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24 THE FUNDAMENTALS

list of them. As a result, you will have ample illustrations to choose from
when responding to these questions.

Keep the following in mind as you compile your list:

, Think small. Accomplishments come in many forms. If you cannot
think of extraordinary examples for every question, that’s fine. Mention-
ing occasions when you received an e-mail acknowledgment for a job well
done or a time when you made a small but significant difference in your
job performance, will impress interviewers as much as extraordinary ex-
amples.

, Quantify the results. Increasing productivity or decreasing down-
time or lowering overhead are impressive feats to accomplish for a com-
pany. Whenever possible provide interviewers with a percentage change
or a dollar amount; this quantification will add weight to your responses.

, Accomplishments are relative. Although helpful, numbers are not al-
ways everything. There is a false rumor among job seekers that accom-
plishments are limited to numbers. That is not the case, however. Your
accomplishments are relative—relative to others with whom you work,
relative to your field and position, relative to time and situation. Some
accomplishments are subtle but significant. For example, an executive as-
sistant’s list of accomplishments could include the implementation of a
new filing system, not quantifiable but nevertheless an important contri-
bution to efficiency. The achievement is noteworthy because it demon-
strates the assistant’s ability to meet or exceed expectations.

When You Lack the
Specific Experience

Ideally, your list of achievements will include specific examples. However,
some of you will not have had the necessary experience to demonstrate
your abilities. Of course, you have the option of simply informing the in-
terviewer that you do not have said experience, but that is not advisable.
Chances are, in your background you had some opportunities to accu-
mulate the same skills as the interviewer is seeking, perhaps via a different
route. You need to use the opportunity of this question to present your
skills as comparable. In these circumstances, you have two viable choices:

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