How do you usually answer this interview question?

[nycgirl6]

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

I love this question if I'm discussing it with my friends but hate it in an interview. It's a trick because it can be used to find out if you plan on moving on to greener pastures eventually or if you will be trying to vie for someone's job above you. Or they could actually be looking for someone ambitious.

 

For me, I HAVE NO FREAKIN' IDEA where I will be in five years. At 41, I've learned that plans don't actually pan out (thank you John Lennon). My life plans didn't include moving across the country, being divorced, not having kids or being in the job I'm in. Which doesn't mean I didn't set goals. Life happened.

 

The truth is I'm done planning my life especially five years ahead. Please. So much can happen and change in five years that I'm on the living day to day plan. But that doesn't really sound right in interview land.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

[Feelin Frisky]

That's a bit more of a rhetorical question than an objective one. Someone who is asking it is not likely concerned with you going for greener pastures or being ambitious in you new job at that firm. They are instead IMPLYING that the job is NOT FOR LIFE and that the prospective candidate should not be looking at it that way. So, it's actually counter-intuitive--it's telling you to keep building a wider life track plan rather than planning on saddling your fanny up in one of their company seats for 30 years.

 

It's not a question that used to be asked much. No it's a standard because business has changed to be much more of one where people get into a market, make a big buck in the shortest amount of time and then try to get out as cleanly with as little entanglements as possible. Having "employees" who have been totally loyal and there every step of the way is now seen as an entanglement rather than the ideal it used to be.

[nycgirl6]

Hmmm.... very interesting answer.

 

So how would you personally answer it in an interview?

[nycgirl6]

And I should probably add that I work in education so that might make a difference in the reasons why they ask this question. It's not really a quick buck and out kinda set up, but I do like your reasoning.

[desertIslandCactus]

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

I love this question if I'm discussing it with my friends but hate it in an interview. It's a trick because it can be used to find out if you plan on moving on to greener pastures eventually or if you will be trying to vie for someone's job above you. Or they could actually be looking for someone ambitious.

 

For me, I HAVE NO FREAKIN' IDEA where I will be in five years. At 41, I've learned that plans don't actually pan out (thank you John Lennon). My life plans didn't include moving across the country, being divorced, not having kids or being in the job I'm in. Which doesn't mean I didn't set goals. Life happened.

 

The truth is I'm done planning my life especially five years ahead. Please. So much can happen and change in five years that I'm on the living day to day plan. But that doesn't really sound right in interview land.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

So word it for them telling the truth about how you feel in reference to the next five years.

[nycgirl6]

How would you answer it?

[desertIslandCactus]

How would you answer it?

 

How about: "What difference does it make. What makes you think your company will still be in business in five years" ..

 

or: "I plan on getting married and having as many babies as I can to take advantage of your group insurance plan"

 

[nycgirl6]

See. It's hard to answer.

 

Still looking for serious scenarios...

[desertIslandCactus]

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

I love this question if I'm discussing it with my friends but hate it in an interview. It's a trick because it can be used to find out if you plan on moving on to greener pastures eventually or if you will be trying to vie for someone's job above you. Or they could actually be looking for someone ambitious.

 

For me, I HAVE NO FREAKIN' IDEA where I will be in five years. At 41, I've learned that plans don't actually pan out (thank you John Lennon). My life plans didn't include moving across the country, being divorced, not having kids or being in the job I'm in. Which doesn't mean I didn't set goals. Life happened.

 

The truth is I'm done planning my life especially five years ahead. Please. So much can happen and change in five years that I'm on the living day to day plan. But that doesn't really sound right in interview land.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

"At this time I don't have any goals of five years from now*. But I do want this job, and I'll be a good reliable employee."

 

*Based on your resume, they should already know that you've just relocated.

 

And in this job market, who's thinking of goals? If they preceed with the line of questioning, tell them of your goals for your qualifications or field - plus "survival".

[Feelin Frisky]

Hmmm.... very interesting answer.

 

So how would you personally answer it in an interview?

 

 

I would have to know a little more about what the job is, who the company is, what the reputation is, that kind of thing. Also, the answer will be different between men and women taking into account possible pregnancy leave.

 

If I knew the company were a profiteering kind of market exploiter for instance, I would probably make my answer more materialistic-sounding as in what I hope to achieve in terms of "stuff" I'd like to have by 2014. I would temper that with something social like the ability to find and work with the best and brightest blah, blah, blah to carve out market identity niche and/or take the market in new directions balh, blah blah. What I would be doing is taking it as a given that they are not looking for the "seat-warmer" type support guy who wants to be "supervisor" some day but instead keep it focused outside of the compnay into the market place so that we'll all "fight it out for who is best" and "land on our feet no matter what". You see?

 

There is no "right answer". It will always depend on who is hiring and who they really want. They can look at your resume and education for the easy stuff--then you have to sell them on YOU. And the YOU has to be a resourceful type who is never satisfied with anything less than utmost success.

