How do you see yourself in 5 years: How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years”

How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years”

Items you should bring to a job interview: notepad, copy of your resume, crystal ball.

Joking aside, that last one might come in handy, thanks to a particular question that’s loved by hiring managers:  “Where do you see yourself in five years?” (They may also ask it in another form: “What are your short- and long-term goals?”)

It’s a tricky question, and if you don’t start thinking about it ahead of time, the answer is easy to flub.

Tips for Answering ‘Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?’

• Show how your professional goals and the job you’re applying for align.
• Focus on the skills you want to learn and get better at.
• Don’t get too specific with job titles or time frames.
• Never say “I want your job,” “I don’t know” or “Not here!”

Why Interviewers Ask This Question

Interviewers ask this question for a few different reasons.  

For starters, they want to see if your professional goals align with the job for which you’re interviewing. If the two don’t match, the hiring manager might doubt that you’ll be motivated to develop in your role or stick around long enough to make a difference — which makes you a risky investment, from their point of view.

“A lot of managers ask that question to feel safe,” Mike Manoske, career coach and co-author of the book The Job Search Manifesto, told Built In. “Typically, what they’re looking for is stability.”

Such caution is warranted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people usually stay at their jobs for around four years. When it comes to tech startups, employee tenure is often shorter than that.

Considering how expensive it is to hire and onboard new employees, interviewers want to feel confident that people they hire have ambition to excel and potential for growth but who aren’t already plotting for how to land their next jobs.

Hiring managers want to know that the candidate will be a fit for the company in both the short and long term, according to Roxy Phothirath-Burke, director of customer success at Resident.

“Are they looking for this role to be long term for them? Or are they trying to really just find a placeholder while they’re still searching for something else? We want serious candidates, we want to have some tenure from the candidate in the role they are in,” Phothirath-Burke told Built In. That’s why she asks the question.

Hiring managers also ask this question because they’re trying to uncover how the candidates see themselves growing, Phothirath-Burke added, and how that growth may or may not align with the vision of the company.

Things change fast in the startup world. You never really know what that next role is going to be for somebody — but hiring managers “still want them to be able to work the hardest in the role that you’re trying to hire them for in the current moment. ”

More on Job Interview QuestionsHow to Answer ‘Why Should We Hire You?’

Tips for Answering ‘Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?’

Answer This Question for Yourself First

Even before candidates field this question from hiring managers, they’ll want to prepare by thinking through what their short- and long-term career goals are.

Hilary Malecha, director of business development at Cogo Labs, said it might help to think of one’s career as a narrative.

She recommends that job seekers ask themselves: What is the climax of my plot? Where do I want to end up? What skills do I need to get there?

If people need help figuring this out, Malecha recommends finding someone, like a mentor, who’s more experienced and doing the sort of job they want to be doing one day. Ask them what their various roles were that gave them the skills they needed to land that job.

After doing this, job seekers should have a better understanding of how to prepare their answers.

Show You’re Interested in This Job

When Rick Wolf interviews candidates for a job, he looks for intentionality.

“If you’re kind of just drifting along, or you’re here because I asked you to be, I don’t think you’re going to be particularly happy in a role I have to offer,” Wolf, a data science manager at Grand Rounds, told Built In. “And moreover, I won’t be a good manager for you, because I won’t be able to figure out what to offer to help you grow.”

Hiring managers want to know that candidates are looking for something more than “just a job,” that the role for which they are applying fits in with their larger professional goals. This question helps uncover that.

For example, if you’re interviewing for a social media marketing position, and you say, “I want to eventually be a UX designer,” that signals you might not be excited about the idea of this particular job.  

Same goes if you’re applying for a customer success role with a fintech company but you say you’re not really interested in the financial services industry.

