Where do you see yourself in five years?

It's a classic interview question.  Not the most creative question ever, but you may still get it.  Do you have a response prepared?  Whether or not you are in the process of interviewing for a new job, it's a question you should be asking yourself on a regular basis.  The intent behind the question is very different from the interviewer's perspective than it should be from your own.

The interviewer is trying to understand a couple of things about you. 

He wants to know if you have ambition and are goal oriented.  If your response is, "Hmmm... I dunno, hopefully you give me this job and I'll still be doing this."  You're not going to win any points.  On the other hand, don't overshoot.  "CEO," "your boss" "Head of the Department (if you are interviewing for an entry level job)" are probably not appropriate responses.

He is trying to assess whether or not you are a good fit for the company and the position.  Some positions offer great opportunity for advancement and a clear career path.  Others are jobs that, if done well, you get to keep doing.  You should have already figured out which one you are looking for and whether or not that is what you are applying for before you stepped foot in the door.  But the interviewer may be making sure.  Be honest.  If it is not a good fit, you don't want the job anyway.

He is trying to determine whether you are likely to remain with the company for more than a few months.  If your goals are to start your own company or go to law school, they may worry about having to go through the hiring and training process all over again in a few months.

I still think this is a lazy question by the interviewer.  There are more effective ways to determine the information above.  In fact, BusinessWeek called this the "Great Granddaddy of goofy questions."  It wasn't even included in Monster.com's list of Top 10 Questions.  So, there's a chance you will never get this question in another interview.  Even still, this is a question you should be asking yourself on a regular basis.

Why?  It's simple goal setting.  On a predetermined basis, whether quarterly or semi-annually, you should be doing both a self assessment and a re-examination of your short, medium and long term goals.  The five year question falls squarely in the medium term.

But don't just think about career goals.  Stop for a moment and consider a) where you see yourself in five years and b) whether you are happy with that.  Think about your relationships, family, friends, social and community involvement.  And yes, your career.

Any good career counselor, life coach, etc. will tell you that goal setting is critical to having proper focus and direction, and ultimately in being able to achieve those goals.  Here's a general approach to setting long, mid and short term goals.

When thinking about long term goals, a common trap is to think about it in terms of dreams.  There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but consider whether of not your long term goals are rooted in reality.  You do not necessarily have to think about action steps here, but have some idea of what it would take to get to these long term goals.  Are your goals to retire early?  To move to an island somewhere?  To start your own business?  Well, those are all achievable, but you don't just fall into something like that.  Be specific in what you want.  That will give you a stronger sense of what it will take to get there.  Have some fun with this one though.  Many people may not realize all of their long term goals, and let's face it, this will likely change over the years.

Medium term goals are often the hardest for people to define.  This should be the 3-5 year range, depending on where you are currently.  If you are a year from graduating college, you should probably focus more on the three year range here.  Think about that first job or grad school.  What would you like to get out of it, and how do you plan to use that to achieve some of your longer term goals.  If you are further along, you may be considering marraige, buying a house, sending the kids to college.  You have begun your career and may have a more clear view of where you see it taking you over the next several years.

Short term goals should be the most tangible.  What is the next step in all of the important areas of your life?  The next promotion, next job, next training or certification?  Is engagement, marriage or kids in the cards?  Do you need a new car, need to get out of debt, want to travel to Italy?  What would make you happy over the next year or two years?  There should be clear action steps associated with any of these short term goals.  They should be realistic and achievable.

Thinking about your goals should not be something that we only do in preparation for an interview.  To only consider your goals when you are in the interview process is much like the Monthly Mentality.  It will get us from job to job, month to month, but ultimately where are you headed?

So, next time an interviewer asks you where you see yourself in five years, thank them for caring so much about you and your future.  It may be one of the cheesiest questions an interviewer can ask you, but it may be one of the most important questions you ask yourself.

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[jordan23]

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