What does being competitive mean to you, and how competitive are you?
The interviewer would like to know that your level of ambition is a match for the company and the job. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you will bring a consistent and appropriate amount of competitiveness to the role. Express that you view workplace competitiveness as an opportunity to learn and grow.
"Being competitive means that I am focused on winning. This can mean winning independently or as a team. On a scale of 1-10, I would rank my competitiveness at an 8. I like to compete internally, creating small personal milestones and connecting them to a time limit. For instance, if I complete the data entry for 50 new customers in under three hours, I reward myself with a quick coffee break. I often carry on this internal competition throughout the day until all of my tasks are complete. When it comes to being competitive in a team setting, I spend most of my time uplifting my coworkers and helping them succeed. When my co-workers win, so do I."
"To be competitive is to be eager to succeed. I have a competitive personality that stems from my years of participating in high school and college-level team sports. I learned to be competitive in my performance while encouraging my teammates to give their best. I am always striving to be better."
Avoid giving the impression that you are a ruthlessly competitive person. The interviewer does not want to detect combativeness. Instead, they want to know that your level of ambition will complement the hiring company's values and align with the goals and personality of its existing team members.
When you answer, consider telling a brief story that supports your response. Be prepared to talk about a time you were placed in a competitive situation and thrived. Your example should be work-related. If you are new to your career, consider providing an example from school or sports.
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
For me, it means when peers challenge each other to be better or deliver better. I do not consider myself competitive, but I do like to show results, and I do put playful competition into play. For example, if we said completing performance reviews on time was a key metric, I would then post the results by department monthly. I find that departments naturally compete with each other to attain better numbers.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is an excellent example of creativity and competition in motion. Also, you present a very unique and thoughtful definition of competition.