Stephen Jensen, director of mid market at KeepTruckin, put it this way: If he’s interviewing a candidate for a sales position, and they say they want to be a fisherman in five years, he’d think, “You might be able to do the sales job, but how motivated are you going to be … to really understand and grow within this company and be successful at your job if you have no interest at building a career within our industry, or within this specific skill set?” 

“That’s a red flag,” he said.

Keep it General

Kirsten Nelson, a career coach, typically encourages job seekers to be very specific when answering interview questions. Not with this one.

“I think with this question it’s actually OK to be a little bit more general in your response,” Nelson said.  

She suggests candidates avoid sharing too much detail when it comes to timelines and job titles.

Instead of saying, “I want to be a senior marketing director within three years,” discuss more generally the skills you hope to accrue, the experiences you hope to have and the impact you hope to make. For example, say, “I plan on expanding my knowledge about different marketing channels, especially around experimenting with paid search and social ads, and finding ways to get more involved in campaign strategy.”

Catalina Peña, a career coach and founder of Catalyst Creation, offers similar advice.

“A bad way to answer is saying, ‘I want to be a manager of this team, and have this many people, and I want to work on this particular project — and I want to do it all from my house,’” Peña said.

The more specific a candidate’s answer, the more they box themselves in, she added. The more detailed a five-year plan, the less likely it is the job will be able to accommodate it.

Hiring managers aren’t looking for candidates who want something from a job that the job doesn’t provide. The best way to respond is to show intentionality with direction, but flexibility on the details.

Focus on Skills

When an interviewer asks, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” emphasize the competencies you hope to learn and improve upon.

“Focus on what you’re going to gain knowledge-wise and experientially,” Manoske said.

For example, you might say something like, “In the next few years I want to get better at designing, running and optimizing marketing campaigns. I look forward to deepening those skills and taking my knowledge base to the next level so I can contribute even more.”

Or you could offer a response that runs along these lines: “I’ve enjoyed managing a direct report in my current role. So in the next few years, I see myself enhancing my leadership and management skills, developing as a mentor and supervisor, and putting myself in a position where I can lead a growing team. ”

Another answer might begin like this: “In my current role, I’ve been able to progressively get more involved in driving the strategy behind our product roadmap. And that’s something I want to continue to do. I see myself making an impact in that way.”

Shwetha Shankar, vice president of customer success at Tray.io, also thinks job seekers ought to center their responses on the skills they hope to learn.

If a candidate doesn’t know what skills to discuss, Shankar recommends they start by taking their long-term vision and breaking it down into the skills required to get there.

Additionally, candidates may want to incorporate some language from the actual job description into their answers.

As for particular phrasing, Shankar recommends a few jumping-off points: “I’m looking to become an expert in XYZ,” or “I’m looking to deepen my skills in such and such area,” maybe even, “I see myself in a leadership role in this particular space, and for me to get there, I’m hoping to learn A, B and C skills along the way. ”

“It’s a mix of humility combined with ambition that makes for an excellent answer to that question,” Shankar added.

Related ReadingAnswering the ‘How Would You Describe Yourself?’ Interview Question

Connect Short-Term Goals With Long-Term Ambitions

Malecha recently asked a candidate what his goals were. His answer impressed her.

The candidate said in the next five to 10 years he hoped to work in venture capital directly. But in order to get there, he first needed to better understand the inner workings of successful companies — how they acquire customers, monetize, things like that — so he could best advise them.

“That was sort of an amazing answer and culture fit for Cogo [Labs] because we are building companies [and going] in the weeds. But we also have a venture capital company that invests in them,” Malecha said.

She said a colleague of hers, a senior analytics manager, also handled this question well when it was posed to her in an interview.

The candidate basically said that, long term, she saw herself bringing a woman’s view to leadership, whether that would be with Cogo Labs or at another company. But first she wanted to learn all of the skills she needed to get there — by coming into this role and driving impact and growth for the companies it’s currently incubating.

Malecha liked this answer because it struck the right balance “between realism and tactical versus [an] optimistic, long term approach.”

