What is Your Greatest Professional Achievement? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

You got to know from someone that this question is likely to pop up in your interview? There were probably right. This is a really common question “What is your greatest achievement?”. Now let’s come to talk about how to answer this. It’s simple if you grasp it right and it’s difficult if you don’t. So read with great interest maybe I’ll help you get your next job.

Sample Answer for “What’s your greatest professional achievement?”

Sample Answer 1

“My greatest professional achievement would be when I lead a twelve-man team. It is not that I have not to lead bigger teams, I have. What makes that particular incident stand out so much is that we finished our project two days before the deadline. In the extra two days, we spent ourselves testing that everything was working fine and there were no issues in the program. This is the only time in my whole career that we have faced not a single issue. I think that was because I had good relations with all my co-workers. In the end, the client was happy and the whole team enjoyed working on the project. That is what I consider my greatest professional achievement.”

Sample Answer 2

“Once my firm had me working on a solo project. The project wasn’t very much valued by my superior as the client was someone new and it was a small project. However, because it was my first ever solo project I gave it my best and the result exceeded my and my superior’s expectations. The client was so please with the creativity I had shown in a small-time project that they entered into a long-standing agreement with my firm. I was praised and appreciated by all of my colleagues and superiors.”

Sample Answer 3

“My greatest professional achievement was helping my last employer out of troubling waters in respect to the marketing department. At the time of my joining the entire team was struggling to even hit the quarterly goals, and I was hired to make a new marketing plan, which I made and implemented without any guidance. In under 6 months, we were hitting 15% to 20% above the set targets. That is what I label as my greatest professional achievement.”

Sample Answer 4

“My last employer had a rough time with hitting the mark in concerns to preparing promotional activities. However, it was not their fault as they were a small company and had little funds left for anything other than the product. Which is a smart and commendable way to manage your funds. While employed as a marketing supervisor, I did the work and made plans for 2 promotional events which were very low-cost. Keeping in mind what my company could do in terms of funds for the event. Both the events were a major success and brought my company a lot of new clients. I think my ability to think and manage is really important for my post, and that achievement helped me to prove it to others and to myself.”

Sample Answer 5

“I once had to work in sales and customer services at the same time. I had my hands full with the amount of work that I had to do. I did my level best gave a 102% of my capabilities in my work. I was worried that it wasn’t going to pay off, however at that time I had the highest ranking in customer satisfaction and was also the #1 in sales. I received recognition, a bonus, and a plaque that said “employee of the month”. That was not only the biggest achievement in my professional life it was also a personal lesson saying hard work always pays off.”

Sample Answer 6

” I was working as a resident advisor for the local college. One of the students there had a problem with his conditions for living. His family has had some financial issues there was money due for his tuition fees and if that would not have been paid he would not have been able to give his exams that year. We started a fundraiser and that helped him with his money issues. He was able to give the tuition fees that allowed him to give his exams.”

Sample Answer 7

“I am just starting my professional career, and am yet to achieve something that I can label as my greatest achievement ever. I am willing to give my level best for my first employer and earn something worth calling the greatest achievement. However, if you insist on knowing what I consider my greatest achievement it would be my master’s degree. I achieved my degree with an overwhelming score and that is what I consider my greatest achievement yet.”

Sample Answer 8

” My career hitherto comprises of high and lows, mostly lows. The last job I worked was really tough and not good for me. I struggled to fit in the team I was assigned to, due to me being an outcast of the team my work was overshadowed and my superior was really not concerned with me and I wasn’t able to achieve anything significant. I hope in your company I won’t have to face the same issues, as I have heard that you people have one of the best work environments. I hope my superiors here will listen to what I have to say and I can have my big achievements.”

Sample Answer 9

“This is my very first job, so it is hard to pinpoint my greatest professional achievement. However, I have 3 foreign languages under my belt at the age of 23 and I think that can really help me in my job. Your company is a multi-national corporation and you have a lot of foreign clients, and I think my skills can really benifit the post.”

Sample Answer 10

“That question is more suited for my former employer. While I was working there I climbed up the ladder in my career. I had a lot of promotions in the company I was working for, and I’d say they were all well deserved. I helped the company to get a lot of good clients and also helped them to negotiate a better deal with the supplier. All in all I contributed a lot to the success of my former employer, and that I think was a big achievement.”

These were all the examples I fabricated to provide you with an understanding of how to answer the question “What is your greatest professional achievement?”. Keep in mind these were example to only give you familiarity of your own. You need to introspect and find out and fabricate a good answer for yourself on your own. I wish you good luck for your next interview and job. So, if you liked this article I would urge you to share it and comment your thoughts about it.

References

1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=__CvAFrcWY0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=what+is+your+greatest+professional+achievement&ots=lLF3bUBf11&sig=2imT25btPmR-q_8CNL20aupWwIA
2. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED448535