How do you know if you're doing a good job?
The interviewer would like to know how active you are when monitoring your work performance. The goal of your response is to provide evidence that you are meaningful in your work and accountable for the results you generate.
"My current boss is great at giving me praise and feedback regularly. Also, I know I am doing a good job when my company offers me more exposure to our high-profile clients. Only those who put their best foot forward get opportunities to represent the company. When offered a chance to present to a large client, I appreciated the trust that my boss extended to me. It made me want to shine and continue to do my best work."
"I know that I am doing my best work when offered more autonomy and when my employer offers me more significant projects. If I were falling behind in my responsibilities, my manager would not give me more tasks. By expanding my responsibilities and giving me more room for independent work, they are showing me that they trust my work ethic and the quality of my deliverables."
Avoid responding in a way that makes it seem like you rarely track your success or progress. Even if you are unhappy in your current work environment, the interviewer shouldn't feel you are 'checked out' of your job. Instead, consider providing a statement like, 'I know I am doing a good job when my co-workers thank me for my contribution and my customers respond positively in their post-service surveys.'
There are many ways to measure your work performance outside of direct feedback from your boss. Common indicators of a job well-done include:
- Being given promotions or more responsibility at work
- Being offered more autonomy
- Being given more significant customer accounts
- Being offered the opportunity to attend a valuable industry networking event
- Being given continuing education opportunities
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Feedback from my clients and my sales results.
Rachelle's Feedback
Can you add in a specific example of positive feedback that you have received from a client lately? If you have stellar sales results, then it will be important to share some of these achievements.
Anonymous Answer
I am an instructional assistant and I hold office hours. I can tell I am doing a good job because my numbers in my office hours are going up every week. I have also gotten feedback from students that they make it a point to attend my office hours, even when their schedule is busy.
Stephanie's Feedback
Your response clearly shows a specific way that you're evaluating your performance (by students attending your office hours.) I would encourage you to provide a few more details to further clarify why an increase in attendance at office hours is an indicator of a job well done. Do students feel connected to you or find you to be trustworthy? Have any students given you specific feedback about office hours being helpful? Sharing this type of information would add additional context to the point you're trying to make.
Anonymous Answer
From the customer's perspective, they are satisfied and I am attending to their needs.
Also from a company perspective, the sales data that I would obtain is showing growth in the areas that I have worked indicating the customer is actioning what was discussed in our face-to-face meeting.
On top of all that I am happy.
Cindy's Feedback
Good! Referencing the customer in this answer shows you've got the right perspective.
Anonymous Answer
This is very important for me to measure my own performing in the job. As a leader, I used a Hoshin Plan to drive breakthrough objectives and KPIs, and the same is fully aligned with my all stakeholders. The performing treads, action plan gives a very visual picture of my performance. I always seek frequent feedback from my team and stakeholders to stay on the same page.
My boss always keeps giving me more challenges, involving me in critical or more impactful projects that give me a sense that I am doing my job well.
Marcie's Feedback
This is a strong response. Great job! It sounds like you recognize the importance of measuring your own work performance, which is great. How did you learn about the Hoshin Plan? Maybe you can talk a bit more about how you discovered that and why you choose to use that method? Otherwise, you've done an excellent job of showing all the ways you monitor yourself to ensure you're doing a good job.
Anonymous Answer
I am given more responsibility in the role. Bigger projects, and tasks, with less input from my manager on dealing with them. I know the support would be there if I needed it but this shows that they are confident and trust me to do the work given independently. Also being put forward for promotion. I was put forward for the territory manager role by my manager having only been in the business for a few months demonstrating to me that I had been performing well enough for them to see the potential in me for this job as opposed to hiring a more experienced applicant.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! Being given more responsibility, needing less oversight, and being promoted are all definitely ways to know that you are succeeding within your position. Including the example of your promotion further strengthens your answer. Excellent!
Anonymous Answer
Currently, the only way I know I am doing a good job for my company is based on performance. When it comes to a customer, I know when they give me praise, make another purchase from me, or refer another customer to me. In my last job, it was when the boss, an employee, or a customer gave me praise. I always appreciate it but I do not require a lot of praise as long as I know I'm doing a good job. I would assume as an associate, I would know when they start giving me more freedom or give me my own territory.
Stephanie's Feedback
This is a great start, but I suggest adding in quantitative performance measures too, if possible. For example, are there specific numeric goals that you're charged with meeting? How has your performance been in this area?
Anonymous Answer
Outside of direct feedback and hitting goals, I know I'm doing a good job when my projects or teams are creating additional value for the company. Example:
Stephanie's Feedback
This is a great start but would be even better with a specific example!
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