How To Answer “What Are You Most Proud Of?” (Sample Interview Answers)

You may get asked the common interview question “What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?” or “What are you most proud of?” in an interview, so you need to know how to answer them. You may think you’ll answer with your movie or mug collection, but that’s not what the interviewer is looking for.

The interviewer is looking to learn more about your values and what motivates you and how it will make you a better employee in the future. In this article, we’ll go over how to answer “What are you most proud of?”, provide sample answers for different scenarios, and why interviewers ask this question.

Key Takeaways

• Interviewers ask, “What accomplishment are you most proud of?” to learn about your personality, values, and motivators.

• Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to answer this question.

• Avoid being long-winded or including anything that could sound negative in your answer.

How to answer “What accomplishment are you most proud of?”

To answer the interview question “What accomplishment are you most proud of?” you should choose an accomplishment that is relevant to the job and try to focus on the future. Below is a more detailed list of how to answer this common question:

1. Choose a relevant accomplishment. You’ve probably accomplished many goals in your personal life, but these aren’t the kinds of achievements that an interviewer wants to hear about. Stick with a professional or career-based accomplishment to give details on.

   Additionally, choose an accomplishment that’s relevant to the specific role you’re applying for. If you’re in an interview for an accounting position and explain your most significant achievement in selling a painting, the recruiter may receive it as unrelated.

2. Focus on the future. An interviewer asks about a candidate’s past accomplishments to get a read on the potential benefits they could bring if hired. At the end of talking about your accomplishment, tie in some information about what you gained from the experience and how you plan to use these tools in your future career.

3. Think about why exactly you’re proud of this accomplishment. Part of the purpose behind asking potential employees what they are the proudest of is understanding what they’re motivated by and how they define success. Before committing to a situation as your crowning achievement, think about why you’re proud of it.

   The reasoning you have may give insight into whether the answer will reflect positively or negatively on your character. Plus, it will help you be ready in case the question is, “What is your proudest accomplishment and why?”

4. Practice your answer vocally. Even if you’re confident in the situation you’ve chosen as your proudest moment, you still need to practice delivering your answer out loud. This can be done with a partner acting as the interviewer or simply talking to yourself in the mirror. As silly as it might feel initially, it can step up your interviewing game big time.

5. Keep it conversational. An interview can determine your professional future, and the stress of that has the potential to make you appear stiff in an interview. Try to keep the interview, and your answer to this question in particular, as conversational as possible. Speaking about your accomplishments can flow more naturally than other interview topics, so take advantage of it.

Example answers for “What are you most proud of?”

Below are some what are you most proud of examples for different scenarios you may encounter on your interview journey:

1. Entry level applicant example answer

   “The professional accomplishment I’m most proud of is graduating in the top 2% of my class from Fordham University. I had been accepted to the university on a partial scholarship and worked at a coffee shop to fund the rest of my tuition.

   Graduating at such a high class ranking with a GPA of 3.9 through sheer hard work made me feel more accomplished than I ever had before. I think that the massive effort this took paid off because excelling in my college years has opened many possible career doors.”

   Why It Works: This interview answer works because the candidate uses their school performance to compensate for a lack of professional experience. They describe an impressive feat that shows attractive soft skills, such as problem-solving and perseverance.

2. Associate applicant example answer

   “An achievement that I’m proud of is being chosen to work on a big-budget rebranding project that my prior employer had landed.

   The team handling this particular project was only allowed to have 15 people on it. Every employee out of the 100 working at the time wanted to be a part of the collaboration on this project, and they only choose their top performers, which I turned out to be one of. I was put in charge of handling graphic design and visual marketing.

   Working on the rebranding project was eye-opening because I’d never worked on such an influential campaign before. It taught me valuable skills in communication and collaboration that I bring to every new project I work on today.”

   Why It Works: As an associate, this applicant would be expected to speak about an accomplishment relevant to their work history. This answer works because the candidate describes a specific project, why being chosen was essential to their career, and the outcome. It gives a vivid description of the accomplishment and what followed it.

3. Management role applicant example answer

   “I’m most proud of managing a successful administrative team for five years. I oversaw a team of fifteen employees in an office setting. My team worked tirelessly to ensure that our office ran smoothly, and it showed in our company’s overall productivity. The higher-ranking associates even recognized us for our work output, and I was awarded a promotion after leading the team for a year.

   I consider supervising this team as my greatest accomplishment because of the growth and work produced by them. I gained experience in how to be a better manager and employee. After all, a manager is only as strong as the team that they’re leading.”

   Why It Works: Since this applicant is interviewing for a supervisory role, their answer should focus on their abilities in this area. It works because he gives details about managing a team of fifteen and what they gained from the experience.

4. Executive position applicant example

   “The accomplishment that I’m the proudest of in my career is launching a schedule organizing application with the Apple store that ended up in the top 10 most downloaded of 2018. It was an endeavor that my friend and I originally began in our first year out of college, and the work had just snowballed for seven years after that.

   I look back on this achievement most fondly because not only was it one of the first entrepreneurial attempts I made, but it was the most successful. Our application still sees 200,000 downloads every quarter, and since its humble beginnings, it has created 154 jobs. The impact this app has continues to motivate me towards following my most ambitious prospects.”

   Why It Works: Interviewing for an executive-level position requires quite a bit of experience and a specific set of skills to be successful. This answer works because it displays the candidate as an accomplished professional who is motivated to succeed for the right reasons.

5. Teacher applicant example answer

   “I am most proud of the impact I’ve had in my student’s lives. Throughout my nine years in teaching, I’ve witnessed countless moments where students experienced ‘aha’ moments, gained confidence in their abilities, and developed a genuine passion for learning.