Example Answers for ‘Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?’

Answering the five-year-plan question is a balancing act. A good answer demonstrates that you are motivated and driven while still making it clear you are excited about the job for which you’re interviewing. For help formulating an answer, here are a few starting points:

“I see myself eventually developing into a leader in the [industry vertical] space. To get there, I hope to learn even more about [skills and experiences] along the way. ”

“I want to continue to deepen my [example] skills.”

“I want to learn how to [skills] even better, so that I can make even more of an impact, including [impacts you wish to make].”

“My favorite part of my job right now is [ways you’re contributing]. I hope to continue to do that, but I also hope to challenge myself to grow in new ways, including [examples].”

“I’m interested in applying my love of [broader themes of your skills] to help make a difference, especially with organizations that value [company’s value you align most with].”

“I’m really excited about the [industry vertical] space right now. I hope that in five years, I’m continuing to get better at [skills] and learning more about how to become an expert in [skills] so that I can ultimately [goal that aligns with job description]. ”

Things You Should Never Say When Asked ‘Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?’

‘I don’t know.’

Malecha doesn’t really like it when candidates answer the question by saying “I don’t know.”

To her, it indicates they haven’t given much thought to their long-term career goals, if any at all. (With one exception — she thinks it’s just fine when recent grads say “I don’t know.” But even then, she’ll rephrase the question to try to get a sense of what general direction the candidate hopes to go in.)

For someone who’s already a few years into their career, though, not having any idea of what they want their future to look like is in “a little bit of the red flag category,” Malecha said. It might indicate a lack of vision or ambition.

‘

In a more-senior role than the one I’m applying for.’

It may raise concerns from hiring managers when a candidate answers the question by saying they want to quickly get promoted into a senior role. It shows focus is a bit too far down the road, rather than the job right in front of them.

“That’s something that tells me they’re already, potentially, not going to be [around] long term in the role we’re looking for,” Phothirath-Burke said.

‘

In a different department.’

A candidate whom Phothirath-Burke recently interviewed said their five-year goal was to work their way up to a leadership role — in a different department.

“That to me is a red flag,” Phothirath-Burke said. “I’m not going to be able to meet this person’s expectations for what they’re looking for — either I’m not going to be able to give them the resources, or they’re going to get bored and uninterested because this isn’t in their goal for the future.”

‘

I’m coming for your job.’

Pro of answering this way: it exudes confidence.

Con: “It makes me a little nervous,” Phothirath-Burke said. “But I am more than happy to hear their thought process behind it.” 

Part of the reason this brash response puts Phothirath-Burke off is that the candidate doesn’t know enough about her job to make such a statement.

“I think that shows somebody wanting to run before they’ve learned to walk,” she said.

How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?”

When you get asked an interview question like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” you might think, “Does five years from now matter? I have rent to pay now!” Or, “I haven’t gotten that far. I’m about to turn 26 and need health insurance.”

It’s easy to become laser-focused on your next job and your next job only—no matter why you’re looking, but especially if you’re unemployed or looking to get out of a toxic workplace. Or maybe you know what you want in the future, you just don’t know if your vision aligns with what the interviewer wants to hear.

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Read on to find out what interviewers want to know, how to put your answer together, and what to avoid—plus a few example answers. 

Why do employers ask “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

This question is “an attempt to measure a candidate’s motivation and future goals,” says Muse career coach Tara Goodfellow, owner of Athena Consultants—and gauge how well they match up with the role you’re interviewing for. Have you thought about your career path and how this role and company would fit into it? What are you looking to accomplish in this position, and how are you hoping to grow beyond it?

Employers are looking to understand what value you’ll bring to their organization on your way to achieving your goals, says Muse career coach Eloise Eonnet, founder of Eloquence Coaching. “They also want to know what kind of person you are and will become,” Eonnet says. What’s most important to you: being proud of the work you do? Becoming a great team member? Learning how to be an awesome manager?

