Accomplishments, achievements, or success stories are the most powerful elements that define you and your personality. This not only gives you immense confidence but also stretches your imagination to things never seen or experienced before. Hence, this is a common interview question through which an interviewer wants to know your modus operandi, your approach towards a particular situation, and your work ethics.
Three Best Tips To Ace This Question
1) One Big or Two Short Accomplishments
We all accomplish and pass several hurdles in life. Be it the passing of first grade of school or be it learning to drive a car. You might have a thousand accomplishments throughout your life span, but over here, you are required to pick at least two major accomplishments and prepare your answer for them. If your story is elaborated, then respond with only one achievement, and if it is too short then go on to add another short accomplishment to your answer.
2) Align It With Job Description
Since there is an abundance of accomplishments from which one can pick, this selection influences the interviewers in a major way. Your accomplishment must match and correspond or relate to at least one major duty mentioned in the job description served upon you by your employer. This will make you a worthy asset for the organization and will increase your chances of selection considerably.
3) Never Sound Haughty While Responding
Accomplishments have the power to give you immense satisfaction and pleasure while boosting your confidence level to a great extent. Success is desired by all the people around the globe, but unfortunately, only a few can handle it and save themselves from the negative effects of success. IT can make you overconfident and you might become arrogant and haughty. It is strictly advisable, that you never become arrogant while narrating your answer or success story and control your emotions in an expert manner.
Ten Best Answers To Study
Sample Answer One
There have been several success stories involving me directly. I will pick one major accomplishment of mine. While working as a junior accountant during my previous stint, I came across a situation wherein I had to transform all the financial data of our clients onto a new accounting software. The task was too daunting and laborious at the first glance and almost all the members of my team shied away from the responsibility. But, I thought of giving it a shot and was able to accomplish it two days earlier.
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Sample Answer Two
Accomplishments and failures are a part of life. One must embrace every opportunity and leave the result in the hands of the almighty. I remember an instance when I was given a task to achieve my target within 15 days, whereas the usual time was 25-28 days. At first, I thought of quitting, but I was positively counseled by a colleague of mine and I took up the challenge. I was able to nail it within 14 days and earned wide recognition. This is my biggest accomplishment till now.
Sample Answer Three
There was a point in time when I was working with ABC Manufacturing Corporation, that a union of daily wagers and laborers went on strike demanding an increase in wages and bonus rates. I was a fresher then and was supposed to manage and counsel the protesting union leaders. The task was too daunting and intimidating at first, but I thought to give it a shot. I used my speech and communication skills efficiently and was able to convince them. I am really proud of this accomplishment.
Sample Answer Four
During my previous stint, I remember an instance when 3 out of 5 team members went on leaves due to genuine reasons. I and one more team member of mine was told to manage and accommodate. This simply meant that we had to work for long hours and have to finish the tasks of the absent team members as well. This was really frightening and laborious at first, but both decided to pick up the gauntlet. Initially, the days were too frustrating and hectic, but never quit and nailed the challenge thrown upon us.
Sample Answer Five (For Freshers)
Being a fresher, this is my first job application and I sincerely apologize for my shortcoming of not able to express any real-life professional accomplishment. However, there have been several achievements of mine during my academic career. I will pick two major ones. I was the only candidate in my college to have won a Mathematics Olympiad and I have cleared the tough CFA examinations in my very first attempt, that too when the passing percentage too was quite low. I am really proud of these achievements. But, I never let success seep through my head and always remain calm and humble.
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Sample Answer Six
Accomplishments give you happiness and a sense of euphoria. There have been several similar instances in my life. Once, during my internship days, I was able to complete a tough and demanding task in half the time. This boosted my confidence a lot. Post my graduation, I joined ABC Wealth Management Group and encountered a similar situation wherein I have to acquire a wealthy and important customer. It was a break or make the situation for me, but I used my confidence level and fluent speech, to impress him. I succeeded and acquired him.
Sample Answer Seven
There have been so many accomplishments in both my academic as well as professional life. But, I will pick from my academic life, which still inspires me and compels me to work harder. I secured Rank 2 in the national entrance examination, with the total number of applicants or candidates as high as 3 million. I worked very hard and burned a lot of midnight oil, to get success. Finally, I got the desired outcome and got something to be proud of.
Sample Answer Eight
I remember, 4 years back, I joined ABC Construction Company as a project supervisor. It was my major duty to manage the project and determine the budget requirements to efficiently complete the project. All my predecessors were working on a budget size of $50,000 to $60,000. But, I applied a lot of preliminary investigations and analyses to identify the true cost of the project. As a result, I gave a figure of $40,000. My manager was apprehensive initially and cast serious doubt on my ability. But, I got the desired outcome and was able to finish the project within that cost.
Sample Answer Nine
We all do efforts in our life, some prove successful and some futile. I have also tasted successes and defeats throughout my life. But, I still remember and cherish an event, when I volunteered for a Teaching campaign, managed by ABC Welfare NGO. We went to rural areas of our town and educated, poor kids and young adults, in various niches ranging from basic mathematical operations to financial literacy. This is my biggest accomplishment this far.
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Sample Answer Ten
The biggest accomplishment in my life was the day, I got admitted to the esteemed ABC College of education. It was a really proud moment for me, as this college only admits 0.20% of the total applications. It also ranks in the top 5 colleges all over the world. This is an achievement of mine that I will cherish and celebrate throughout my life.
Conclusion
An interviewer is always interested in knowing your accomplishments to become aware of several things such as your core values, work ethics, and the manner in which you became successful. The success stories you will pick for this answer leave a major influence on your interviewer and play a crucial role in the ultimate selection decision. If you like our articles then don’t forget to share them with your family and friends. Also, do let us know through the comments section below, how much you like our articles.
References
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/62d7592038dd059121f8587eddca9a88/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=37099
- http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/35/1/71.short
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