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What Is Your Personal Mission Statement?

LiveCareer Staff Writer

When asking this question, interviewers are trying to get back to the essence of what the question was originally used for. They want to see if you are truly committed to a career. If you can demonstrate a clear career desire that aligns with the company's goals, you can stand out amongst other applicants.

Points to Emphasize

In answering this question there are a few things that you should be aware of and do.

Try not to make your answer lengthy, but be sure to paint a clear picture of your mission, and make sure that it coincides with the position you are applying for.

Mistakes You Should Avoid

Answering this question incorrectly can reflect negatively on you and hinder your chances of securing the job. Try to avoid the following mistakes.

Steer clear of these pitfalls and be sure that your mission statement highlights you and your applicable skills and traits.

Sample Answer

A good answer to a question about your mission statement could sound like this:

My personal mission statement is to continue to learn and grow in my abilities, utilizing my skills, training and personal character to thrive in any position I hold, while striving to advance in the company and contribute to its success.

You want your personal mission statement to be concise yet versatile. It is also important to be truthful and be able to support your answer throughout the interview. If you do this properly, you can present yourself as a strong candidate and stand out amongst other applicants.

Popular Interview Questions

About the Author

LiveCareer Staff Writer

At LiveCareer, we live and breathe the belief that we can help people transform their work lives, and so do our contributors. Our experts come from a variety of backgrounds but have one thing in common: they are authorities on the job market. From journalists with years of experience covering workforce topics, to academics who study the theory behind employment and staffing, to certified resume writers whose expertise in the creation of application documents offers our readers insights into how to best wow recruiters and hiring managers, LiveCareer’s stable of expert writers are among the best in the business. Whether you are new to the workforce, are a seasoned professional, or somewhere in between, LiveCareer’s contributors will help you move the needle on your career and get the job you want faster than you think.

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personal mission statement interview question

This question presents an excellent opportunity to show your commitment to a real professional career. Because the days of staying with one company a long time and moving up through the ranks are over, more and more people develop career mission statements. If you don’t have on, make one, not only to answer this interview question but to set a solid direction for a successful career. People who plan a career earn more, and are happier with work, than people who just work day after day without any goals or direction.

To create a personal mission statement:

• One – Remember and list past successes. Look back for triumphs and successes, either in personal or work life. Make a list of them. They don’t have to be spectacular. If there’s a common thread throughout these success stories, emphasize it – for example, perhaps communication always plays a big role, or show a connection through progress. • Two – Determine core ideals or beliefs. List these attributes that show your character and priorities. These are attributes such as honesty, hard work, strong leadership, strong communication, and other positive attributes. Narrow this list down to a few, then try to select one that’s your core value. • Three – List the ways you can change things, or make a difference. This includes how you can positively influence the world, your family, your employer, friends, and your community. • Four – Set specific goals – identify and list both short and long term goals.

Once you’ve accomplished these four steps, you can develop a personal mission statement, and answer this question honestly in an interview.

Honesty: “To be honest in everything I do, and through that honesty and the trust it engenders contribute to the full extent of my abilities every day.”

Realism: “To keep my feet firmly planted in reality while never forgetting that good dreams lead to great achievements.”

Organization: “Measure twice, cut once, start every task with clear direction, organization and a clear plan so that achieving success is realistic and repeatable.”

Communication: “My mission statement is to strive to clearly communicate with people in every phase of life and work. Solve problems by understanding different sides, and by listening to other people so I can understand how everyone contributes.”

This question is not an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the interview, as this candidate did. “Never sit through long, boring interviews. Good bye!”

Tags: Best answers to the job interview question , Mission statement , Personal mission statement , What is your personal mission statement

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How To Improve Interview Questions With Your Mission Statement

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Your company’s mission statement is important to your business and your employees. It helps lay a pathway for you and your team in your day-to-day work as well as guidance for future work.  Your company looks towards its mission statement for guidance when making decisions.

When considering the great importance of your mission statement, it is key to make sure that any new hire you bring on board understands the company mission and culturally fits within the philosophy of your mission.

During the interview, consider incorporating your company’s mission statement into your interview questions in order to make sure that you have found a solid cultural fit.

