“Where do you see yourself in 2 years or 5 years or 10 years?” is a common question. To be frank, I see myself in a house on the beach or an island as soon as possible, but I grew up working class, so we’re probably talking about a wider time span. Plus my husband and I just started a family, so after looking into the cost of raising a kid and education, as well as the time we no longer have to invest in our careers due to additional responsibilities, we are a long way away from retirement.
I’m sure most people wouldn’t answer this question with complete candor, especially when interviewing for a corporate role. Most employers want employees with longevity, loyalty, and a need to work for many years. Depending on the role, they may even want someone eager to move up the corporate ladder.
When I prepare my candidates to answer this question, I tell them to think like the employer. If you were hiring someone like you, what would you want to hear? You certainly wouldn’t want to hear that your job was at stake for hiring this person or that this person is misguided in their understanding of how much experience it takes to be in charge. There are many college graduates that get the notion that an aggressive answer is the right way to handle this question, “I want to be CEO in five years.” Although there could be some companies looking for this answer, it is very unlikely that most interviews will go well after an answer like that from a recent college grad.
Maybe you are further along in your career, but not quite a manager. How do you say that you want to be a manager without being too aggressive? You should say that you want to be in a leadership role, mentoring and training others. This is an ideal answer for someone who hasn’t had supervisory experience yet, but has the skills and personality to move up. It shows that you are not only thinking of your own career, but the career and work-life of your teammates as well.
Once you’ve established where you would like to be, you need to establish your intention to be a long term employee. Be sure to use phrases such as “long term contribution” and “finding a place where I can retire.” Verbally making it clear that you are interested in a long term commitment presents you as a great investment. You can also point out your last positions, and how long you stayed at each company. However, if you’ve had a few months or a year or two at every company, it may be best to talk about why you think long term employment would be a good career move for you. Providing good references should help if you’ve had good reasons for the job moves.
Also mention that you are looking for a challenge. If you are someone who likes to work on projects while simultaneously doing your daily duties, you can talk an example from your work history here. Someone who just wants to clock in at 8 a.m. and clock out at 5 p.m. with no career ambition will not meet the need of an employer that is looking for a go-getter. When you are looking for a challenge and have an example of how you’ve had challenging work in the past, you are more likely to stand out above the competition.
Lastly, don’t forget to talk about career growth. You are someone who enjoys learning and growing in your industry. You are someone that reads up on the latest changes in your industry. You subscribe to industry related periodicals. And don’t be like a former VP candidate who couldn’t think of a single newspaper or magazine she claimed to read daily. Mention what kind of research you are doing, what kind of professional periodicals you are reading, and ways that you are staying current in your industry.
This is a lot of detail for what should be 30 seconds to a 1 minute answer. However, I hope it helps in understanding what most employers are looking for when they ask this question. We want to hear examples of long term employment, realistic career ambition, and someone who thinks of his/her teammates (mentoring/teamwork).
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