One of the most common questions you can expect at any interview is: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
Obviously, answering this question isn’t easy for anyone, regardless you’re a fresher or an applicant with impressive education, enviable experience and superb skills.
And interviewers are aware about this fact that most jobseekers won’t be able to answer this question easily.
Reasons for Asking This Question
This would make many of us wonder, why do interviewers ask such a difficult question? Is it because they merely to make an interview tougher? Or are there any genuine reasons for asking this question.
Given the limited time that interviewers have, it’s clear they ask they question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” for a specific reason. These include:
- To gauge your interest in that particular career.
- Understanding your personal goals and ambitions.
- Assess how long you might work with the organization, if selected for a job.
- Get an idea about what you’re looking from the job you’re applying.
- Find out whether you’re willing to exert extra efforts and learn more skills as part of the job.
In brief, the recruiter wants to comprehend some of your personality traits through this question. Hence, it’s advisable to be prepared to respond to this question.
In this article, I will discuss some superb ways you can easily answer the question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” and try to impress interviewers.
Where do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Impressing an interviewer is possible only if you’re ready with the response. This response has to be given in a manner that’s fully in sync with your Curriculum Vitae of Resume.
Because your career objective, written at the beginning of the Resume and your career history, has to be consistent with the response too.
So here’re five ways to answer: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
1. A Fresher’s Response
You’re applying for what could possibly be your first ever job in life. You’ve no experience in the field and would have to learn everything from the scratch.
The only resources you have include some education and possibly an internship as well as few hobbies and maybe awards at sports or extracurricular activities.
Given these limited resources you’ll mention on a resume, it’s very easy to get bowled over by the question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or even provide a wrong response. To avoid such situations, utilize the following tip.
Start by speaking something about your interest in the field where you wish to work. Leverage your educational qualifications and highlight how that can help you in the career you’re choosing by applying for the job.
Speak about reasons why you chose that particular organization to launch your career and the experience you stand to gain, should they hire you.
And conclude by pointing out that every skill you learn while working there would benefit the recruiter to grow their business while you record a superb career growth with them.
Draw a verbal roadmap about how you wish to see your career graph move upwards beginning with this recruiter and ways through which your experience would prove valuable to the employer over a period of five or more years.
2. Response for Job Hoppers
If you’re one of those countless job hoppers that’re frequently looking for challenging opportunities and more pay, the question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” could be slightly difficult to answer.
The reason: your Resume will be rather lengthy and list your employment history.
Should this be your case, an interviewer can clearly observe that you mightn’t work with the company for five years. But surely, you wouldn’t like to lose an opportunity to work at this employer.
You can easily overcome the problems your employment history with several organization poses, if you use this simple trick.
First, make sure your Resume speaks clearly about your career growth. That despite skipping or jumping several jobs within a shorter period of time, your overall career has always been on the upswing.
And that you’re quest to enhance skills is indicating positive results.
Begin your response by clearly stating that you’re there to make a long-term career by using every skill you possess while acquiring some more.
However, send down the message loud and clear that you’d love to continue working with this particular employer provided they offer ample opportunities to learn and grow in career over five years.
3. Looking for a Career Change
The question: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” can be most challenging to answer while you’re seeking a career change and your experience or skills might not be entirely relevant to the job you’re applying.
You can draw some comfort from the fact that you’re at the interview, despite the recruiter being aware of the skills and experience mismatch for that particular vacancy.
Begin answering this question by explaining genuine reasons for seeking a career change.
Do some research before appearing for the interview to find the scope of the career you’re choosing and how the switch would benefit you personally and career-wise.
Point out you’re willing to exert extra efforts to fit into the new career and acquire the necessary skills.
Give clear indications on how this career change would propel your professional life to newer and better heights in five years by working with this specific employer.
4. Mid-Level Executive
Generally, a middle-level executive or mid-career professional would have an impressive resume or CV. And you’ll definitely be one of these provided you’ve spent at least five years at any job or career or profession.
In such cases, the question: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” can be the easiest to answer. In fact, your Resume would already have done most of the talking. Hence, the question would figure more or less like a formality.
With an experience of five years or more, there’re two features your Resume will indicate: An upward career graph or a stagnant one- meaning you’re not moving up the echelons. In any case, there’s nothing to worry. I’ll explain why.
Just in case your career is stagnating, you’re well justified in seeking a new job. Hence, you can respond to the question by explaining how you would love to achieve your career goals over the next five years to reach a certain position.
And elaborate on ways to wish to go about it.
And if your career graph indicates an upward swing, leverage that to point out that you’ve much higher career objectives and ambitions that you wish to fulfill over the next five years.
5. Senior Management/ Senior Professional
More as a rule, no interviewer is likely to ask a senior management executive, senior professional or jobseeker with splendid credentials on “Where do you see yourself in 5 years.”
That’s because you’ll most likely have a superb track record where career growth is the main feature.
Yet, there’re always chances that someone in the Board of Directors or an interview panel consisting of company top brass could toss this question at you for one specific reason: They do not wish to lose your skills and experience to a competitor.
Hence, the interviewer or the panel would like to get some sort of assurance that you’re in for the long term through your response.
In such cases, it’s fairly easy to respond to the question about where you see yourself after five years.
Speak briefly about your career growth over the years and pitch how your academic qualifications, skills, and experience would prove invaluable to the recruiter.
Speak about the extra efforts you’re willing to exert to excel at the new job and possible senior positions you would love to hold at the organization.
However, here’s a word of caution. Your excellent Resume doesn’t give a permit to throw humility and etiquette to the winds.
Therefore, your response shouldn’t sound like a threat to unseat any senior executives and nor should it seem haughty or crude.
Instead, put across your ambitions and goals rather diplomatically because it’s not often that companies hire very senior and experienced persons such as you.
Closing Thoughts
These five ways to respond to this question about where you wish to stand after five years would definitely help you impress interviewers.
You’re at an interview because the recruiter has already pored over your Resume and found something that could help their business even while you need that job. Therefore, use these five techniques with confidence.