Break down your mission statement.

If you want to first begin addressing the mission statement in the interview without actually giving away your company’s mission statement, you can break the statement down into a couple of different questions. Doing this will help you to ask thought provoking questions of the candidate and determine cultural fit.

For example, if your mission statement mentions “to provide exemplary customer service in equipment support with a sense of urgency,” you can ask a couple of questions surrounding this statement.

What does “exemplary customer service” mean to you?

What does it mean to you “to operate with a sense of urgency”?

These questions can help you to determine how a candidate’s philosophy aligns with your mission statement. Determining this can help to ensure you have a good cultural fit.

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Simply ask the candidate about the mission statement.

Another way to incorporate your company’s mission statement into your interview questions is to simply ask the candidate about the statement.

Asking questions in the following format will help you not only understand the candidate’s understanding and personal take on your mission statement, but will also tell you if the candidate has done proper research on your company before the interview.

Have you reviewed our mission statement?

How does our mission statement align with your philosophy?

Pay attention to the candidate’s responses and do not accept anything less than carefully thought out answers. The candidate may not be able to immediately spit out a reply to the second question, but that’s ok. As long as the candidate does not take more than a few minutes to respond, this can show you that a lot of thought is being put into giving you an honest answer.

Want more tips on finding candidates who fit well with your company? Download our new eBook !

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Lauren Levine

Lauren Levine is a copywriter/blogger who contributes to a number of magazines and websites including The Frisky, USA Today, and others. She also authors her own blog called Life with Lauren. She loves cooking, anything on the E! network, and is trying to convince herself that running isn't so bad.

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Personal mission statement for job interview

On the contrary, it shows ambition, strength, control, etc. MA and MBA in biology and business management. Most interviewees also find that practising answering the most common questions asked in interviews helps them prepare for the real one.

Effective Mission statement — What a Mission Statement Does A personal statement of mission allows you to find and then express your values, beliefs, and purpose. Supporting paragraphs should underline your strengths. Why do you want to do it. I enjoy working on my own initiative or in a team.

Most importantly, faking behaviors have been shown to affect outcomes of employment interviews. For instance, someone with high general mental ability may perform better in a cognitively demanding situation, such as a job interview, which requires quick thinking and responding.

Although it may seem simple finding an example of a personal mission statement and making it your own, it will not allow you to explore your own defining values and share them with the world. Example formats include; Presentation format — The candidate is given a generic topic and asked to make a presentation to the panel.

Your Long Term Goals With Starbucks Show Motivation and Commitment Even if you are applying to be a Starbucks Barista you may state that you are aware of the eventual potential of achieving a store manager position and that is something you may set as a long term goal for yourself.

Further research needs to be conducted to more extensively evaluate the group interview's usefulness for various purposes. Likewise, behaviors such as eye contact may not work as well.

The grammar checker checks and corrects all common errors found in writing. Make sure that the skills that you mention are the ones that the employer is looking for. Continue working as consultant for no longer than 3 more years Take any necessary training towards management Become assistant resource manager Become Resource Manager in this or another company by end of 7th year Ads By Google.

Long and short term goals for your personal mission statement: The gnawing feeling continues. What a personal mission statement does. The benefits of the panel approach to interviewing include: You are an amazing person. Look at some beautiful examples of successful personal statements I have heard many people say that innovation is gone, and there are no more things left to invent.

Interviewers in one-on-one interviews are already busy doing many things. Short term goal which goes hand in hand with professional improvement is increase in professional responsibility and greater financial security.

For example, one panelist may ask technical questions, another may ask management questions, another may ask customer service related questions etc.

Often used in academic or sales-related interviews. In general, studies have found results are consistent with media richness theory.

What a personal mission statement does. Examples of short term and long term goals for a mission statement Short term goal A typical example of short term goals is professional and self improvement through relevant education.

The Key Responsibilities of a Starbucks Barista As a Starbucks Barista your main focus will be on developing not just satisfied customers, but enthusiastically satisfied customers, and not just some of the time but all of the time.

