where do you see yourself in five years - interview questions - manu melwin joy

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Prepared By

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Manu Melwin JoyAssistant Professor

Ilahia School of Management Studies

Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114

Mail – [email protected]

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

• Where do you see yourself in five years? This interview question is not designed to test your psychic powers. No interviewer expects candidates to be able to describe EXACTLY what they will be doing in 1,820 days. In fact, a truthful answer about what you HOPE to be doing can easily sabotage your odds of landing a job offer.

Why Interviewers Ask, “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”


• The interviewer wants to understand more about your career goals and how this position would fit into your grand plan. They care about your career goals because they want to hire someone who is motivated, proactive, and likely to stick around and work hard if hired.


• If succeeding in this role is

important to you as part of

your long-term career

strategy, you are much

more likely to perform well.


• You may also hear one of these similar/related questions that are not quite as cliched as the old “5 years” chestnut:– What are your long-term career

goals?– What is your ideal job at this

stage in your career?– What are you looking for?– How do you define success?– What’s most important to you in

you career?

What the Employer Is Trying to Discover

• Do you have a solid grasp of the

position and what it entails?

• Do you have the right attitude?

• Are you going to be dependable?

• Are you a good cultural and social fit

for the organization?

• How are you going to use your

strengths to achieve success in this

job?


• Qualifications and

experience being somewhat

equal among candidates,

the decision maker(s) wants

the candidate who is the

best fit culturally.


• The candidate who takes

time to prepare a list of

personal goals in advance of

the interview will be able to

communicate his/her

strengths and potential fit

best.


• They want to know that you've

put thought into your response.

• They want to know that you're

driven - but that you have

realistic goals.

• They want to hear that you are

willing to pay your dues before

expecting a promotion.


• They want to know that you're loyal

and willing to make a commitment

to the company for at least five

years.

• They want to hear how the

company and role you're applying

for fits into your longer-term goals.

• They want to know you're excited

about the job.

How to Answer The Question


• In today’s competitive job market, interviewers are looking for any red flag to use as an excuse not to hire someone. So you could be unfairly eliminated from contention if you answer this question in a way that even hints this is not the one and only job of your dreams.

Great career move

• Understandably, an employer wants to hire someone who is truly excited about the job at hand, someone who sees it as a great career move and will work tirelessly to do a good job.


• You may have already said

that you’re interested in

the job and why. But they

are testing you further by

asking, “Where do you see

yourself in five years?”


• If your five-year goal is to

become an investment

banker, it’s going to be

hard for them to believe

that this position as an IT

marketing manager is your

dream job.


• Hiring managers don’t generally enjoy

recruiting, hiring, and training new

people. It can be a time-consuming and

difficult process. Your interviewer does

not want to invest time and effort in

someone who is already planning to

leave for something better as soon as it

comes along (whether that’s a job

that’s a better fit, grad school, or your

own business).


• After all, if she hires you

and you quit after a month

or two, she’s going to look

really bad to her bosses


• In reality, you are probably

considering a few different

potential career paths. It’s

smart for you to keep your

options open to a certain

extent. However, you don’t

have to advertise this fact in

your job interviews.


• Let’s be clear: You should

never lie during a job

interview. However, that

doesn’t mean that you

have to be 100% candid

about all of the directions

that you are investigating.

How to Prepare Your Answer

• Focus on what you are grateful for regarding this position.

• Consider the personal feelings that swell up inside you as you consider working in this job and for this employer. Will you have more of a work-life balance? Will your commute be easier? Does it seem like the kind of environment where you can leverage your strengths and be valued? Will you have a greater opportunity to learn new things? Will your value in the job market increase?

• Take time to name your feelings and strengths, and write out how an employer could make you feel valued.


• Think about how you would like to spend your day and the kind of actions you will be performing.

• Don't focus on the specific job duties. Instead think about how you will interact with your co-workers, customers, and anyone else who crosses your path. How would you like to feel at the end of your workday? What new skills or information will you learn? What do you see yourself doing in this job that is different from your current or previous jobs?

• Take a moment to write down those thoughts and think about what it would feel like to love your job and the company where you work.


• Try setting some goals as you visualize yourself in this new position.

• Even if you can't specifically determine where you see yourself five years from now, what possibilities seem to develop for you by having this job? What seems new? How are things different for you?

• Take a moment to focus on your personal and professional values, write them down, and formulate a response to a modified version of this question such as "What is going to be important to you in your career in five years?" or "How would you like to see your life/career differently in five years?"


• Plan a Career Path: Take the time before the job interview to find a career path that would logically continue from this particular position and then outline the steps for the next five years. In some cases, you will find a clear outline on the company website. Also, you will need to ask professional associations, friends, family or alumni for an idea.


• Begin with Why This Job Interests You: Before moving on, you should clearly explain why you want to succeed at and master the particular job position. If you give the impression that you want to move on from the current job right away, an employer may doubt your dedication and motivation. Most interviewers want to fill a position for a minimum of one or two years. To relieve any worries the interviewer has, be sure to mention how your skills and interests will help you fill the job description.


• If There Isn’t a Clear Career Paths: You will notice that not every job has an ultimate career goal. If, for example, you are looking to teach, plan events or do counseling, you will not be using the job as a stepping stone. Instead, your five year goal should be related to the position. A sales position, for example, can aim for product knowledge and close client relationships.


• Goals Lead to Results: Another way to respond is to mention your goals as ways of identifying results. Here is an example, a teacher applying to work in a district that wants to improve standardized tests performance can answer this question by saying: I want to spare no effort in the following 5 years to increase the number of students reading at grade level with creative instruction.


