthiness on how well you perform a task or complete a goal
- You are hyper-focused on avoiding failure
- You often overcommit and stay late to achieve more at work
- You struggle with taking feedback or criticism because it feels like a failure
- You are always focusing on what's next
- Your friends and family often refer to you as a perfectionist
It may seem now that it isn't a great thing to be considered an overachiever. If you do resonate with being an overachiever, this is entirely okay! It's essential, however, that you express to the interviewer that the rewards of your overachieving nature outweigh the sacrifice.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"I like to take my goals and targets and achieve more than expected. With that said, I do not struggle with feelings of perfectionism. I like to gain feedback from my managers so that I can improve. It's important that I achieve and not fail; however, I still understand that failure is a part of life. When I do not achieve a goal, I pick myself back up and try again rather than internalize the failure."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"I was most certainly an overachiever when attending university. I was the first in my family to attend post-secondary schooling, and thus, I put a great deal of pressure on myself to achieve perfect grades. This overachieving led to burnout quickly. Although I am proud of my GPA, I placed a lot of energy, after graduation, into securing a better balance between achieving my goals and making myself happy. Now, in my personal and professional life, I can maintain a high output of performance without exhausting myself."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Kevin's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Stephanie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Cindy's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Stephanie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
I strongly believe to do everything right the first time and to always involve my team. I seek feedback and always want to do my best. I have received many awards and recognitions. I received company excellence awards in 2017 and 2018 and CEO awards for the best-performing unit in 2013 and 2017."
Marcie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Marcie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Stephanie's Feedback