Dos for answering “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

Follow these tips to craft an answer that will impress your next interviewer.

Connect the job to your career goals

Think about your medium- and long-term career goals—maybe the type of job you want, the kind of company or team you’d like to work for, or the sort of work environment you’d like to be in. Or perhaps your goal is about how you’ll be seen by the people you work with—for example, as a great manager or as an expert on saving at-risk accounts.

Then, figure out how this position will help you reach your goals. Is this role a common step on the way to your dream job? For example, maybe you want to be an account executive down the line and you’re interviewing for a sales development representative role. Or maybe you’re hoping to gain experience with a certain task or grow a skill that will help you in your career. For instance, you might want to work on a website redesign or learn how to manage databases.

Know that it’s OK you don’t have it all figured out yet

You might have no idea where you want to be in five years, particularly if you’re an entry-level candidate—and that’s totally fine. (Check out this worksheet or this article to help you along. ) “Most folks just don’t know the scope of potential opportunities until they get some true experience,” Goodfellow says.

In this case, do some research about the career paths and professional opportunities that might follow from the position you’re interviewing for and learn a bit about related departments. See what might interest you and then be ready to explain *why* you’re interested, Goodfellow says. For example, maybe you’re interviewing for a sales role and you’d like to get experience selling to different types of clients to get a sense of which industry or niche you might want to pursue or maybe you’d like to learn more about marketing and how marketing and sales interact and collaborate.

Just “showing in your answer that you understand the role helps,” Goodfellow says, so even if you don’t know where exactly your career is headed, make sure you’re clear on what opportunities this job will provide you and show that you’re excited to explore them.

Be honest

Ultimately, while you want to connect your answer to the role, “You have to answer with what feels right to you.” Goodfellow says. So be honest—but tactful.

Even if you think this is going to be a short-term gig for you, you don’t need to say that. Instead, focus on your potential, Eonnet says. Talk about the “value you will have created in a few years’ time. No need to mention a specific company name or exact position,” she says—e.g., “In five years, I will have managed a few multi-channel marketing campaigns and I will have become an expert on social media data reporting.”

Be realistic

Make sure you’re talking about goals you can accomplish in the next five years. If you’re an entry-level candidate, telling a department head that you’ll have their job in five years doesn’t make you seem ambitious, it makes you seem naive (and arrogant). Talk about moving up one or two levels max in your career or about learning skills and gaining experiences you’ll be exposed to in this position.

Follow this formula

So how do you put this together as an answer? Eonnet suggests following this formula:

• Start your answer with one or two key goals and consider connecting them with some of the qualities you want to convey to the interviewer. For example, “I’m someone who loves learning about new tech and trends, so in the next five years, I see myself as having established strong knowledge on what’s new and emerging in digital marketing.”
• Next dive into how and why you will have done these things. Interviewers want to see that you’ve thought through your plan. So continuing with the example you might say: “By working as an analyst, I will have gained experience in analyzing the results of a range of marketing tactics, and I’ll have stayed on top of new developments by becoming active in one or more professional marketing groups. I will have also used my analysis and knowledge to contribute to the conception of marketing campaigns and gained some experience running campaigns myself. This will give me a good foundation in marketing practices and help me leverage new trends effectively to create marketing campaigns that never feel stale.”
• Finish with your ambitions beyond the next five years (if you’d like). “From there, I’m hoping to decide if I’d like to become a marketing specialist or continue as a generalist, but regardless, I’m hoping to eventually move into a marketing manager or strategist position where I’m making bigger-picture choices regarding campaigns and branding.”

Don’ts for answering “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

Here’s what not to do (no matter how tempting it might be).

Imply haven’t thought about your goals (or tell a joke)

For example, this is a no:

Happy #humpday! pic. twitter.com/DknPQGLhQM

— News Source LA (@NewsSourceLA) January 16, 2019

No matter how true it feels. You should also steer clear of other joke answers like “retired on a beach” or “as a rich widow.” Even if you don’t know exactly what’s in store for you down the line, use your answer to show that you have a plan to figure it out. 

