How to answer the 'five years' question
Q. Wondering what you think a proper answer is for: "Where do you plan to be in 5 years?"
A. Before I give you a suggested response, let me offer why I think the interviewer may be asking this question.
First, they may be looking for a candidate that is committed to joining a company for the long-term, not just the short-term. The interviewer may want to ensure that a candidate is not using this position or this employer as a short-term “stepping stone” to another role or until a better offer comes along.
I still find it surprising how many people will respond to this question (or a similar one) with an answer like, “I just want to get my foot in the door because I need the benefits but I am hoping to move into another role soon because this isn’t really what I want to do. But I need an income and the benefits.” The interviewer may then be thinking, “Do we really want to spend time and money on orienting and training this candidate when they plan to move onto another role?”
Second, the interviewer may want to determine if a candidate has thought about their career beyond this present step. I have found that those who have set reasonable and achievable goals are often very motivated and worthy of serious consideration. These job seekers are often willing to take on a less than ideal role initially and perform beyond expectations, with the hope of advancing into a higher level position if such a position becomes available within the company.
Third, candidates should critically review their employment history. Are there some short-term stints that need to be explained? Are there gaps that raise yellow flags? The interviewer may be probing to better understand what motivates that candidate and to identify any concerns about his or her background.
Before I offer a suggested response, I always encourage job seekers to be authentic and truthful. So while I can provide you with a specific response to this question, you should not use this response verbatim or it will sound “canned” and probably disingenuous. Also think about examples from your past professional experience that demonstrate that you are a committed employee. Interviewers often weigh past experiences as very strong indicators of future performance.
One way to respond to this question is as follows:
As you can see from my resume, I am not a “job hopper.” In fact, when I commit to a company and a specific role, I truly commit to both my role and the organization. My shortest tenure at a company was two years from 1992-1994 when I worked for ABC Inc. As you probably know, they were acquired by XYZ Inc. and all the software engineers were let go. When I first joined ABC Inc, I was hired as a Software Engineer and then promoted to Team Lead after 18 months. I enjoyed the challenges at ABC Inc. but I understand their decision to eliminate the software engineering team since XYZ had their own team of software engineers. I still maintain a positive relationship with my former manager and many of my colleagues from ABC Inc.For my next role, I hope to join a company that will again allow me to grow within my role and expose me to new technologies or leadership opportunities. One day I hope again to return to a Team Lead role but I understand that I may have to demonstrate those skills and the aptitude again here at QRS, Inc. if I am fortunate enough to be offered a software engineering role here.
I hope this sample response is helpful. Again it is important to use some specific examples from your background that illustrate your commitment to both the role and the organization. And most importantly, be authentic and truthful.
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Be authentic and truthful as long as you can say what the employer wants to here. Otherwise skip being authentic and truthful. If you don't know what you want to be doing in five years, you have to think of something the employer might like to hear, because with a few exceptions it is fair to say that everybody is probably looking to hire employees who are very motivated and loyal to their company.
I wouldn't bring up past jobs unless specifically asked. Instead, you should talk about what you expect to succeed at in your new role. Something like: "In five years I wil have completed xxx and yyy at this company, delivering value to this company. I will have advanced my skills and developed my team members so that they are successful. I will have grown in responsibility commensurate with my achievements."
I think its possible to combine the suggestions and attitudes of the author and previous two commentators without being cynical or untruthful. If you are job hunting, everyone knows you are doing it for (at least) the pay and benefits. Certainly, there's no need to mention that. The author's posture is a little too defensive. Analyze the job description that you are applying for and the two positions directly above it. Picture your path to the higher positions. Pick a job goal or several goals the employer highlighted. Talk about your own ideas to meet the goals, relate those ideas to PROFITABILITY/EFFICIENCY, and how your performance will get you to the next level within the company. If there is some relevant prior experience you can relate this to from your job history, do so at a macro-level. Remember, the interviewer has your resume - he/she likely has seen your job history summary. No need to belabor it. Also, remember, your interviewer probably (at least initially) doesn't know the nuts and bolts of your job. Even if they do, you want to spend more time relating to them than explaining intricacies. Commiserate about broad industry problems and potential solutions. Most of all, be confident in your skills without coming off as pompous. Nothing rings an interviewer's bells more than the impression that you really know what you are talking about. Save your defensive answers about past gaps or turnover for when you are directly confronted with such a question.
My sample answer would be to look the interviewer directly in the eyes and say: "My vision has me as Team Lead and special projects coordinator within 5 years. My skillset is a perfect fit for this because I have been able to move the design of widget chips from 45 nanometer to 65 nanometer architecture, where we get economies of scale, higher end prices and increased profitability. I did this kind of transition at ABC Co., on a much smaller scale where we realized 150% bottom-line growth. I can bring my transition skills to meld in with the department and help drive the team to increased performance, which will demonstrate my ability to lead the team. I know there's a shortage of 65nm tooling within the industry right now, but I've been thinking of ways to incentivize JRS Co. to improve its supply-chain. With this company's leverage capabilities, we may be able to greatly improve availability and reduce our long-term costs."
I hope this helps.
I agree with Jerry, comment #2. The answer from the Job Doc is ridiculously long and "off-point."
When I conducted phone screens for my (software) company's Quality Assurance department, I was shocked at how many people viewed that position as a short-term stepping stone. We had a (slightly flexible) rule that new QA hires had to *stay* in QA for two years, in order to justify training costs and avoid job-hopping. At the end of a successful phone screen, I would notify the candidate of that policy. Approximately 50% of candidates said that this was unacceptable, and withdrew from the interview process.
I once had someone tell me they were unsure what they would be doing in 5 years.
I took the honesty, and hired the person. Now they are the best person in the department.
Honesty may just work
Hi Bob In Westborough.
QA professional here available to start March 1st.
In 5 years, I'd like to still be with the same company.
I just think you need to be "honest".
If you have goals that are reasonable, yet noteworthy, and you have a determination and a legitimate plan to get there, that's the important thing. I think a lot of people don't think what they do is a "career". That's the wrong attitude to have. You need to understand what you're doing, why you're doing it, what you want to be doing, and how you are going to get there.
Every question an interviewer asks is the same one: "why should I hire you?" Your job is always the same; to answer that question. Dont get diverted by the various wording the question might be packaged in. Memorize the 3-5 reasons (with examples) that you should be the one and use every opportunity (ie every answer) to reframe the "question" so that you can focus on answering the real question.
At any interview, you are dealing with a person. People vary widely, regardless of the job they hold. Honesty is always the best policy if you really want a job where you will fit in. We spend so much time trying to fit in to a mold we THINK the other person wants us to fit in, but in the end, we know only that we are being asked a question requiring an answer. I have found that brutal honesty opens more doors, even if only through networking, than answering strategically and outright lies. Truth is, none of us want to stagnate at a lower, or middle grade job, but we must pay our dues to move up. Tell the truth, it's easy to remember too!
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Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton. Sheworks with clients across many industries including technology, biotech and medical devices, financial services, and healthcare, and has over 20 years of human resources experience.
Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston and serves on the board of Career Partners International.
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