A job interview comprises several rounds before you receive that rewarding offer letter.
While the technical rounds mainly allow you to apply your subject knowledge, the various HR interview questions test your presence of mind, personality, and other skills pertaining important to the job role. One such question is, “How do you define success?”
Wondering how to frame an impressive answer to this HR interview question? Read on to find out!
Why do recruiters ask "How do you define success?"
Remember that every HR interview question is important and has a reason for being asked.
In this case, a recruiter through the question, "How do you define success?" aims to discover if you would fit in their company culture by understanding your work ethics, goals, your overall personality, etc.
Sample answer of "How do you define success?"
Sample answer #1:
"When it comes to defining success from a work perspective, I lean for the goals achieved. Achieving the set goals allows me to set a compact number, and compare it with previous performances and challenge myself further.
On the other hand, personal success is completing a dream from my bucket list."
Sample answer #2:
"Given that I have just begun my career a year ago, I consider every achievement as a success and learning opportunity. I have just started, so I like to volunteer for any project that can provide new learning to keep advancing in my role.
For example, in my last organization, we managed to bring the magazine's closing dates earlier by 10 days which helped the marketing and sales team to make more sales."
Sample answer #3:
" My previous role was mainly editorial for magazines; our success lies with our audience's satisfaction.
As an editorial team, our main objective is to produce stories that will appeal to our readers and will have a fresh perspective.
Our success was when every month we used to get more and more happy readers sending us their appreciation. The best part was that the majority of the readers were youngsters, which meant a lot given our topic was personal finance."
How to answer "How do you define success?"
Here are a few tips to follow when answering “How do you define success?”
Highlight your research about the company
Researching the company thoroughly is a critical step when starting a job application process.
Given that you will be spending a great deal of your time during the day at work, it matters that you find your values and ethics in line with those of the company.
Otherwise, you will be stuck in a work environment that will be toxic for you and ultimately, you’ll either be looking for a switch again or start feeling burnt out.
Also, apart from employee reviews, it gives you a lot of perspective on the company’s performance, upcoming projects, and even a peek into the management style. This also provides more talking points during the interview which ultimately will help you leave a lasting impression on the recruiter.
When answering this HR interview question, you can use this information and frame your answers accordingly. For example, if a company measures success by profit, then you can provide numbers to define your answer.
Provide a descriptive answer
Every HR interview requires a proper answer backed by facts and “How do you define success?” is no exception. When answering this question, ensure that you back it up with reasons so that it does not feel like a memorized statement off the internet.
A well-reasoned answer allows the recruiter an insight into your ethics and also shows that you are aware of your progress and achievements.
Uphold your personality
One of the reasons for asking, “How do you define success?” is to see what drives you if you are passionate about what you do and why.
So, when answering this HR interview question, ensure you share your honest opinion, and you can get an extra brownie point if it aligns with the company’s values.
Showcase your contributions
It is important to highlight your contributions when answering an open-ended HR interview question like “How do you define success?”
The simple reason for doing so is that providing a number allows clarity to the recruiter and lets them be the judge of your definition of success.
To conclude, you will find out that in some way or the other, recruiters test your character, passion, and other skill sets, especially through questions like “How do you define success?”
So, preparing for these frequently asked HR interview questions is extremely important to prove yourself as the best candidate for the job.
All the Best!
