Natasha Marcetic is a sourcing specialist, Talent Management, at Xerox Canada. We asked her to tackle this tricky question:

Describe an accomplishment you're really proud of. Here's what she told us.

How the candidates choose to answer this question can tell interviewers a lot about what type of person they are working with. This question allows interviewers to learn about a candidate's strengths, ambitions, ability to manage time and work ethic. The level of complexity of the accomplishment allows interviewers to recognize how this candidate evaluates themselves and it also shows what motivates him or her.  

In today's competitive marketplace, being average isn't going to get you noticed. Candidates need to consider why they would be the best for the job. When preparing to answer this question, think about what the major strengths a top performer in this job is required to have and find an example which showcases these strengths in you. 

Make sure you explain the situation, your role in the situation, what you actually did to achieve the goal, the challenges you faced and the final outcome. It's always helpful to conclude with what the experience taught you and relate it to transferable skills you learned and can use in the job you're applying for. This type of approach is what employers are looking for. We want to know what you value to determine if there is a match with our company values.

When asked this question, the most common answer many students use is the successful completion of his or her university degree or college diploma. This is very common because a lot of students might not have enough work experience to know how to answer this question. Truth is, even if the student does not have a lot of work experience, they probably do have a lot of life experience which does apply. 

If you really want to stand out to an employer, try to differentiate yourself from the masses of newly-graduated competitors who are applying for the same types of job. Evaluating various life experiences such as clubs, associations, volunteering, internships, or hobbies that you've participated in. Think about something that you feel has really pushed you above and beyond expectations of merely doing a good job. Did you ever accomplish something that most people thought you weren't capable of doing? Better yet, did you ever prove yourself wrong by accomplishing something you doubted yourself on?

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