I struggled with a similar question back when I was a student. What I’ve found out is that people asking this usually want to know how the applicant describes their work and approach, and how confident or passionate a person is about the things they do.
One option could be to talk about the most exciting university project/assignment that you’ve worked on. You could describe something that made it interesting, what you learnt from it, and explain how you handled teamwork or prioritization during it. Interesting results are a plus, but learning experiences also make for a good story.
Other options include some kind of competitive performance, or a hobby project you felt passionate about and dedicated time and energy into. Personally I would even be happy to hear about something nice you did that helped somebody else. Feel free to be open and explain what made the experience special to you.
People asking this question usually understand that new graduates’ achievements don’t necessarily involve work projects. So my advice would be to not worry about the context too much.
What is your greatest achievement?
Many job offers, competitions and other application processes require you to state your greatest achievement.
I’m always having a problem with this one due to not being goal-oriented. Besides, I do not see any of my results as achievements.
What are some examples of achievements (or even categories of achievements) for an undergraduate or a person starting a career?
I struggled with a similar question back when I was a student. What I’ve found out is that people asking this usually want to know how the applicant describes their work and approach, and how confident or passionate a person is about the things they do.
One option could be to talk about the most exciting university project/assignment that you’ve worked on. You could describe something that made it interesting, what you learnt from it, and explain how you handled teamwork or prioritization during it. Interesting results are a plus, but learning experiences also make for a good story.
Other options include some kind of competitive performance, or a hobby project you felt passionate about and dedicated time and energy into. Personally I would even be happy to hear about something nice you did that helped somebody else. Feel free to be open and explain what made the experience special to you.
People asking this question usually understand that new graduates’ achievements don’t necessarily involve work projects. So my advice would be to not worry about the context too much.