Imply that you’re leaving this job the first chance you get

Not every company is expecting you to still be working for them in five years, but unless they state otherwise, it’s best to assume that they do, Eonnet says. Goodfellow (who was formerly a recruiter) adds, “It’s very expensive to train, and expensive to recruit, so I do want to hear you intend to stick around.” You don’t need to explicitly state, “I’ll still be working for you,” if it’s not true, but avoid saying anything that would be impossible if you still worked for the company. So if you’re interviewing for a software development job at a startup, don’t say that you’re hoping to have landed your dream job at Google by then.

Be too generic

“I remember being asked this question early in my career and wanted to blurt out, ‘I have no idea! I just need a job to pay my bills,’” Goodfellow says. She didn’t, but she ended up saying something “semi-honest and equally vague about wanting to do my best, learn more about the role and company, and apply my strengths to help the company achieve its goals.” She doesn’t recommend being this bland. Use this question as an opportunity to highlight why you’re a good fit. Maybe you’re excited to get hands-on experience producing professional videos after producing a number of successful student films with little to no budget, for example.

Ramble

“Be honest, direct, and succinct,” Goodfellow says.

Example answers

One possible answer to this question might sound like:

“I’m someone who loves solving problems, so in five years, I’d love to be seen as the go-to financial analyst when departments or projects need to save money and achieve their business goals. I will have worked with senior financial analysts to learn from their approaches before taking on a few smaller budgets myself and slowly building up from there. But I will have also completed a few courses on business operations using XYZ Co’s professional development allowance since I want to make sure that any suggestions I make go toward not just saving money, but increasing efficiency and achieving company goals.”

Or let’s say you’re an entry-level candidate who doesn’t quite know where you want to be in five years. You might answer with:

“In five years, I’d like to be in a position where I know more about my longer-term career aspirations as a designer. I will have gotten experience working for a design agency and know more about the industry overall. I’ll have grown my technical skills and learned how to take feedback from clients and incorporate it. And the way your agency is set up, I’ll also have gotten the opportunity to design different kinds of deliverables—including websites, branding, and ad campaigns—for different kinds of clients to see where I really feel at home before settling on a focus. ”

A a couple of years into your career, you might say something like:

“I’ve found that the most rewarding part of working in HR has been when I get to be part of putting together a training or development session—it’s so satisfying to help my coworkers learn something new and useful. So in five years I’d like to be more of an expert in learning and development. I’ll have learned more about what goes into putting together development opportunities for employees and have hopefully coordinated or run some training sessions myself. In a training and development coordinator role like this, I’ll also learn more about how to work with individual employees or teams to identify prime opportunities to upskill and find the best form of training available so I’m delivering programs that are useful to individuals and the org overall. Hopefully, in five years I’ll be helping make decisions about what kinds of programs a business will offer and how to make sure employees are benefitting and growing.

Updated 1/20/2022

How to answer the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”?

JobHacking.ru

Author: Olga Gulyaeva, career consultant, over 250 hours of practice, graduate of the School of Career Management, 11 years in HR. Conducted over 8,000 interviews, experience in consulting, retail, IT, trade and manufacturing.

According to the results of the survey I conducted in social networks, the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” is in the TOP-5 most disliked among applicants. However, who can boast that he has never been asked it? nine0007 As practice shows, the first reaction to this question is: “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, and you ask where I see myself in 5 years!”. Another option is that applicants try to give a socially desirable answer, to please the recruiter. In this case, difficulties also arise: “I will say that I see myself as a director, they will not take it, because they are afraid that I will sit up with the current bosses. And if I say that I see myself in the same position, they won’t take it, because they will think that I have no ambitions and I don’t want to develop.” nine0007