How to Answer the Question, “Who is Your Biggest Inspiration in Life?”

Inspiration is a driving force that propels us to achieve our dreams. It can be a person, an idea, a place or even just a moment. It can provide mental and creative stimulation that pushes us to act, even when we’re feeling a bit down.

When you’re not inspired, it’s often because you’ve lost touch with your passions or you’ve taken on responsibilities that don’t align with your life goals. If this sounds like you, it might be time to take some time to rediscover what motivates you and work on managing any self-esteem challenges or fears that may be holding you back.

Answering the Question “Who Inspires You?”

Whether you’re applying for a job or just interviewing with a new company, answering the question, “Who inspires you?” is a crucial part of the interview process. It can tell employers a lot about your personality and can help them better understand what you’re looking for in a job.

1. Choose Someone Who is Your Biggest Inspiration

The first rule of answering this question is to pick someone who you truly admire and are able to talk about why they inspire you in a way that the hiring manager will understand. This can be a family member, a famous person, or someone you’ve studied and admired in your career.

2. Keep Your Response Short and Sweet

A good rule of thumb is to keep your response to a maximum of 60-90 seconds. That allows you to be concise and also give the hiring manager a clear idea of why you admire this person, their story, and how it relates to your goals and professional interests.

3. Avoid Explanating Too Much

It can be tempting to get into a long explanation of why this person inspires you, but that’s not the right way to go. This can sabotage your chances of getting the job.

4. Be selective in your choices

While choosing an inspirational figure can be challenging, it’s important to make sure you’re giving a true and accurate account of how they inspired you. For example, you don’t want to say Albert Einstein inspired you because he was a famous physicist, but rather that he helped you develop your problem-solving skills and critical thinking capabilities.

5. Explain How Your Inspiration Connects with Your Job

Ideally, your answer should connect the values and behaviors of your inspiration to your professional goals. For example, if you admire Mother Theresa, you can say that she was devoted to helping homeless people throughout her life.

Using this technique can help you show your employer that you are committed to following in her footsteps, and you will be applying the behaviors and values of this person in your professional life.