How To Answer Interview Question: Are You A Goal-Oriented Person?
Every company or organization has a goal and the joy of an organization is to see these goals achieved at the appropriate time. This helps the organization evaluate its success or failures over time. One of the most vital questions hiring managers or job recruiters ask is “are you a goal-oriented person”. This question is asked to evaluate how the potential employee will manage tasks, approach issues, and deliver a responsibility at a particular time. Goals in an organization can be individual or team goals. Goals in an organization can be achieved on a daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis; hence goals are categorized into long and short-term goals.
What is a Goal?
A goal can be defined as a result one is attempting to achieve. Goals can also be called targets.
Who is a Goal-Oriented Person?
A Goal-Oriented person is someone that is goal-driven, that is to say, someone that is much more focused and sets targets. The person not only sets targets but he tries as much as possible to make sure they are met at the appropriate time.
Tips For Answering The Question
Respond Positively: This question is very vital and your responding negatively can disqualify you. Every organization has a goal and it is the joy of every organization to get employers that will meet these goals. The fact that you apply for this particular job shows that you are a goal-oriented person and you have to recognize and accept that before you even go for an interview. The first thing to do is to accept you are a goal-oriented person and answer the question affirmatively. This is a sample response: Absolutely Yes, I will define myself as a goal-oriented person. I have set short and long-term goals to achieve a particular task and if the goal is not suitable for the task, I then make strategic plans to make sure the goal suits the task at hand. I have also discovered in subsequent years that goals go with deadlines that is to say if a goal is not met at a particular time it may spell doom for an organization and so I do my best to meet deadlines. Setting a goal can also involve a whole team. In teamwork, they set goals, review them and then come up with a strategic plan on how to achieve them.
Channel Your Response To The Job Position You Are Applying For
Goals vary industry by industry because each industry has its own goals. Do not just generalize your response but try and tailor your response to the job description which will make your answer match the expectation of the job. If you are applying for the post of a Marketer, focus on the goals of a Marketer and the techniques that can be used to meet these goals. If you channel your response to the job description, it will show the job recruiter that you have background knowledge of the job position and are competent for the job. Below is a sample response.
As a Marketer, I know what it means to set specific- measured- achievable-realistic and time-bound goals. People are usually overwhelmed with a marketing goal but it has helped to increase my driving force and vigor. As a Marketer, Organizations may give you the target of bringing Ten customers every month to patronize their services. For this particular goal to be successful there are techniques to put in place to make sure this target is met. First of all, come up with a strategic plan on how to get customers and as a Marketer, social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp is the best place to get customers. I can also speak to contacts around me to patronize my organization’s services and products.
Demonstrate How You Achieved a Successful Individual Goal
Being a goal-oriented person is not enough but getting successful results is the most paramount thing. Many people have set goals in the past but their goals were not successful and so demonstrate to the Job recruiter how you will make sure, your goals are successful. Talk about the way setting goals helps an organization and how the best way an organization can access itself is by the success or failures of its goals. Talk about how a good strategic plan can help a goal to be successful and a bad plan can make a goal to be unsuccessful. The best way to explain this is by demonstrating a prior situation from your previous place of work. Below is a sample:
Working as a Marketer with United Bank of Africa.
I landed a job as a Marketer at the United Bank of Africa. The bank place a monthly target of 10(Ten) new customers per month on we the Marketers. This is not really a long or short-term goal but a medium-term goal. It was very difficult for me at the initial stage but I assessed my success and failures over time and developed myself to achieve this target. Over time, I exceeded my goal and I have added value to the bank. One of the vital techniques I use to achieve this goal is communicating with the right people to open an account with the bank.
Demonstrate How You Achieved a Team Goal
Goals can be categorized into individual and team goals. The job recruiter may be asking the question to check how you can achieve a team goal. A team goal is achieved by following the company’s objective and by using the SMART System which is Specific-Measurable-Attainable-Relevant and Time-based. Demonstrate a prior experience in your previous place of work. Below is a Sample Answer:
Working as a Salesperson with Airtel (Telecommunication Sector)
I once landed a job with Airtel as a Salesperson. We had a goal of increasing the Company’s revenue because our estimated quarterly revenue was a bit low. A team of employees came up with a strategic plan of increasing the company revenue through the sales of our SIM Cards and Recharge cards. The plan was to make a jingle, rally round the streets with a customized Airtel van, and give discounts on our products to people that may show interest. The plan was implemented and the company’s revenue increased tremendously.
In conclusion, if you follow the tips above, you will be answering one of the most vital interview questions and land your dream job.