• Advancing in Your Career: In some cases, a job recruiter will expect you to keep moving for the next few years. Some examples of these are new college grads as research assistants, and jobs such as consulting, banking or legal assistants. These positions give you more in your responses, but still ensure you state how the job makes sense for your interests and skills.


• Other Interview Questions About Your Future: There may also be other related questions concerning the future like: What things are important for you? What do you want out of your next job? What goals do you have for the following five/ten years? How will you achieve those goals? Some general questions concerning your career goals also can be asked in an interview.

What should you say?

Keep your answer fairly general

• Keep your answer fairly general,

especially if you don’t know a lot about

the typical career path at the company.

For most interview questions, I

recommend being SPECIFIC because

general answers tend to be bland and

easily forgettable. This is the exception.

Make your answer truthful, but broad

enough that it doesn’t raise doubts about

whether you would be a good fit for this

position at this organization.

Stress your interest in a long-term career

• Stress your interest in a long-term

career at the company (especially if you

have short job tenures on your

resume). Your interviewer wants to

know that you’re ready to settle in and

grow with the firm. The truth is that

anything can happen. The company

could go out of business, they could lay

you off, or you could be lured away for

a better opportunity.

Stress your interest in a long-term career

• However, remember that the

organization is going to be investing

considerable time, energy, and money in

hiring and training someone for this job.

You must at least show an honest

intention to stay long enough to be a

good investment. If you have some “job

hopping” on your resume, it’s particularly

important to make the case that you’re

now ready for a long-term role.

Demonstrate your enthusiasm

• Demonstrate your

enthusiasm for the job as

an exciting next step for

you. Most importantly,

make it clear that you are

motivated to take on this

opportunity right now.

Example Responses

Example 1

• My goal right now is to find a position at a

company where I can grow and take on new

challenges over time. Ultimately, I’d like to

assume more management responsibilities

and get involved in product strategy. But

most importantly, I want to work for an

organization where I can build a career.”

Example 1

• Why We Like It:

This answer offers some insight into the

candidate’s goals and interests (becoming a

manager, being involved in product strategy)

so it’s not too generic. This response also

strongly expresses a desire for a long-term

career with the company.

Example 2

• “I am driven to be the best at what I do and I want

to work somewhere where I’ll have opportunities

to develop my skills, take on interesting projects,

and work with people I can really learn from. Some

of the most innovative thinkers in the industry

work here and that’s a big reason why I would love

to build a career here.”

Example 2

• Why We Like It:

With this answer, the candidate is emphasizing her

focus on learning, performance, and achievement.

She is also complimenting the company and its

reputation for hiring quality people (including the

interviewer, perhaps?). The reference to “building a

career here” indicates an interest in sticking around

and contributing.

Special Scenarios: Make Your Narrative Believable

Make Your Narrative Believable

• In some situations, your answer to this

question will be particularly important.

If you’re making a career change or this

position doesn’t seem like an obvious

next step based on your resume, your

interviewer may be suspicious about

whether you REALLY are committed to

this field or just need to make a few

bucks until something better comes

along.


• Nobody wants to hire an

applicant who is halfhearted

about the job. It’s like

dating someone who is

using you for free dinners

until someone she’s REALLY

attracted to comes along.


• Your response to “Where

do you see yourself in five

years?” is your

opportunity to sell the

interview on your

commitment to the career

path and the position.


• For example, let’s say you were recently

laid off after working in academia for five

years and are now interviewing for a job in

biotechnology management. To be

seriously considered, you need to be able

to describe why you are excited about

making the switch and building a career in

biotech. You don’t want to leave the

impression that this would only be a

temporary diversion until something opens

up for you in your “real” field of interest.


• This is also relevant for new

grads. If your major and

internships are in a totally

different area, be prepared to

talk convincingly about why you

want to invest the next five years

in this new field represented by

the open position.

How Not to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”


• Don’t overthink it: “Well, that’s a very hard question. I don’t know what I’ll be doing in 5 years….hmmmm….that’s tough.”

• In my work with individual clients, I’ve seen this mistake a million times. It’s great that you take the question seriously, but you are not being evaluated based on accuracy of answer. Use your answer to reassure the interviewer that you’re invested in this career path.


• Don’t be too specific: “I plan to be a VP at a major firm with at least 7 direct reports, a company car, and a salary of 150K (plus options of course).”

• Ambition is good. Goals are good. However, if you are too specific, you run the risk of stating goals that are not realistically achievable in the job available. From the interviewer’s perspective, that means you’re not a good fit.


• Don’t be flaky: “I’d love to be CEO in five years. Then again, I’d also love to be touring with my band if that takes off.”

• You can come across as flaky if you seem to have a million different ideas about what you want to do — or if you have zero clear ideas about your future. In reality, many good candidates are exploring different options or are still trying to figure it out. However, a job interview is not a session with your career coach. You want to give the impression that you’re focused and have a plan (even if it’s not the only plan you’re considering).


• Don’t raise red flags: “Well, I’m not sure. I’m thinking about law school or business school or clown college.”

• Many job seekers have long-term visions of going back to school or starting their own business. These are admirable goals, but there’s no need to share them with your interviewer, especially if you’re still weighing your possibilities.

where do you see yourself in five years - interview questions - manu melwin joy

Education

years chestnut

longterm career goals

longerterm goals

realistic goals

best fit

job offer

ideal job

list of personal goals