Interview Questions: Where Do You See Yourself?

Our last blog offered tips on understanding and answering the common interview question, “Why did you leave your last job?” To further help you navigate and prepare for the interview process, we’re going to discuss another, this time concerning how you plan for your future.

Why They’re Asking

While there are plenty of ways to articulate this question, there’s a pretty good chance that your interviewer will want to know where you see yourself in about five years’ time. Regardless of how they phrase it, it’s essential to understand the underlying motive that makes this query so common. In a nutshell, they need to know that you care about your field enough to know what you want. Not only this, but they want to get an impression of how well you balance confidence with realistic thought and humility. These are the main points you should bear in mind when answering.

Knowing Your Career

As always, knowing yourself as a professional on as many levels as possible is one of the greatest keys to your success. It follows, then, that knowing your own career and the trajectory it needs to take is also key. One good way to start is by taking stock of what you’re most passionate about. However, it’s a mistake to paint an idyllic picture that will strike the interviewer as more defined by hopes than by goals. Don’t just be conscious of where you want to be, but be conscious of how you can get there and what specific actions and developments needs to take place in your career to make it happen.

How to Respond

The first thing you’ll want to be sure to include is a precise account of what you want to accomplish, including what type of position you see yourself in as well as what kind of corporate culture will be important to you. What lessons do you intend to learn? What habits do you want to break? What kind of work-life balance will you maintain? Meanwhile, it’s critical to avoid making things all about you, and this is where many interviewees slip up. Describe what you intend to be contributing to your field. They’ll want to know that you can see where you’ll fit into the bigger picture!

Building a successful career isn’t something you can accomplish without preparation, both in the short and long term. Whether it’s developing a concise and impressive résumé or tapping into the right connections, we’re here to help. Get started and give our job search portal a try today!

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