This is yet another important and frequently asked career interview question during job interviews. It may seem like a general question where you can list your professional achievements and avoid any harm, but let me tell you, it is a double-edged sword. This question cannot be ignored or solely approached from a professional perspective.
An interviewer not only aims to assess your professional accomplishments but also tries to understand your personal life by asking such career-related interview questions.
Well, it is absolutely true. An interviewer tries to touch upon two significant aspects of an interviewee.
What Does It Mean to Be Successful in Your Career?
1. Successful Career – Successful Professional Life
Direct questions that can be asked are:
• Do you consider yourself successful?
• Are you a successful manager (or professional)?
• How successful have you been in your career so far?
• Do you enjoy your career and the field you work in?
• Why did you choose this career?
If you have already evaluated your career and conducted some self-assessment, you should have an answer for yourself.
As for answering the interviewer, let’s understand what they want.
The Interviewer Mindset
An interviewer is eager to hear about your professional achievements to learn more about you.
Are you a performer?
Are you success-oriented?
You can highlight your track record up to this point and showcase the skills and expertise you have acquired in previous organizations.
Additionally, you can mention outstanding achievements or results from your past work experience.
By doing so, the interviewer will realize that you are focused on your career and have made sincere efforts to achieve your goals in the respective field. It will also demonstrate that you are self-driven, self-aware, and have a strong drive to achieve results – a result-oriented individual.
Note: Try to emphasize how you have utilized your learning and expertise to deliver results, no matter how small they may appear.
The interviewer might ask indirect questions to learn more about your perception of your career success to date. Examples of such career-related interview questions are:
2. Balancing Your Career and Personal Life for Success
Do you succeed in balancing your career and personal life?
No employer considers professional life in isolation, especially during interviews.
Most interviewers look for a holistic growth pattern in interviewees. This is because even if an individual is extremely successful in their professional life, they may not have the same level of success in their personal life.
They might lead an imbalanced life that is heavily skewed towards their professional endeavors. Therefore, sooner or later, this imbalance can negatively impact the individual.
Interviewers often ask targeted questions about family or personal life to gauge this aspect. One such question could be: How do you balance your personal life and career?
Note: Even if you have challenges in your family life, you can still capture the interviewer’s interest by elaborating on how your positive outlook has helped you address those challenges and achieve desired results.
Ideally, an interviewee should be well-prepared for these career interview questions.
How to Answer the Career Question ‘Do You Consider Yourself Successful?
Interviewee Answer:
“I consider myself successful in both my professional career and personal life. I have a track record of delivering results and exceeding expectations in previous organizations. One of my greatest achievements was successfully leading a cross-functional team to complete a complex project ahead of schedule, demonstrating my collaboration and task management skills.
My career objective is to continue growing and advancing in my field. I stay passionate about what I do and constantly enhance my skills to stay at the top of my game. In my personal life, I prioritize maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Despite challenges, I approach them with a positive outlook and effectively manage my time.
I believe in holistic growth, finding fulfillment in all aspects of life. This mindset allows me to bring a well-rounded perspective to my work and contribute positively to organizations. Overall, I am committed to continuous growth and making a positive impact professionally and personally.”
In conclusion, I consider myself successful based on my professional accomplishments, the goals I have set for my career, and my ability to maintain a balanced personal life. I am committed to continuous growth and strive to make a positive impact both professionally and personally.