How to answer 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' time?' in job interview?

[PerfectParisian]

Any ideas? Really stuck 🤔

Bump :)

I think we might need to know a little more about the job and company type at least before helping you with that!!!!

Definitely say that you're still there but have learnt new skills and developed.

What would you want to hear as an employer?

"I'd have like to halve perfected this role and moved into..."

Social media/comma/people development etc.

Or, even better, "have incorporated..." then it looks like you'll stay in the same role and do more.

With this question they are testing your commitment to the job your applying to and your aspirations. What's the natural progression in the job, i.e. Is there a more senior role, say you would like to have achieve this position within the company. This way your saying you are motivated to achieve and can see yourself still working there

Sitting on Brad Pitt's face is the stock answer

You need to answer for what relates to the job/company.

If you're applying for an entrance level accountancy job, don't say you expect to be CFO. Or, if you're applying for a waitress position, don't say you expect to be a marketing manager.

It needs to be the natural and expected progression. Have a look at sites such as payscale.com to see where, assuming you are good at your job, you'd naturally end up.

Working for someone I think is clever... is apparently not the right thing to say in your mid year appraisal ¯\(ツ)/¯

I don't know, where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Half the time I was asking to see if people had actually thought that far ahead and whether they had a goal they were aiming towards.

There's not necessarily a wrong answer (although some are bad answers: "in your job" for instance).

I guess it depends what type of job you are applying for. I always ask how long they envisage someone being in the role I'm applying for. In my industry (financial services) it might only be 1-2 years for a junior role - and then an ambitious person would be hoping for promotion to the next level.
Is there an obvious next step after the job you are currently applying for? Or if it's a longer term role, perhaps you might be in the same position in 5 years but taking on some greater responsibility or broadening your knowledge through extra training etc.
There is no stock answer. You need to be careful not to make the interviewer think that you don't want to be in this role for long - annoying for them if they have to hire a new person too quickly! Equally, its unlikely to be taken positively if you don't show any ambition to further your career. It's a balance...

Thanks everyone :) it's for an entry-level PR job.

If there is career progression opportunities from the role I am applying I've always just given an answe of 'successful working my way up the career path of becoming xxx' they can see you have goals of what you want to become, but you're not giving the cop out answer directly of been in this company bla bla.

I'm thinking of saying something like:

'In 5 years' time, I hope to be in a more senior role (Senior Account Executive? This seems more realistic than Account Manager, although I'm not sure what the typical expected timeframe is for moving between roles?). I also hope to be in a position where I'll have sought opportunities to gain relevant new skills and experience.

These would include, for example, retaining the trust and confidence of clients, dealing skilfully and appropriately with media relations and building on my project delivery skills so that I am able to continue supporting the firm as effectively as possible'.

How does this sound? Woolly or okay-ish?

Thanks again everyone for all of your help :)

Eugh, I hate getting asked this question. "I AM the me in five years time already and I'd like a job I can do, with a salary that doesn't take the piss so that I can pay off my credit card and go on a nice holiday soon." Would that get me the job? I'm interviewing at the moment and am so fed up of being psychoanalysed and expected to be the perfect person in every way. What's wrong with just being a fairly nice, fairly average person who would like a job that matches my skills in order to pay my bills.... hmm, sorry for the rant!

By the way, that was meant to be a light hearted rant! :)

This cartoon always makes me laugh:

DON'T say

... coasting

...... sitting in YOUR chair

.......... married to the big boss

HTH

You have a good answer, although one of my interviewers was my manager afterwards and knew I could possibly work my way up to do his job which he didn't like very much, which was his problem but I imagine a common one, so I'd be careful about mentioning specific roles in an interview.

Less hours and more money has always been my mantra but out loud I ask things about the most recent successes of the school (I'm a teacher) because then the interviewers can tell me about something positive which leaves it on a high note.

I recently employed someone and when my co-interviewer asked the question she said something like

"I would like to grow within your business and (management style we had already discussed) to be the go to person in the team who brings in reliable clients and deals with them effectively and efficiently. I would expect this to come with time and trust (it wouldn't be in the role she was applying for but a natural progression). I always like to learn and progress, so I know my skills will have grown at a rate you will be pleased with." She then discussed some industry specific stuff that she had clearly researched beyond the first page of Google.

She also joked "how many people say they want to be in your chair?"
Then she asked where people tend to progress from the role she was applying for and how many people who had taken her role previously were still with the company as she "likes to join strong, committed teams".

I always say " still employed"

I used to hate this question as it assumes so many things. I never answered it.
It's a pseudo clever 'top10 questions' from a MBA programme circa 1986. I guess it's a real indication that the person asking the question is thick as a brick and who wants to work in a place like that wall to wall shoulder pads, big hair and zero innovation. Blurgh.

Fwiw I never ask it as I work in a very fast moving industry. I like the mayfly approach. Just keep breathing, and making sales.

I just pointed at my future boss and said "sitting there" he laughed and said no chance "you might be there though" and pointed at the head of accounts.

I got the job

I think this question is testing your commitment to the job.

They're looking fir a dedicated employer. So something along the lines of you see yourself settled in to the role, hopefully promoted etc etc.

I once said "Not working here, to be honest". Unsurprisingly, I didn't get the job!