Preparing for this question is a very good exercise in figuring out what you enjoy doing, what is meaningful to you, and — really — what you actually want to be doing in five years.
This could help you focus your job search, in addition to providing a good answer to a common job interview question.
Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
This question can potentially derail an interview if you aren’t prepared.
Considering the average length of time people stay with a company or in a job is 4.6 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it seems a little silly that employers will still ask this question.
Avoid Giving a Non-Answer
Most job seekers jump into this question without truly having set any personal career goals or having a good sense of the company culture.
A common mistake is trying to name a specific position that may or may not exist in the company. On the other hand, a vague response such as, “I would hope to be able to progress into a senior level position,” could backfire if the position doesn’t offer any advancement. And a flippant response, like “I’d like to have your job,” could be a complete disaster.
So, taking the time to provide a thoughtful answer will ultimately be helpful both to you and to the employer.
What the Employer Is Trying to Discover
Before answering this question, it is helpful to understand that the interviewer is looking for five primary things in your
- 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.
How to Prepare Your Answer
Try using these three strategies to prepare for this question in advance, as well as examine your own personal career goals.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?”
Develop Your Answer
As you develop some personal career goals as well as a strategy about how you want to achieve those goals, you’re now in a better position to be able to answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” without blurting out something that doesn’t sound believable.
Better yet, you won’t blurt out something that will completely turn the interviewer off.
Hopefully, the more you really think about your career in this manner and take time to visualize how things could improve for you personally and professionally, the clearer things may become.
