How to answer “What Is Your Greatest Achievement” in an Interview?

Why Does Interviewer Ask This Question?

There are a few reasons why an interviewer might ask a candidate to describe their greatest achievement:

To Get A Sense Of The Candidate’s Communication Skills: The ability to clearly and effectively communicate one’s thoughts and ideas is an important skill in many jobs. By asking a candidate to describe their greatest achievement, the interviewer can get a sense of the candidate’s ability to articulate their thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner.

To Get A Sense Of The Candidate’s Problem-Solving Skills: Describing a significant achievement often requires a candidate to think about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. This can give the interviewer an idea of the candidate’s problem-solving skills and ability to think on their feet.

To Get A Sense Of The Candidate’s Ability To Think Critically: Describing an achievement in detail often requires a candidate to think critically about the experience and reflect on what they learned from it. This can give the interviewer an idea of the candidate’s ability to think critically and analyze their own experiences.

To Get A Sense Of The Candidate’s Passion And Drive: Describing a significant achievement often requires a candidate to talk about their motivations and the effort they put into achieving their goal. This can give the interviewer an idea of the candidate’s passion and drive, and whether they are likely to be motivated and engaged in their work.

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5 Tips To Answer This Question

Identifying And Clearly Stating Your Greatest Achievement: The first step in writing about your greatest achievement is to identify what it is. Take some time to think about your personal, academic, and professional accomplishments, and choose the one that you are most proud of. Be specific and try to quantify the impact of your achievement if possible.
Providing Context: In order to fully understand the significance of your achievement, it’s important to provide some context. This could include information about the challenges you faced, the resources you had available to you, and any other relevant details.
Describing The Process You Went Through: Once you’ve identified your achievement and provided some context, the next step is to describe the process you went through to achieve it. This could include any planning, research, or problem-solving that was involved. Be sure to highlight any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
Discussing The Impact Of Your Achievement: After you’ve described the process you went through to achieve your greatest accomplishment, it’s important to talk about the impact it had. This could be on your personal or professional development, on your community or organization, or on society at large.
Reflecting On What You Learned: Finally, take some time to reflect on what you learned from this experience. What skills or insights did you gain that have been valuable to you in other areas of your life? How has this achievement influenced your future goals and aspirations?

Overall, when writing about your greatest achievement, it’s important to be specific, provide context, describe the process you went through, discuss the impact of your achievement, and reflect on what you learned. By following these tips, you can craft a compelling and informative narrative that showcases your greatest accomplishment.

Things To Avoid While Answering This Question

Here are a few things to avoid when writing about your greatest achievement in 1000 words:

Vagueness: It’s important to be specific and clear when describing your achievement, rather than using vague or general language. Avoid using words like “very” or “really” to describe your accomplishment, and try to provide concrete details and examples to help illustrate your point.
Overemphasis On Personal Involvement: While it’s important to highlight your role in your achievement, be careful not to overemphasize your personal involvement at the expense of other factors that may have contributed to your success.
Underestimating The Challenges You Faced: Your greatest achievement likely involved overcoming challenges and obstacles. Don’t downplay these challenges in your writing, as they help to demonstrate the significance of your accomplishment.
Failing To Provide Context: As mentioned earlier, it’s important to provide the context in order to fully understand the significance of your achievement. Don’t assume that your reader already knows the background information that is necessary to understand your accomplishment.
Neglecting To Reflect On What You Learned: In addition to describing your achievement and its impact, be sure to take some time to reflect on what you learned from the experience. What skills or insights did you gain that have been valuable to you in other areas of your life?

By avoiding these pitfalls, you can write a clear and compelling narrative about your greatest achievement that effectively communicates its significance and impact.

How To Answer “What Is Your Greatest Achievement” In An Interview?

Here is a suggested outline for how you might go about answering the question “What is your greatest achievement”:

Describe The Process You Went Through: Once you’ve identified your achievement and provided some context, the next step is to describe the process you went through to achieve it. This could include any planning, research, or problem-solving that was involved. Be sure to highlight any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Use A Clear And Logical Structure: Start by introducing your achievement, then provide background information and context. Next, describe the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Finally, conclude by discussing the impact of your achievement and what you learned from the experience.

