What are you most proud of?
When you think back over your life and everything you’ve done, what moments stand out and make you puff out your chest and say, “Heck yeah, I did that!”
Odds are, if you asked a group of friends this question in a casual setting, you’d get some pretty varied and undoubtedly impressive answers…and some understandably strange answers (Personally I’m proud of the fact that I can blow a Skittle out of my right nostril over 100 feet with a fair amount of accuracy.).
But what if you’re asked that question not by friends, but by a hiring manager – while in a job interview?
Hmm…maybe sharing the Skittle story in that situation isn’t the best idea.
But, what do you share? And why is this question important for an interview?
Short of judging potential threats to my so far undisputed Skittle snorting record (F.Y.I, green ones fly the furthest), hiring managers ask this question because they want to know what achievements you’ve accomplished that you consider brag-worthy.
At its core, pride is the feeling of deep satisfaction or pleasure we experience when we’ve achieved something.
When a hiring manager asks you what you’re most proud of, they’re listening to your answer and then extrapolating out from there just what sort of tasks you enjoy and what work environments you’d thrive best in.
They’ll then take that information and decide if you’d be a fit for the overall job and culture of the company you’re interviewing for.
Remember, the hiring manager isn’t just trying to fill an empty role in their employee roster, they’re looking for the right fit when it comes to future employees…their perfect candidate, and asking you what makes you most proud is a good way to see if that candidate is you (hint, it is)!
Depending on what you share with them, a hiring manager can learn a lot about who you are, what motivates you, and what you consider a success.
Of course, that means answering the interview question ‘What are you most proud of,’ correctly.
Now before we teach you how NOT to answer “what are you most proud of”, we wanted to let you know that we’ve designed a free cheat sheet that will not only help you answer this question, but will also give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview.
Click below to get your free PDF now:
