Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?

In this post, I’m going to break down 2 different ways that you can answer that “Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?” question.
 
 

 
 

Let’s get started!

Let’s be real: The job interview question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is kind of a silly one.
 

You can’t possibly know where you’re going to be in the future or what your career will look like in 5 years.
 

Within that time frame, jobs will exist that you don’t even know about yet, and your long-term career plan could completely shift.
 

You’ll of course want to answer in a way that doesn’t risk threatening your interviewer or the prospective company (for instance, by implying that you might want their job or position — even if that is your true ambition).
 
 

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I’m going to show you two answers to this question.
 

Remember that your situation and personality type are unique, so what you feel comfortable saying is up to you.
 

The 2-part safe answer that will likely satisfy 99% of employers:
 
 

Employers and interviewers want to hear certain things from candidates when they ask about your five-year plan:

1. You plan to be at the company long term.

 

2. You’re on board with the company goal and you’re not already thinking about this job as a stepping stone to move on in your career path, and

 

3. You’ll be happily working hard for them for as long as they need you in that role.

Here’s a sample answer (the first way) that works well in most cases:
 
 

PART 1

“In the first 2 – 3 years, I see myself really sinking into this role. I plan to master the position and all of its ins and outs.
 

My goal would be to fully understand the areas where I can improve and continue to learn and improve.
 

I’d like to really be able to focus on the big wins that would make the department perform at its absolute best.”
 
 

 
 

PART 2

“For the next 2 or 3 years after that, I see myself as being a key contributor in the department and a key source of knowledge and expertise to all the other teams in the organization.
 

I want to be able to extend my strengths and offer to help as well as mentor other staff members when necessary, using the skills and knowledge that I continue to gain in my role.”
 
 

The second way to approach this question is this:

➢ The bold (yet completely reasonable) way to look at this question which I learned from one of my heroes (Liz Ryan) is to consider this:
 

It takes guts to ask “Where do you see yourself in five years?” when a hiring manager isn’t committing to keeping you employed five months or even five weeks from now.
 

If you agree with that, you might give an answer like this (and this is an example that pertains to an analytical email marketing role):
 

For example, you might say: “I want to learn more about analytics, specific software programs, and methodologies that are used to improve email open rates, etc. I would love to take some additional training on x, y, and z to improve my skills within the marketing department.”
 
 

 
 

➢ Then after that, you want to ask a question back.
 
 

A good example of a question to ask would sound like this:

“Where would you see a person with these goals going in your organization in the future?”
 

You can ask them what their plans are in a tactful, subtle way, and if they are open with you and give you an answer that feels honest, that’s a clear sign that you’re interviewing with a good organization.
 

You need to actively decide for yourself how you answer this question. Once you do, you’ll feel more empowered than ever, and your confidence will come through in your interview.
 
 

In Conclusion…

So there you have it: 2 options for how to answer the “5 years” question.
 

Remember that answering questions is one thing, but there is a lot more to interviewing than just answering the questions.
 

In fact, if all you do is answer the questions alone, you’ve already lost at the interview.
 
 

So, if you’d like to dive deeper with me…

If you want some help coming up with your own impressive story answers for interview questions…

If you have ever blanked when asked one of these questions…

I’ve got you covered in my famous downloadable guide.

All you have to do is click on the image below to get it.

What you’ll get inside the guide:

• Top-ten examples of stories that have proven to be impressive interview answers

 

• The S.A.R.I. formula breakdown of how to answer these questions

 

• The step-by-step of why it works

 

• Fill-in-the-blank templates for each question so, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks and get going!

 

• Now you’ll need to come up with your own stories! (You can steal the ones in the guide if they apply to you though too, I don’t mind)

 

If you are still getting stuck because you can’t think of your own stories…

I’ve included 25 questions that you can ask yourself to come up with your stories much quicker!

You’ll get all this in a beautifully designed workbook prepared specifically for you to prepare for your interviews.

By the end of working through this guide, you’ll be feeling confident and ready for any situational interview that comes your way!

Here is some feedback I’ve gotten from this guide, and I get new emails like this every day, and they NEVER get old!

Do you know one person who could benefit from the information in this post? If so, do your friend a favour and share this info with him/her.

And remember, the current system isn’t perfect, but you can outsmart it. I’m here to prove to you that you do have what it takes.

I’ll see you next time and I can’t wait!

In Work & Life

I’ve got your back

-Natalie