Use Specific Examples: It’s more effective to provide specific examples of your achievements rather than making general statements. For example, instead of saying “I am a good leader,” you could describe a specific situation in which you demonstrated leadership skills.

Discuss The Impact Of Your Achievement: After you’ve described the process you went through to achieve your greatest accomplishment, it’s important to talk about the impact it had. This could be on your personal or professional development, on your community or organization, or on society at large.

Reflect On What You Learned: Finally, take some time to reflect on what you learned from this experience. What skills or insights did you gain that have been valuable to you in other areas of your life? How has this achievement influenced your future goals and aspirations?

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For Freshers – How To Answer “What Is Your Greatest Achievement” In An Interview?

As a fresher, you may not have a lot of work experience or professional accomplishments to draw upon when answering the question “What is your greatest achievement?” However, you can still highlight your skills, knowledge, and personal achievements in your answer. Here are some tips for answering this question as a fresher:

Think About Your Skills And Knowledge: As a fresher, you likely have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge that you have acquired through your education and other experiences. Think about the skills and knowledge that you have gained and how they have helped you to achieve success in the past.
Focus On Personal Achievements: If you don’t have a lot of work experience, you can highlight personal achievements that demonstrate your abilities and determination. For example, you could talk about completing a difficult academic program or achieving a personal goal such as running a marathon.
Use Specific Examples: As with any interview answer, it’s important to provide specific examples of your achievements rather than making general statements. For example, instead of saying “I am a hard worker,” you could describe a specific situation in which you demonstrated your hard work and determination.
Emphasize Your Potential: As a fresher, you may not have a lot of work experience, but you have the potential to make a positive impact in your career. Emphasize your enthusiasm, motivation, and readiness to learn and grow in your answer.
Practice Your Answer: It’s a good idea to practice your answer to this question before the interview. This will help you to feel more confident and deliver a clear and concise answer.

Overall, when answering the question “What is your greatest achievement?” as a fresher, focus on your skills and knowledge, highlight personal achievements, provide specific examples, and emphasize your potential to make a positive impact in your career.

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Example

Answer: “One of my greatest achievements was completing my undergraduate degree while working full-time and caring for my family. It was a challenging balance, but I was able to prioritize my responsibilities and stay motivated to achieve my goal.”
Answer: “I am proud of the impact that I had on the community through my volunteer work at the local homeless shelter. I helped to organize and lead a team of volunteers that provided meals and support to those in need. As a result of our efforts, we were able to serve over 500 meals to those in need each month.”
Answer: “In my previous role as a project manager, I led a team to develop and launch a new product that was well-received by our customers. We were able to increase sales by 25% within the first six months of launching the product.”
Answer: “One of my greatest achievements was being selected to participate in a prestigious leadership development program. Through this program, I gained valuable skills and knowledge that have helped me to grow both personally and professionally.”
Answer: “As a member of the school board, I worked to implement a new academic program that has had a significant impact on student achievement. We have seen a 20% increase in test scores and a decrease in the dropout rate as a result of this program.”
Answer: “I am proud of the successful business that I have built from the ground up. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey, and I am proud of the positive impact that my business has had on my community.”
Answer: “I am proud of the work that I have done to raise awareness about environmental issues. Through my activism, I have been able to inspire others to take action and make a positive impact on the planet.”
Answer: “One of my greatest achievements was completing my first marathon. It was a challenging goal, but I trained hard and was able to successfully complete the race. It was a great accomplishment for me both physically and mentally.”
Answer: “I am proud of the role that I played in helping my company to transition to remote work during the pandemic. I led a team that developed and implemented new systems and processes to ensure that our company could continue to operate effectively while working remotely.”
Answer: “I am proud of the progress that I have made in my personal development. Through therapy and self-reflection, I have been able to overcome some challenges and grow as a person. I am now more confident and self-aware, which has had a positive impact on my relationships and my overall happiness.”