Providing strong answers to powerful interview questions

Often in interviews, candidates will be asked to name their most significant accomplishment.

It is a great question in that it assesses what the candidate considers to be a major success, but also shows their thought process and problem solving associated with reaching a certain goal.

For whatever reason, many people still struggle with this question.

Not the content itself, but the delivery.

It is very important to use the classic SMARTE approach when answering the question.

The interviewer will usually not know the significance of the candidate’s answer, so setting the table and firmly explaining why the accomplishment is significant is essential.

For review, the concept of a SMARTE answer is as follows:

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Action required

R - Result of the action

T - The time sensitivity of the situation

E - The environment of the situation

Remember to keep the answer clear, tight and succinct!

Hit on the key aspects of each letter of the acronym and then move to the next letter.

If the interviewer is looking for even further details within one of the areas, wait for a more specifically targeted question rather than deep dive into the weeds.  Even a long winded answer that still eventually covers all the SMARTE components will not be as effective, and the interviewer will also assume that the candidate is incapable of delivering an executive summary and also unable to distinguish the difference between relevant information and minutia.

Another effective question that can be asked (but not asked as frequently) is, how would you solve this ABC (specific) problem?  It is an effective question in that it monitors creativity, planning, critical thinking and leadership thought process while doing it under a relevant topic for the hiring company.

A good interviewer will also follow up that question by asking when they have solved a problem in the past that was a similar scenario.

This question does not need to be asked but a candidate should be prepared for this type of follow up question.

Farewell,

Mike