There's nothing better than an interview question that lights you up. A question
that gets you excited. One that helps you show who you really are and why you are
the best match for the position. The question that does it all is "what is
your greatest accomplishment?" In this video you'll learn four simple steps to
help you answer this popular interview question. You'll also learn a couple
sample responses that you can use and tailor for your next interview. If we've
never met before, I'm Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and #TheCareerClub
on Facebook and on this channel I share simple solutions to help you
launch a career you love ,so if you're new here, consider subscribing and
hitting that Bell notification down below so you don't miss a thing. Let's
jump right in! Tip number one, pick an accomplishment
that relates directly to the position you're applying for. The accomplishment
you share needs to be a direct match. Determine what qualities the company is
looking for in their ideal candidate and then pick an accomplishment that you can
share that demonstrates how your skills your expertise and your talents are the
perfect fit. Tip number two, pick an accomplishment that you are super proud
of. To make your personality and character really come through in your
interview, pick an accomplishment that lights you up when you talk about it. This
will be something that you feel like you can talk about for hours with someone. Now
don't get this question mixed up with the other popular interview question,
"what is your greatest strength?" The greatest strength question requires you
to talk about a quality you possess. Whereas the greatest accomplishment
question requires you to talk about an achievement that you made. Now I created
a video that will tell you exactly how to answer the greatest strength question.
I'll link that video up below. Tip number three, pick an accomplishment that was
recent. To show your relevance in the marketplace, pick an accomplishment that
wasn't too long ago. Something that you can share that happened within the last
little while. Now here's a bonus tip. If you're a student and
you don't have a lot of work experience to pull from, use a success from your
educational accomplishments. Tip number four, use the star method when answering
this question. Now this question is considered a behavioral interview
question so to help you structure your answer, use the star approach. Now I have
a separate video that goes into more detail about behavioral interview
questions. I'll go ahead and link that up below but just to summarize, the star
method, the S stands for situation and the T stands for task. This is where
you're going to describe the event surrounding your accomplishment. A stands
for action. Describe the action steps you took to get to the particular
accomplishment and R stands for result. Explain the result that you achieved
from that accomplishment. So here's the thing, you want to keep your
accomplishment positive and professional. You really want to steer away from
talking about a challenge that you overcame in your personal life. Let's
jump into some sample answers. The first sample answer I'm going to share with
you is an answer that I would give if I were asked this question in an interview
today. "In my previous position as an academic dean, I had the privilege of
hiring hundreds of faculty members. Under my direction, my team surpassed retention
goals and program growth goals. As a result, I received the outstanding
colleague of the Year award from the college president. Only three individuals
are selected each year out of thousands to receive this nomination." So let's jump
into the second sample answer. "My greatest accomplishment was during my
previous position as a business analyst. I designed an innovative business system
that streamlines the company's approach to gather documents and analyze business
needs. As a result the organization could quickly interpret the problems and needs
of our customers and make timely decisions." Now to get it right when it
comes to your next job interview, take a look at the interview guide cheat sheet.
It contains exact responses to the most popular interview questions that you can
use and tailor for your next interview. I'll go ahead
and link that up below and if you liked this video make sure you hit the like
button down below. Be sure to subscribe for more videos just like this and if
you know anyone that might benefit from this video please feel free to share it
with them and I will see you in the next video.