We live in the era of egoism and individualism. And while it is true that one can achieve things on their own in life–including big goals, a team effort typically stands behind any successful endeavor. And it doesn’t mean that all people deserve the same credit. Perhaps you did the most of work, led the project, contributed more time than others. But some people supported you, handed you a helping hand, gave an injection of cash to the project when needed, and so on. And you should be able to recognize and appreciate it. That’s exactly what this and similar interview questions are about, and what the people asking you the question want to hear. Be it teachers, hiring managers, or coaches.
Sometimes they inquire about your past goals, and sometimes about your present and future goals. Be it to earn a degree, complete a difficult project, become a better person, run a successful business, or anything else. But your goal always remain the same–you should show them that you can appreciate help of other people, and do not naively dream of changing the world single-handed. It is okay to seek support and to accept assistance, in any situation of life. At the same time, however, you should also show that you do not expect someone else to do the entire job for you. You seek support, but you still want to give your best effort.
Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to this interesting question. I tried to include on my list a variety of answers for different goals (including neutral answers that will work well with any goal you try to reach), and should fit different interview scenarios. I hope at least one of them will resonate with you, and help you express the right feelings while answering this tricky question. Enjoy!
7 sample answers to “What support do you need to achieve your goals?” interview question
- More than anything else, I need emotional support. From my family at first, but also from my teachers. It is important for me to see that other people believe in me, and in my ability to earn this hard-to-earn degree. Because I know hard weeks will come. Weeks when I will have to study long hours and spend some sleepless nights to get ready for the exams. Setbacks will come too, no doubt about it. In such situation one can start to doubt themselves, and it is extremely important to hear that someone trusts you, believes in you, supports you.
- To be honest with you, I need financial support. That’s why I am applying for this scholarship. I can assure you that I am a bright student and a hard worker, and can achieve my goals at school, and eventually in my academic research. But the world turns around money, and without support I cannot study because I cannot pay for this program, even if I had two part-time jobs. Of course, it will be great to receive any other kind of support along the way, but for me the most important thing is to have funds for my study.
- I have to admit that I need some mentorship to achieve my goals. Sure, one can find a lot of information online. How to run this or that business, what mistakes to avoid, how to earn your first million within five years, and so on. But I believe that every business is specific, just as every human being is unique, and a good mentorship can make all the difference between success and failure. That’s why I decided to enroll in your program and hope to get this form of support. I can assure you that I am ready to listen and learn from my mentor, regardless of who you eventually decide to allocate to me.
- They say that sales job is a lonely journey, and that your results depend entirely on your efforts, but I do not share this opinion. Look, we should cooperate instead of competing. To achieve the goals I set for myself in this new job–and as you can see they are quite ambitious, I definitely need support. First of all, support of a sales manager and more experienced people from the company. They’ve been in the same shoes, they know what mistakes one should avoid, and hopefully can give me a helping hand. And secondly, I would love to have a support of an assistant, to help me with email communication, newsletters and so on, because I want to focus on the core of the job, where the money is made–phone calls and meetings with the clients.
- It is hard to say what support I need to achieve my goals, because I am not yet sure what my goals in life are. Sure, I hope to have a good life, and perhaps contribute to some worthy cause with my daily activities. But what exactly I want to do for a living, and what occupation to pursue, I am not sure about yet. Having said that, I understand that almost every great achievement, in any field of life, is a team effort. Therefor I expect to get some support, from whatever team I belong to in the workplace or elsewhere.
- To run a marathon under 2:15 is no small effort, and I know what it will mean for this club and also for this country. And I believe it is within the reach of my athletic possibilities. However, in order to achieve my goals, I need a lot of support. First of all, a regular monthly salary, so I can focus 100% on my training, and do not need to have another job on side, as it has been the case until now. Secondly, great training partner, or at least a decent one, because to run 150 miles a week alone is no fun. Then it is important to have decent facilities for regeneration, and of course also an ability to travel to warmer climates for winter to continue in the training. Last but not least, it is crucial for me to have this support guaranteed for 3 years at least, because one isn’t going to improve from 2:25 to 2:15 in a course of a single season, regardless of how hard they train.
- For a long time I found it hard to admit it, but I need a support of a specialist–a psychologist, to achieve my goals. Because I struggle greatly with confidence, anxiety, and some other issues too. For years I tried to suppress it, trying to do things on my own, just to experience one failure after another. But now I know I need assistance of a qualified psychologist, if I am ever to reach my goals. I hope I can get it here, and finally turn my life around…
So that’ it! I hope you enjoyed the answers, and at least one of them resonates with you and helps you come up with your own, unique interview answer to this tricky question. I wish you good luck in your interviews, and recommend you to check also 7 sample answers to similar question that you may face:
- What is your ambition in life?
- Describe a situation when you found yourself outside of your comfort zone.
- Tell us about a time when you overcame a challenge.
