‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ – How to answer this in an interview

If you are someone who has attended a considerable number of interviews or gone through the campus placement process, then you would have surely been asked the famed interview question – where do you see yourself in five years? Hiring managers ask this question to know how career-oriented and committed you are. They also want to see how much clarity you have about the role you have applied to. This often makes the candidate panic and fumble. This question has the ability to answer much more about the candidate that you can imagine.

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Here are a few tips to keep in mind while answering it. These may help you frame your answer in a better way and give you more clarity:

Think about your career ladder

Several positions, such as analysts positions and positions in financial banking sector, have a career path planned wherein the candidate will graduate to a senior role after a year or two. In such a scenario it will make absolute sense to tell how you would like to grow in your career keeping in mind the various positons that lie in front of you. However, do not deviate, and also emphasise how the current position excites you owing to your skill sets and interests from which the company can also benefit.

Show that you have realistic goals

Many candidates mistakenly portray themselves as overambitious. While it is fine to be driven and say that you would like to get promoted and see yourself scaling up, it would look ridiculous to say that you want to become the head of the organisation within a few years especially if you are just about to begin.

Convey how the company fits into your goals

First, get to know what the interviewer is looking for in the person who is going to take up the role. Tell the interviewer how you plan to grow and in turn help the organisation grow as well. Tell them how you will excel gradually and achieve your long term goals.

What to avoid while answering

And finally, you will also have to keep in mind what not to answer while you are encountered with this question. It wouldn’t be a good idea to reveal that you do not intend to stay with the company after a year or two. Also do not indicate to your employer that you would like to be in his or her position since you do not really know what got them there. The time and effort they invested might not be something you are aware of at the moment. It might even make them feel a slightly insecure.

After all this planning, what if you realise there is no said path that can help you answer this in a straightforward manner? Well, in that case it would be appropriate to say that at this point you aren’t sure how the future will shape out to be, but that the knowledge and experience you gain from the company will definitely help you make the right decision.