   Through one-on-one support, I was able to understand their unique needs and learning styles and create tailored lesson plans that would be beneficial to all my students. This helped students grasp difficult concepts and improve their grades and overall learning.”

   Why It Works: This answer works because teachers need to be able to make an impact on their students’ lives to help them be successful. The teacher mentioned how they created a positive learning environment and how they focused on the student’s needs. They showed their commitment to effective teaching as well as student well-being.

6. “I am most proud of completing my college degree while actively engaging in various extracurricular activities and maintaining a strong academic record. Throughout my time in college, I embraced every opportunity to challenge myself and grow as an individual.

   One of my greatest achievements would be being selected as the president of a student-led community service organization. In the role, I collaborated with a diverse team to organize impactful projects that benefited the local community.

   Another thing I am proud of is the personal growth and leadership skills I gained in that position. I was able to overcome challenges and manage my time effectively while allowing me to balance academics, extracurriculars, and social life.”

   Why It Works: This answer works because it highlights a range of achievements, showcasing the candidate’s ability to handle academics, extracurriculars, and leadership roles. It shows their readiness to transition from an academic setting to the professional world.

Why do interviewers ask “What are you most proud of?”

Interviewers ask about the accomplishment you’re most proud of what type of personality you have and what your values are. It shows how you measure success for yourself, which is important because it describes what factors motivate you.

For example, a candidate who explains the moment they’re most proud of as the time they made the most amount of money in their position says a lot about who they are and what they care about the most. They define their success with a dollar sign and are motivated by making the most money possible.

Alternatively, an applicant who states that the proudest accomplishment of their career has been self-teaching themselves a coding language also gives a lot of information to the interviewer. It demonstrates a candidate driven by expanding their knowledge and expertise.

Interviewers ask potential hires what they’re most proud of to understand them as a person and their motivations better.

What to avoid when answering “What is your proudest achievement?”

You should avoid mentioning anything negative when answering this question. Below is a more detailed list of the things you should avoid when answering this question:

• Anything that could be negative. If your proudest accomplishment has you bashing any previous coworkers or employers, it won’t look good. Even if your proudest work accomplishment is working with people who made your job more difficult, don’t mention it.

• Bragging too much. The hiring manager doesn’t want a 30-minute long detailed speech about every single accomplishment that you have done in your career. Pick a few and tell them about it.

• Being too modest. While you shouldn’t brag, you should also avoid downplaying your achievements to the point where they lose their significance. You should be enthusiastic and proud of your accomplishments without bragging.

• Mentioning irrelevant or unimpressive achievements. Make sure the achievement you talk about is relevant to the position and something that may not be considered significant in the field. It may be impressive to you but if it was from an entry-level position, you shouldn’t mention it for a higher level position.

• Don’t lie. Don’t lie about any of your achievements. The interviewer will eventually find out when they do a background check and call your references. You should also avoid exaggerating any achievements.

How to use the STAR method

The STAR phrase stands for “Situation, Task, Action, Result.” The STAR method’s goal is to keep you on track to producing a cohesive and concise answer to behavioral interview questions that involve past situations in your career.

Questions that ask for an example from your professional past, also known as behavioral interview questions, are notoriously hard. The STAR method is a job interview technique that helps candidates answer these questions about their past experiences, like the accomplishment they’re most proud of.

Review the following steps of the STAR method to develop a strong answer to, “Tell me what your proudest accomplishment is.”

1. Situation. The first step to completing the STAR method of answering interview questions is to give enough information about a situation that’s relevant to the question an interviewer is asking.

2. Task. Explain your role and responsibilities in the situation.

3. Action. Describe the actions you took while focusing on qualities that will be helpful in the role you’re applying for.

4. Result. Interpret the outcome and how it impacted you professionally.

The STAR method can be useful when forming an answer for what accomplishment you’re most proud of because it provides guidelines for giving a complete response relevant to the question.

“What are you most proud of?” FAQ

1. What should you say when asked, “What are you most proud of?”

   When asked, “What are you most proud of,” think of an accomplishment that relates to the job you’re interviewing for and use the STAR method to talk about it. The STAR method stands for “situation,” “task,” “action,” and “result.”

   The STAR method outlines how to answer a question in anecdote form, starting with the overall situation and the task you faced within that situation. Then you move to the action you took to complete that task and the result, or, in this case, your final accomplishment.

2. How do you answer, “What personal strengths are you most proud of?”

   To answer, “What personal strengths are you most proud of,” think of a few strengths that relate to the job you’re applying for and give examples of how you’ve used them. This shows the interviewers how your strengths would serve their company, making you a more attractive candidate.

3. What are three things to be proud of in your work history?

   Three things to be proud of in your work history are:

   1. Challenges you’ve overcome.

   2. New ideas you’ve successfully implemented.

   3. Problems you’ve solved.

   Awards, publications, or recognitions are also things to be proud of.

4. How do you answer, “What are your top three achievements?”

   To answer, “What are your top three achievements,” by highlighting some of your most impressive achievements, explaining why you’re proud of them, and relating them to the position you’re applying for.

   This will show the interviewer not only what you’re capable of professionally, but also what motivates you and how you’ll benefit their company.

5. What does the STAR method stand for?

   The STAR Method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The STAR Method allows you to answer behavioral interview questions in depth. It will help you stay on track and give a cohesive and concise answer.

Final thoughts

Telling your interviewer about your accomplishments is a great way for them to know some of the things you can do.

Using the STAR format and using the tips from above, deciding how to respond to this question in an interview when asked what you’re most proud of is a little easier.

References

1. University of Massachusetts Global – Accomplishment Statement Examples to Help Make Your Resume Stand Out

2. Forbes – 7 Ways To Talk About Your Accomplishments Without Sounding Like a Braggart

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.