How To Answer – Where Do You See Yourself Five Years Down The Line – In An Interview

Interview question – There are a number of questions you expect while preparing for an interview.

Quite a few of them are the most predictable and asked in almost every interview, irrespective of the industry.

When in a conversation with your peers, talking about what you want to be or where do you see yourself five years down the line, is like just another topic. However, when in an interview, the hiring managers wish to be convinced regarding your five year plans. We tell you the best answer, which will help you bag the job.

Interview question – where do you see yourself five years down the line

You’re driven by realistic goals

Employers generally tend to get attracted to ambitious candidates. And why should they not be. Nobody wants an employee who works just for the sake of it. That said, you need to be realistic about sharing your goals with the employee.

For example, if you say that five years from present you see yourself leading a team of twenty members, which in reality is not possible before ten years with the company (unless you perform brilliantly), you risk being perceived as arrogant and unprepared.  To avoid that perform your bit of research on the company and talk about something will you think you can achieve in five years time.

You’re going to stick around for long

Companies invest a great deal of time and resources in recruiting and training new employees. And obviously they wouldn’t want to hire someone who’s going to leave in a year or two. So, even though you plan to go for higher studies or join some society-benefitting organization it’s best to avoid saying that. That said, you should also remember not to exaggerate your answer in a way that might sound fake to the hiring manager.

Your expectation from the company

One of the major reasons you are being asked this question is because the hiring manager wants to know your expectations from the company and how far would your plan go with the company’s vision.  While you should never exagerrate your plans, you shouldn’t even lie about it. Telling the manager where do you see yourself in the near future, is like giving him/her a briefing about what do you think of the company and your growth with it.

Say if you wish to work in the consultation industry at XYZ Company, one of the best way to answer the question would be– I’m really excited about my position at XYZ consulting. Five years down the line I’d want to be seen as someone who has deep expertise in the HR consultancy sector as I’m really glad that I am given this opportunity. At the same time, I am really excited to take on more responsibilities in the coming years and lead a few projects, if I prove myself worthy of it, which I’m sure, I will.”

This is how you can answer this interview question – All you’re required to do is to be genuine and speak why are you looking forward to work with the company.