13 Where Do you See Yourself in Five Years?
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is one of the most common interview questions that candidates can expect to be asked during the hiring process. While it may seem straightforward, a thoughtful, strategic response is incredibly significant.
When asking this one of the most frequent interview questions, the employer wants to understand a candidate’s career goals, ambition, and overall fit with the company. By understanding a candidate’s long-term career aspirations, an employer can determine if the position they are hiring for is aligned with the candidate’s goals. Employers want to hire candidates committed to their work and seeking a long-term career path with the company.
Possible answer to “Where do you see yourself in five years?”:
“I don’t have a specific plan for where I see myself in 5 years. But I would like to move forward. My long-term goals include developing with the company, learning, expanding my responsibilities, improving my skills, and bringing the most significant benefit to the company’s business.”
Tips for answering the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?”:
- Answering this one of the most common interview questions, outline how you see yourself growing in the job and detail some of how you hope to have made positive contributions.
- Then, it would help if you also showed your healthy ambition, but it is important not to overdo it. Most employers are pleased to know that their employees have a desire to grow and develop.
- Take this opportunity to clarify your commitment, indicating that you plan to stay in the job instead of going to graduate school or changing to a new career.
- The answer to this question should be as related as possible to the work under discussion.
What mistakes should not be made when answering the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?”:
- Talking about the personal and touch on the professional quite a bit.
- Saying that you do not know anything about it or have not thought about it yet.
- Talking about entrepreneurship is also one of the most popular mistakes when answering this question.
