Where do you see yourself in five years is among common job interview questions. And response will help your hiring manager whether to call you for a second interview or not.

Keep in mind that the fate of your job is entirely dependent on the answer to this interview question. Therefore, you should be ready with the best answer, which you can only create once you fully understand the question.

What Hiring manager WANT to Hear from You?

Accept the fact that where do you see yourself in five years interview question is a tricky one. If you think that talking about your career goals is the right answer, then you are mistaken. He is interested in your professional goals, but he is more interested to know you see yourself in the future with the company or not.

In other words, He wants to hear the words "I see myself HERE (in this company) after five years." But you will tell him that smartly.

Do you know that a hiring manager is considered a successful one only when his hired people stay in the company for a long time? His job is not to only hire people, but to hire those people who like to stay in the work. If he hires a candidate who quit the job for some reason quickly, then this decision costs the company not only money but time and effort.

Coming straight to the main point, Where do you see yourself in five years, is a kind of interview questions in which the hiring manager tries to judge you. Whether you will stay in the job or not?

He expects you to show some interest in the job, describe your professional goals, and then align them with the company's goal.

A hiring manager wants you to check your understanding of job and company. For example, he wants to know:

• Do you know everything about your job and career path?

• Do you understand where you will be in five years in the company?

• Do you think that you are an excellent fit for the workplace?

• Will you mix up with company culture for those long years?

• How do you see yourself in the company after five years?

So, you need to work on all these aspects and come up with a very thoughtful answer.

What is the worst answer for where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Here are some words which should never come out from your mouth.

• I Don't Know

• I can't Predict Future, anything can happen in 5 years.

• I would love to run this company

• I see myself as the CEO of this company

• I am planning to move to a more giant company

• Training on this job will help me start my own business

• The knowledge and experience I got from this job will be helpful for me to acquire a six-figure job.

No matter how friendly your hiring manager behaves Don't Crack Jokes as an answer. Your answer to where do you see yourself in 5 years will be judged exclusively, whether it is a serious one or a joke. Be professional, and try to take your best shot with the best answer.

Also, try to avoid a vague answer. For example, when you say I want to progress to an executive-level position in a company and that position is not even in the company. Your answer is nothing but a disaster.

How to give the best answer for the interview question: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Here are some points to consider.

1. Be realistic and do your homework about the company and its job advancement. This study will help you mention an exact, senior role which you can take in 5 years after getting training and experience.

2. Try to understand the career path of a specific company and then predict where you can be in the next five years. Even when the interview question is where do you see yourself in 10 years; this career path understanding will let you ascertain an exact position you can have after ten years working in that company.

3. Set some professional goals and then see those goals under the mirror of the company's long term goals. Try to align both goals in a way that there is mutual benefit.

4. Ask yourself what you like about that job and how it is going to help you in your career path.

5. In simple words, study the job, your goals, and company goals. A better understanding of all those aspects lets you create the best answer.

Where do you see yourself sample answers:

• In five years, I will complete my on the job training and take the position of the project manager. I will work on both local and international projects. So, my career goal is to promote from general manager to project manager.

• I see myself in the marketing manager position in five years. During all these years, I will learn the latest marketing strategies and techniques. I will test them and learn from my experience. This learning will help me become a marketing executive.

• I am quite excited about the job of a junior chef. This job will let me learn some exciting new recipes. I have a plan to complete some online courses and local workshops, that would allow me to gain extensive experience and knowledge. My career goal is to become a head chef and introduce my signature recipes after years.

Here are some other variations of interview question where do you see yourself in five years:

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

• In five years, where will you be?

• What are your short-term career goals?

• Share your long term career goals?

• What top position you would love to have in the near future?

• What is your ideal job?

Wrap up

Be smart and create the best answers to all such interview questions by checking some example answer I mentioned above. A right answer will show interest in the job, explain career goals while keeping every goal realistic.
 

Most Frequently Asked  Job Interview Questions with Answers:

•   How to Answer: What is your Biggest Strength?
• How to Answer: Tell me About Yourself?
• How to Answer: What is your Biggest Weakness?
• How to Answer:  Why do you want to work here?
• How to Answer: Do you have Any question for me?
• How to Answer: Why do you want this job?


•