 

If you're working for a bureaucracy on the other hand like an educational institution the whole dialog will be much different. Values will be different. If you're to be a teacher, you might want to make yourself sound "flexible" but "dependible" which implies that you can be innovative but take orders when the decision is out of your hands. In business you want to appear innovative--in something quasi-governmental like education you'll need to address "going along", "getting along" and poltical "textures" like that because education--unless its on the cutting edge in the private sector--is going to be far less innovative and free wheeling and much more yielding to political power scopes which you will not usually be able to choose.

[sweetjasmine]

I haven't gotten asked this one, but my SO usually answers along the lines of, "Where do you see me in five years?", and that answer has gotten positive responses.

[threebyfate]

I'm going to pretend to be you in an interview, in education.

 

"That's a tough question since I can't foretell the future and my aspirations might just be as-pirations.

 

In five years time, I'd like my skill level for connecting and communicating with students to have excelled to the degree that it reaches all three types of learning, namely visual, auditory and kinesthetic. This includes being able to mold the required course criteria in a way that makes it as interesting as possible to them, so they're invested in learning."

[nycgirl6]

Thanks Desert. But I'm really wondering how YOU would answer it if you were interviewing for a job YOU wanted. (I pretty much know all my own possibilities based on my situation).

[nycgirl6]

Three - Please give me a scenario of what you would say if you were interviewing for a job that you want. Those answers give me better ideas of what I could say.

 

And it's not teaching - it's more staff/administration. I didn't go into this much detail, because I want answers outside my situation.

 

Thanks!!!

[nycgirl6]

Feelin - thanks. That's what I'm looking for.

[nycgirl6]

Sweet - I love that answer although I don't know if I could pull it off without sounding like a smart ass. But I have noticed that sometimes turning questions around gets interviewers off on tangents to the point they don't even remember asking the question! So I will think on that one.

[sweetjasmine]

Sweet - I love that answer although I don't know if I could pull it off without sounding like a smart ass. But I have noticed that sometimes turning questions around gets interviewers off on tangents to the point they don't even remember asking the question! So I will think on that one.

 

Yeah, you have to get the tone right. It's more of a "I'm genuinely interested to see what you want me to do here for you and where you see me going in this [company/school/place]" question.

[threebyfate]

"In five years time, I expect to have exercised enough ISOs to have increased my holdings from original partnership buy in of 10 to at least 30%. This is of course based on a controlled expansion business plan that clearly lays out incremental growth with sufficient built in padding that incorporates contingency planning, as well as extrapolated market depth penetration in relation to the demographics of the areas of interest.

 

Cost/benefit planning is key. So is hiring the necessary talent who can realize the vision."

[desertIslandCactus]

Thanks Desert. But I'm really wondering how YOU would answer it if you were interviewing for a job YOU wanted. (I pretty much know all my own possibilities based on my situation).

 

I would bring it over to my qualifications and that of being a responsible employee.

 

I wouldn't be about to tell them: "How do I know if I will be able to tolerate the company or the job for more than 30 days" .. or: "I may look for opportunity of promotion".. or: "I have no idea where I will be in my life, in 5 years.. right now I'm just looking for an open door, and survival - and then we'll see".

 

So, That NYC, is the reason why I took what you had written and tried to build on it .. Because this is Your life, and wishes. Honesty is always best, though.

[nycgirl6]

Three - LOVE it

[desertIslandCactus]

Three - Please give me a scenario of what you would say if you were interviewing for a job that you want. Those answers give me better ideas of what I could say.

 

And it's not teaching - it's more staff/administration. I didn't go into this much detail, because I want answers outside my situation.

 

Thanks!!!

 

NYC: You know what the job description entails, and how much you want the job, and your qualifications, and how you would wish to procede or develop the position. You are the only one who can answer the question.

[nycgirl6]

cactus - I appreciate your opinion, but actually, a few other people answered it quite well. And honestly, if someone on here does not feel they can address my actual question (which was to hear other situations), it would probably be better if they simply refrained from answering rather than to tell me what I'm requesting is not valid.

 

Not angry. Just sayin'.

[Lauriebell82]

At all the job interviews I went on, I told them that I plan to continue to gain experience as an addictions therapist for several more years, get my liscense and become a supervisor. My ultimate goal is to become a clinical manager of an agency one day.

[PhillyDude]

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

I love this question if I'm discussing it with my friends but hate it in an interview. It's a trick because it can be used to find out if you plan on moving on to greener pastures eventually or if you will be trying to vie for someone's job above you. Or they could actually be looking for someone ambitious.

 

For me, I HAVE NO FREAKIN' IDEA where I will be in five years. At 41, I've learned that plans don't actually pan out (thank you John Lennon). My life plans didn't include moving across the country, being divorced, not having kids or being in the job I'm in. Which doesn't mean I didn't set goals. Life happened.

 

The truth is I'm done planning my life especially five years ahead. Please. So much can happen and change in five years that I'm on the living day to day plan. But that doesn't really sound right in interview land.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

 

 

I have only been asked that question on a date not a job interview-lol

[desertIslandCactus]

At all the job interviews I went on, I told them that I plan to continue to gain experience as an addictions therapist for several more years, get my liscense and become a supervisor. My ultimate goal is to become a clinical manager of an agency one day.

 

 

You have a goal Laurie. You share it and you are truthful. You are yourself.