According to our personal definition of “awesome website,” our website is completely and totally awesome in every way. Of course, personal definitions seem useless, but interview questions about them are a good way for the hiring manager to see how you feel about yourself.
How to Answer:
You don’t want to say that you are not successful. That sounds as though you do not think highly of yourself. You also don’t want to say “yes, I am” because that is a boring answer. The best way to approach the question is to give a philosophical answer, pondering the meaning of success and possibly stating that you are both.
Bad Answer:
“No, I am not successful. I want to be rich someday and retire in Mexico.”
Meh Answer:
“No, I do not think I am successful yet. I have goals I still want to reach, and things I still want to learn. Until I reach those goals, I cannot consider myself successful.”
You can see why this answer has its flaws. You are still complaining about yourself, even if you put it intelligently. It’s not terrible, but it’s not good.
Good Answer:
“I define success as the ability to meet the goals you set out for yourself, so in many ways I am both. I have been meeting the goals I set for myself, but I also set new goals that I have not yet achieved. As long as I have goals I can never be completely successful, but neither am I unsuccessful since I have achieved many of my previous goals.”
Perhaps the word “goals” is in there too much but you get the idea. This is a more philosophical response, and it should more than satisfy the answer while seeming neither arrogant nor down on yourself.
Take Away Interview Tips:
- Give a philosophical answer.
- Don’t say “no.”
- Only say “yes” if you can back it up with something meaningful.