What Is a Personal Mission Statement. Once the candidate realizes that there is nothing personal behind the interviewer's approach, it is easier to handle the questions with aplomb.

Use the language that professionals usually use in your field. Panel[ edit ] Another type of job interview found throughout the professional and academic ranks is the panel interview.

State the end result and what you have already accomplished or skills you already possess relevant to that end result. Personal Mission Statement Examples for Students Examples of personal mission statements that you find on the internet may be perfect for another medical student or be relevant to your law school application.

They should either short or long term goals, depending on the situations, or both. You may prepare a table with a mission statement per row as a checklist.

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One stress technique is to tell the applicant that they have 20 minutes to prepare a presentation, and then come back to room five minutes later and demand that the presentation be given immediately. Your effort and accomplishments should be celebrated from the rafters!.

Below, are 31 PA school application essays and personal statements pulled from our FREE personal statement and essay collaborative comments section. This is an unedited sample of PA school essay submissions, meant to provide you with some insight into how other applicants are approaching their CASPA personal statements.

Real World PA School Personal Statements These sample essays are. Career Statement and Personal Mission Examples Once you've listed all your goals, values, possible contributions etc.

and know what you want from life, relationships and your dream job, you are ready to write your career statement. As we inch closer to Jerry Maguire‘s 20th Anniversary, I thought you might want to read Cameron’s original Mission Statement (that is only briefly featured in the film).Here’s the entire 25 pages penned by Cameron.

Happy Monday! THE THINGS WE THINK AND DO NOT SAY. Thoughts of a Sports Attorney. Where do you see your business in five years from now? If the question caught you off-guard, your business might be missing a vital part of strategic planning: a vision statement.

In order to know what your business needs to do, you must know where you want to go – you need a vision for the business. So, how to write a vision statement and what is it all about? Sample Personal Mission Statement, How to write a mission statement: The article discusses about the definition of the personal mission statement and how one should create a mission statement?

The basic guidelines for writing/developing an effective personal career mission statement with examples and tips. lanos-clan.com. Your career mission statement is the most important paragraph you will ever write. Even though it may only be one to two sentences long, it has specific attainable goals set in time.

Prep My Career

What is Your Personal Mission Statement? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

Mission statements are everywhere, from an individual to organisations and governments. When you visit big firms, you can find their mission statements written on their walls and broachers. They help identify a company and show to the public what an organisation stands for. Based on the mission statements are the present and the future of any organisation determined.

Similarly, in case of an individual these mission statements of the goal they wish to achieve are called, ‘personal mission statements.’

What is a Personal Mission Statement?

A personal mission statement may help you define what matters the most to you professionally and personally by identifying your beliefs and ambitions. Personal mission statements help you identify your purpose and explains to you and to the world what you wish to achieve and how to plan to achieve your goals. It also makes decision-making easier since it explains if the choices you’re making are in line with your life goals.

A good mission statement must reflect your skills, abilities, personality traits, values, and passion. It must reflect what you like to do and how you work in order to achieve your goals .

How to write a mission statement?

A mission statement looks very simple and easy once it is written. But you need to be really creative while making one. You need to form a phrase that captures almost everything about you. As stated above, it includes your passions, likings, personal and professional believes and expectations. In order to formulate a catchy mission statement, you need to take time and write down numerous points and re-write many phrases and then choose a phrase that best matches your personality and traits.

Here are a list of questions that your mission statement should try to answer.

A mission statement should not be a whole paragraph full of words. Therefore, there is a need to always include only the useful information and words in it. Exclude the extra information and unnecessary details from the statement.

