When job seekers are asked what they want to do in five years, it's easy for them to feel scared. By rephrasing the question, you can avoid giving an answer that has nothing to do with your career goals and might involve personal information or an industry that has nothing to do with it. When you connect your professional goals to the values of a company, a hiring manager will be able to see things from your point of view.

Some of the questions job applicants are asked during interviews may be harder than others. One of the most common questions professionals ask is, "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

How you answer a question can show an employer what you can do and give you a unique brand. Whether you have a plan for your career or not, how you answer questions in an interview will show what you have to offer.

Get the point of the question

Having a long-term plan for your career can show how serious you are about it, but you don't need a five-year plan to give a good answer. But it will also show that there is a good chance you will still be able to reach your five-year goal. Interviewers can also ask where you want to be in a certain amount of time to see if your values match up with those of the company.

Madeline Mann, a career coach, says, "To answer this question well, you need to understand what's behind it. The interviewer wants to know what your long-term plans are and if they fit with the company's plans or if you're just using the job as a stopgap.

Mann's point is simple. She says that if you're interviewing for a clerk job at a law firm, your desire to work in the entertainment industry won't mean much to the interviewer. If your career goal doesn't match the job you're interviewing for, it can be easy for the hiring manager to rule you out.

Employers might not expect you to stay in a job for a long time. The number of years that professionals work for one company has gone down, and hiring managers know this. No matter if a job is seasonal or if you only plan to work there for a year or two, you need to show how it fits in with your long-term career goals.

Answers to Avoid

Mann has seen job seekers answer the question in the same way more than once. She warns against talking about personal goals, saying, "This includes things like having a baby, buying a house, or moving to a new city. This is not important information, and what you say about it could hurt your chances."

If you don't know the hiring manager or the organisation well, they might think you're not a good fit for the job. This could be because they have a personal bias or because of the way you talk about personal things.

Talking about work in an unrelated field or job can also hurt your chances of getting the job. Mann says that this can mean you're only there for a short time and don't really care about the job. Even if the rest of the interview goes well, the hiring manager can assume that you won't be worth the time to train.

Last but not least, Mann says that you shouldn't talk about wanting to start your own business or work as a freelancer in the future. She says, "Most interviewers will think that you won't care as much about the job and will care more about your own projects. You don't want them to think that you'll always be looking for a way out."

Even though these career moves show initiative and ambition, an interviewer is more likely to choose a candidate who values the chance they have been given.

Think about the Answer

When you're asked where you want to be in five years, it's easy to get stuck. The world changes quickly, and your field may even look different. Don't let the idea of making a five-year plan overwhelm you. Instead, rethink the question.

Mann says, "The next time someone asks you where you see yourself in five years, pretend they asked, 'How will this job help you grow your career in a way you're proud of?'" When you change the way the question is asked, you show that you know what the interviewer really wants to know. This can help you figure out what to say and put you on the same page as them. Mann says, "This mental shift will help you avoid useless information like personal goals or specific milestones and instead focus on how you want to grow."

Instead, you can think about these five things as you think about this new question. Mann gives you a list of things to think about when you answer, starting with how interested you are in learning about the industry. When you want to be a leader, it shows your character and ambition that you want to help others.

She also says that you should talk about your "drive to learn or improve specific skills that are highlighted in the job description." Find out how the skills you need for a position will help your career. Your willingness to take on new challenges and learn more about a subject shows that you value the chance.

When you think about why the interviewer is asking about your career plans, you can reframe the question and give a good answer. It used to be a scary question, but now it's a clear chance to explain yourself and find common ground with a hiring manager.

Top Takeaways

Have you thought about how to answer the question "Where do you see yourself in five years?" in the best way possible?

  • Having a long-term plan for your career can show how serious you are about your field, but you don't need a five-year plan to give a good answer.
  • Interviewers can also ask where you want to be in a certain amount of time to see if your values match up with those of the company.
  • Don't talk about your personal goals or a different industry. Even if the rest of the interview goes well, the hiring manager can assume that you won't be worth the time to train.
  • Think about how the interviewer might have asked, "How will this job help you grow your career in a way you're proud of?"
  • Find out how the skills you need for a position will help your career.