Best Ways to Answer "Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?"

Shricareer Wed, 11/30/2022 - 13:37

Introduction

Answering interview questions in the right way is the most crucial part of getting selected for any job. But sometimes some interview questions can feel intimidating to answer. One of the most asked interview questions is “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”. After hearing the question, the first thing that might cross your mind is how you are supposed to know what you will do in the future. After all, you are not an astrologer or don’t own a crystal ball to see the future.

So, why do the interviewers ask this question? What are they assessing about you from this answer? In this blog, we’ll guide you on effectively answering this question to get selected for the job.

Why do interviewers ask this question?

When interviewers ask this question, they don’t expect you to see it in the future and answer the question. They ask this question to know if you are capable of doing the job or not.

Recruiters are looking for candidates who are motivated, self-aware, engaged in their job, and who share similar goals and values. Also, recruiters want to know how long you intend to stay in the company, as recruiting process is a lot expensive and time-consuming.

Following are some of the factors for which the interviewers ask, “Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?"

• Your long-term career objectives
• How you are striving towards your goals?
• What do you prioritize the most in your career?
• What is success and how this role will contribute towards your success?

Few tips to answer “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years’?” (With Examples)

You definitely want your answer to be the best. So, here is a top strategy on how to mould your answers effectively. Start your response with one or two main objectives, and think about relating them to some of the traits you wish to emphasize to the interviewer. Next, examine how and why you came to make these decisions. Finish by discussing your long-term goals, if you’d like.

If this was not sufficient, below are some tips and examples you can follow to create your answers.

1. Set your career goals.

Spend some time thinking about your five-year professional goals. Do you desire to develop new skills? Are you considering a career in management in the future? Do you have any specific projects in mind? Are there any industries that particularly appeal to you to work in? Consider your career goals for the next five years as another way to respond to this question. Do you want some specific certifications or a specific position title? Create a list of these goals.

2. Connect your goals and the job description

Connect your goals and the job description

3. Make sure that you can thrive in the company.

Before applying for a job, you need to make sure if they require the same skills that you possess, or if there is plenty of opportunity for you to thrive so that it can help you achieve your professional goals over the next five years. If there is an opportunity then you can opt to proceed forward for the job interview. And you can clearly mention this in your answer.

4. Consider Why the Job Interests You

Spend some time before your interview writing down the things that appeal to you regarding the position. This creates the groundwork for describing how the position will assist you in achieving your goals for the next five years.

Things that matter are mentioned below.

• Passion and enthusiasm for the relevant industry.
• Room for you to grow in the company.
• Particular work duties within the job.


5. Be enthusiastic and honest.

Whatever you say, be enthusiastic in your response. This will show that you are interested in the job and are more likely to commit to it for a while. While it is more important to relate your response to the job, ultimately “You have to answer with what seems to be appropriate to you.” Be honest, but also tactful.

6. Be Realistic

Whatever your response to the inquiry, you must ultimately sound credible and reasonable. For instance:

• Only include goals in your plan those you can complete in five years.
• Verify that your objectives relate to the position description.
• Be sure to emphasize that hard work, not luck, will be how you reach your goals.

Therefore, refrain from saying during the interview that you hope to be a billionaire in the next five years and that this is why you have applied for the job position in this company.

Typical Mistakes to Avoid While Answering This Question

1. Don’t be too honest when you don’t have any idea about your career



Your answers can be imprecise, especially when you don’t have any idea about your career. by asking this question, your interviewer wants to know whether you are serious about the job concerned. If they find you are not then, they might not waste their time, effort, and money by recruiting you.

2. Don’t be too specific

Before answering this question, make sure you are familiar with the exact job responsibilities. If you are not, then you should not mention specific details about your work responsibility. Since the recruiter only wants to assess your capability for the job position, mentioning any specific work can be inappropriate, as that work might not be available in the company.

For example, if you are applying for a content writer position and you mentioned that your expertise lies in writing blogs/ articles, but the company wants someone to write emails, then it might cause some awkward situation between you and your recruiter.

3. Don’t be too general or give any airy hope.

If the recruiter asks you this question, remember, your answer should not sound too generic. However, you shouldn’t give any false hope in your answer also. For example, don’t say anything like, you will start writing a book after a few years, or you will become the CEO of the company. From this answer, the recruiter won’t get any information about you. So, avoid answering too generic answers.

4. Don’t get too personal

While answering this question, put it simply. Answering too emotionally will sound unprofessional. Focus on your career goals and form your answer carefully. Also do not mention your fear of failure. For example: Don’t answer like, “if I couldn’t achieve this in the next 5 years, I have failed in my career.”

5. Don’t imply that you’re leaving your current job the first chance you get

Companies don’t expect you to be working for them for the next five years. Since the whole recruitment process is expensive, the recruiters want you to stay around for at least five years of time. So, if they ask you this question, then you explicitly don’t have to say that you will be working for them for the next five years (if it’s not true). But if it is not true, then avoid saying anything that would be impossible if you still worked for the company.

Examples

“As a graphics designer, I have an ardent desire for creating new designs. So, in the next five years time, I wish to climb higher in my position and know more about my long-term career aspiration. Now that I have gained knowledge and experience working in a design agency, I have honed my technical skills and learned how to work with my clients, and incorporate them. Here in this agency, I’m sure I’ll get more opportunities to design different kinds of deliverables for different kinds of clients —including websites, branding, and ad campaigns.

My aim for the next few years is to work hard, learn new skills, gain experience, and progress in my current role. I wish to be capable enough to lead a team in any project and deliver top-quality work to my clients. I want to develop a good working relationship with all team members. Also, I would like to work more, take on more responsibilities, and be given more opportunities to use my skills and creativity

“In the next five years, I am looking forward to mastering all the skills in my position and making myself capable enough to achieve the managerial position in my department. I was intrigued by the personalized training approach that your company describes on its website, and firmly feel that this training strategy will enable me to pick up new abilities and advance in my current role. I envision myself working on innovative and exciting initiatives for your business over the next five years in order to position myself for a managerial position there.”

Questions related to “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

1. What are your career goals within the position?
2. Where do you want to see yourself in 5 years?
3. What are your career goals?
4. Describe your career goals.
5. What are your long-term career goals?
6. What are your short-term career goals?
7. What are your goals/ ambitions for the next 5 years?
8. What’s most important to you in your career?