Question 6. What Was Your Greatest Achievement and How Did You Accomplish It?

This is the heart of a behavioral job interview. This is where people prepare most and this is where it gets most personal. It is not about the team, or the department, or the company - it is about you. You need to tell the story of what you had done. So candidates who have difficulty talking about themselves and especially difficulty "bragging" about their accomplishments can be at a disadvantage. Another issue usually comes when a candidate has prepared multiple answers and does not want to limit herself to just one "greatest" achievement. In this case it may be a bit easier if she would use the count-down approach. It would go somewhat like this: "Among the top 3 thing I accomplished as a manager, was this one project, where ... Another accomplishment I am really proud of is ... And the number one accomplishment in my professional career so far is ... !"

OK - now here is what the interviewer is really trying to learn about you, when asking this question:

1. The greatest achievement question is usually pretty straight forward to answer and most recruiters are really looking for examples of past behavior as a predictor for the future employee you will be. Often the "how did you accomplish" part is omitted in the question, but make sure you give it as part of your answer. The circumstances of a simple month-end general ledger close can sometimes provide enough drama, which in turn would show how great you are.

2. Sometimes discrepancies and warning signs will pop-up and raise red flags in the mind of the recruiter so watch for relevance in your answers. If you are applying for a store manager position and tell the interviewer that your greatest accomplishment was the punk-rock CD that you produced and recorded in your basement a couple of years ago - it would be pretty obvious where your heart is.

3. What you consider an accomplishment is also another helpful way for the recruiter to tell about your business and professional goals. People tend to speak about what they like, so if for instance a candidate describes a managerial project as her greatest accomplishment, then this is usually a pretty good sign that she liked being a manager.