Sample Answers

My personal goal statement is to continue to learn and improve my talents, leveraging my talents, training, and personal character to prosper in any job I have, all while pursuing advancement in the organization and contributing to its success.
My personal mission statement is to give it my all at all times. To give my all in all I do, whether at job, in my personal relationships, or in my academics. If you do not give it your all, life is not worth living, in my view. That is, at least, my philosophy, which I strive to follow.
In my opinion every action is significant. When I see people taking, water or any other resource for granted it just hits me differently. I connect myself with the plight of people for who sleep empty stomach or struggle for single drop of water. I attempt to do something about it, because every decision we make has an effect on everyone around us. I attempt to make conscientious judgments, constantly considering the consequences of my every action.
It is impossible to stop learning. That is the motto I strive to live by. Because it is so easy to lose our humility and believe that we already know everything and we start preaching others. But, in my opinion, that is a pathway to hell. I wish to improve my talents on a regular basis, and I feel that we can learn something from everyone irrespective of their age or position.
Do not do anything to others that you would not want done to you. This mission statement is something I wish everyone possessed. It would greatly improve life in the office and the larger society as well. I strive to stick to this motto in my life. This is the way I treat both humans and animals. Neither do I consume animals nor do I abuse them in any way. It is a wonderful feeling, and I am pleased to live with this moto.
I am not a big believer in personal mission statements. Look, I try to live my life to the best of my ability. However, there has always been great deal of uncertainty in the world. It is impossible to foretell what tomorrow may bring, and people should avoid fantasizing about a wonderful picture of world peace and happy humanity everywhere. I live in the moment and strive hard to make my present better.
I live in the moment. This means I make every effort to make my present better. This is no way means that I take my future for granted rather I believe if your present if good you will naturally work hard to improve your future. Keeping your focus on the current moment does not mean to forego the future but to fulfil your desires as you move on.
I try to use my gifts and talents improve the lives of others. I try using my knowledge and privileges to make the lives of those in need better. I try taking out time to help the underprivileged. The same motive I use in my professions life as well. If my knowledge and expertise can help my co-workers and the company I will never shy away from giving help.
I aim at inspiring others to live the life of their dreams. As a child I was not privileged enough to live a life of my dreams. But I did not let my social status act as a hindrance in achieving my dreams. I worked hard to be the person that I am today. Similarly, I try my best to motivate others to achieve their goals and never be disheartened in life.
My personal goal statement is that I will not have any. At the end of the day, most individuals simply look for this on the internet, and it is a meaningless sentence on their CV. It frequently has little to do with reality. I believe that my actions should speak for themselves and not just a statement on a piece of paper. You are welcome to contact any of my past managers, or even my classmates, to inquire about the feedback on my work. You can also give me a chance in this reputed firm and see how hard I work. However, I will not try to persuade you with a mission statement or hollow phrases.

Keep in Mind

Avoid making your response too long, but be sure to build a clear picture of your objective and that it aligns with the position you’re looking for.

Things to Avoid

If you answer this question badly, it will reflect poorly on you and may jeopardize your chances of getting the job. Try to stay away from the following blunders.

While writing a mission statement try to keep it as simplified as possible. Be honest with yourself and focus on your ambitions and never come up with a statement that you think will impress others. Get a feedback about the statement from your friends and peers before putting it up in your CV or using it in an interview.

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Sandeep Bhandari

Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.

I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.

All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is Your Personal Mission Statement?

    My personal mission statement is to continue to learn and grow in my abilities, utilizing my skills, training and personal character to thrive in any position I hold, while striving to advance in the company and contribute to its success

  2. What is your personal mission statement?

    Communication: My mission statement is to strive to clearly communicate with people in every phase of life and work. Solve problems by understanding different sides, and by listening to other people so I can understand how everyone contributes

  3. Interview Question: "What Is Your Personal Mission Statement?"

    Learn how to talk about your personal mission statement in an interview and discover ways to communicate your passion, goals, values and interest in a position

  4. Improve Interview Questions With Your Mission Statement

    Take your interview questions to the next level by incorporating your company's mission statement. That will help you see if candidates are truly a match

  5. Personal Mission Statement For Job Interview

    Tags: Best answers to the job interview question, Mission statement, Personal mission statement, What is your personal mission statement This entry was posted on at and is filed under lanos-clan.com can follow

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    Interview question for Customer Support Representative in San Francisco, CA.What's your personal mission statement?

  7. Covidien Interview Question: What is your personal mission statement?

    Interview question for Engineer.What is your personal mission statement?

  8. What is Your Personal Mission Statement? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

    Mission statements are everywhere, from an individual to organisations and governments. Similarly, in case of an individual these mission statements of the goal they wish to achieve are called, ‘personal mission statements.'