Professional interview coming up - my greatest accomplishment is not always socially acceptable

hi Delhi1027,
If I were you, I'd use the significant accomplishment question for a business achievement related to the role.

I'd save overcoming addiction for 'what's your greatest weakness' or a question similar to 'tell me about a time when you had to overcome a significant obstacle'.

Depending on the role you are going for, I'd even be tempted to not disclose it at all in a round 1 interview unless specifically asked about it. Rightly or wrongly, many interviewers will see it negatively. Why hand out reasons to say 'no' when you don't have to?

Prepare and practice a great answer though. Just in case you need it.

Hope that helps
Kev

I think you are right to be proud of that as a greatest life accomplishment. And, for a second, you need to think about the purpose of that question rather than your answer.

IMHO, the reasons an employer would ask that question is that they are looking for qualities that benefit their business and are repeatable (by you) in future. There are organisations where overcoming addiction is relevant to the job at hand, but my answer assumes you're not talking about one of those places.

You will be better off thinking about the type of business and job you are interviewing for and then answering with an example that shows how your experience will benefit that company. In other words, stick to the professional sphere. Those type of answers will give you more bang for your buck as it were.

Also, don't get stuck around thinking only of your "greatest" accomplishment. By definition you only have one of those. You're after "significant" accomplishments. You can have several of those, which is good because you will need to present several of them in an interviewing situation and they are always tailored to the job you're after.

Good luck!

Hi Delhi1027 -

One of my directs is a recovering alcoholic.  He was very open about this when we brought him on board.  He's a great contributor and a very good man.  Unfortunately late last year he backslid - so much so he ended up in a coma.  We're working together to help get him back on his feet.  He still has periodic absences and to be honest they hurt the business.  He's on his 3rd 90 day probation this year - there are only four 90 day probations possible in a year.  We have a very specific continued employment agreement in place that allows generous amounts of time to help with his recovery.

It is very hard to say whether we'd have been as likely to work with him as much as we have had he not been honest up front.  In my opinion your accomplishment needs to come up if you want to work for an employer who is willing to work with you.  The other two posters are correct though in my estimation - save it for the second interview or a late-interview question and stay focused on business accomplishments as much as possible.

As an aside - contratulations on making it so long.  Having been tangentally involved in a similar struggle I know just how big an accomplishment it is.  You have every right to be proud of it and a good employer will know that.

Stay strong,
NFL