Career Tips: How to succeed at a job interview

What is your greatest accomplishment? Did you ever have to answer this question at an interview? 👇

From my personal experience, this is a complex question at any job interview. I want to share why recruiters ask this question and my #1 tip that’ll help you formulate a great reply!

When asking this question, the interviewer wants to find out:

1️⃣ If you’re down to earth. Bragging endlessly about your accomplishment won’t reflect positively on you.

2️⃣ What do you think success is, and how do you associate it with your job and career.

3️⃣ If you’re success-oriented and if you’ve gone the extra mile in your work.

To structure your answer, I strongly recommend using the STAR Method. Ideally, your response should include the following topics:

(S) Situation 👉 Describe the situation and the context in which the event took place.

(T) Task 👉 Talk about the jobs you had to complete (for example, your challenges or responsibilities).

(A) Action 👉 Explain your actions to address the challenges mentioned above or responsibilities.

(R) Results 👉 Explain the kind of results you achieved. When describing the outcome, if possible, mention numbers and quantifiable facts.

I hope this will help you formulate your answer in your upcoming interviews. 💡

What is next?

If you pass the job interview, the next step might be that the recruiter asks for a recommendation letter.

Do you find asking for a recommendation letter challenging?

If you do, no worries, you aren’t alone.

While recommendation letters can boost your employability and help you make a great impression by confirming your work ethic, skills, performance, and potential, it isn’t always easy to ask for them.

The key to succeeding in getting your desired recommendation letters is knowing WHO to ask and HOW to ask them 👇

🚀 Choose someone who knows your skills and strengths well and whom you’ve had a positive professional experience with, such as:

👤 Your team lead

👤 Department head

👤 CEO of the company

👤 Direct manager

👤 A coworker you’ve worked with together on a project

🚀 Follow these steps to ask them:

1️⃣ Talk to them about it in advance. Then, follow up with a formal email with all reference-related information, such as the submission details and deadline. The email can also include a description of what you’re currently doing, what qualifies you for the position, some relevant skills, achievements, or noteworthy facts.

2️⃣ Make sure to include your resume and the job description in the email. This way, they’ll know more about you and your desired position and will be able to write a more relevant recommendation by tailoring your skills to the job or by mentioning some of your achievements.

3️⃣ Notify the contacts you’ll be asking. In most cases, recruiters ask for up to three recommendation letters at least two weeks in advance, giving them enough time to prepare.

4️⃣ Consider attaching a recommendation letter template to your email. It’ll considerably ease or guide them through writing the letter.

5️⃣ Follow up by sending thank you notes for the time and effort.

💡 You can also ask relevant LinkedIn contacts to endorse your skills on the platform or write a recommendation on your profile. This recommendation feature is a great way to build your credibility and complement any formal references you provide as part of the job application.

Do you find these tips useful? Follow us online for more posts about career development and advice to succeed in your plans!