Facing Interviews: How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?”
There is a legitimate way to respond to this question during an interview, even if you are unsure of where you envision yourself in the next five years.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
You should know that the hiring managers and employers aren’t concerned with your actual plans at all. When asking this question, an interviewer isn’t expecting you to know 100 percent where you see yourself in the future, but they do want to know if you have ambition, goals, focus, and drive. They want to know you’ve at least considered your future and what you’d like to accomplish.
Why hiring managers ask these types of interview questions?
So why do recruiting managers ask this ridiculous question if they don’t genuinely care about your future course? In fact, asking “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is more about gaining understanding of your future plans, objectives, and hopes. Interviewers inquire about your goals in order to gain a deeper understanding of how you think and operate. The interviewer is interested in learning more about your professional objectives and how a position with them can fit into those plans. Companies need team members who are trustworthy, meticulous, and eager to take risks rather than a noncommittal worker who simply stays until a better chance presents itself elsewhere.
This typical interview question may be posed in a variety of ways by hiring managers. Several examples of related interview questions that seek to elicit the same information are shown below:
- What are your long-term career goals?
- What is your ideal dream job at this stage in your career?
- What are you looking for?
- How do you define success?
- What is most important to you in your career?
- What is your five-year plan?
- What is your goal in the next five years?
- Where will you be in five years?
Preparing
The hiring manager is aware that nobody has a crystal ball and knows where they will be in five years. They are not expecting you to provide a detailed strategy outlining everything you will do. Instead, concentrate on your goals, the direction you want to take your career, and your strategy for achieving them. Don’t forget to emphasize how you want to benefit the business as well. Employing managers seek people who will benefit the team and improve the business. Keep in mind that hiring managers are just as likely to reject an unrealistic suggestion as they are to accept none at all.
Prepare your response to this question in advance. Think about practising your response aloud with a reliable friend so you can hear your voice and make any necessary corrections. When crafting your response, consider what the hiring manager or interviewer wants to know about you, such as your career objectives, aspirations, requested training, etc. What kinds of jobs do you envision yourself holding? What kind of instruction? Do you want to focus on the technical aspects of your profession or do you want to pursue leadership positions? When possible, give measurable responses.
Create a five-year strategy in writing. While it may be difficult to predict your exact occupation or location in five years, try visualising and imagining where you would love to be, the kind of culture you would like to be a part of, the kinds of jobs you’d like to hold, the kinds of experiences and accomplishments you’d like to have, etc. Make a list of these things after giving them some thought, along with a plan for how you’ll get there. This will enable you to express your honest and careful projection of where you see yourself in five years.
Answering
Be genuine and truthful in your response to this question. Sharing answers that you believe the interviewer wants to hear may seem like a good idea, but if they are not true to you, you risk difficulty if you are hired. Furthermore, being yourself is lot simpler than trying to be someone you’re not.
Keep your response focused and professional. You don’t have to tell the interviewer that in five years you want to have two kids and a white picket fence. In fact, people might hear if you do share this, “After my children are born, I’ll be taking a lot of time off from work to take care of them. Not my first priority is work.” Although it can seem unjust, it is real. Keep your responses brief and focused on your professional aspirations.
An example response:
Imagine that you are applying for a job in human resources and are asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” You could respond as follows:
“In five years, I want to broaden my horizons by diving in headfirst and absorbing as much of the organization as I can, as rapidly as I can. From there, I would look for opportunities to increase my expertise through training and educational program to complement my profession — at least one or two a year. If the chance arises, I’d be thrilled to take part in at least one initiative focused on leadership development. I am also aware that the organization has a dedicated group of volunteers, and I would like to play a part in that group. I’d also like to be taken into consideration at some point for a management or supervisory position.”
Keep it primarily work-related, show ambition, show that you’ve done your homework, and provide quantifiable long term goals. The key is to be confident, honest, clear, and succinct, and, of course, to answer the question.
What not to say when answering “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
While it is critical to understand the proper way to respond, it is also important to remember what an interviewer does not want to hear when they ask, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” In short, be cautious about how you respond to this common interview question, and try to avoid responses like this:
- That you intend to stay with the company for a limited time. If a company is going to invest time and resources in you, they want to know you’ll be with them for the long haul, or at least for the next five years. Employees may now spend less time in a role before moving on, but you don’t want to let it be known that you don’t intend to stay with the organization for long (unless you’re interviewing for a temporary position).
- That you haven’t considered your future with the company or life in general. Whatever you do, do not say, “I’m not sure.” If the answer does not come to you right away, consider how you have grown over the last five years. Consider the natural flow of progression when developing an answer. Again, one of the main reasons this question is asked is to determine whether you have goals and are enthusiastic about your future with the company. They also want to know that you have ambition and a good work ethic, and that you have thought about how you would handle your work if hired.
- That you want their job. Yes, the interviewer wants to know you’re ambitious, but you don’t want to make it known that you’re eager to advance and see yourself in their position, especially if it’s a small company with few opportunities.
This question is likely to be posed to you at some point during your career. Fortunately, you now know you have the skills to respond with a slam dunk.
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Bone voyage!
