Employers aren’t always satisfied with asking you about your skills or how your background fits with this job. Sometimes, they want to know how this job fits into the bigger picture of your career path. What do you have planned for your future. Interview questions about your future or your career path can be tricky to answer.
What if an interviewer asks one of these 3 questions? Here are great ways to answer them.
‘How does this job fit with the career path you want?’
Some of us are lucky enough to have our careers planned out (or at least think we do). Most of us have a few options in mind of where we’d like to go in our career lives. Maybe you can’t think that far ahead and you’re just focusing on the now.
No matter where you are in your thought process, there’s a lot that could trip you up. This interviewer may not want to hear that you eventually want his or her job. You may seem wishy-washy if you name off too many options for your future. On the other hand, they may not take you seriously as a candidate if you have no idea.
The best way to answer this question is to focus less on the surface and more on the question behind the question: Why do you want THIS job?
So, talk about what you’ll learn from this role that will benefit you down the road—and keep it in general terms. For instance, you could say, “This is a great job that will benefit me professionally because I’ll be developing more skills in A, B, and C. I want to learn as much as I can about this field.”
If you do know that you want to advance in your career later on, you could say something like, “This job will hone my skills in X, Y, and Z, which will set me up for roles of greater responsibility down the road.”
When you focus on why you want this particular position, you can answer this question with a positive attitude, and give them an answer they’ll love.
(See more about how to answer this question here.)
‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’
This is a tough job interview question. Lots of people say things like, “I want to be in your job.” However, an answer like that can hurt you, especially if you’re interviewing at a smaller company. You never know what that hiring manager wants for their own future. So, don’t assume they want to move up and give you their seat.
The best way to answer this is from a growth perspective. You want to grow in your career, or develop your skills. It may be that you can say you want to learn more about this field. You may want to talk about having greater responsibilities, or the ability to contribute more to the organization. Talk about how you want to be more than you are right now.
If you’re afraid to sound like you don’t want to be in management (because you really do), you can mention that—but soft-sell it. Say something like, “If you’re looking at me for a management role by then, I’d consider it, but that’s not necessarily my primary goal. What I really want is to learn, grow, and contribute to the organization.”
(See more about how to predict the future and answer this question here.)
‘If we hire you, what will we know about you a year down the road?’
With this question (and all job interview questions), think about what you can say that will help them feel comfortable in hiring you.
So, one good answer might be, “You’ll know that I was a great person to hire because my skills were a perfect fit and that I can deliver outstanding results for you.” Another would be, “You’ll know that I’m someone who works hard, cares about making this company grow, and had the experience to do it.”
My favorite answer to this question is, “You’ll know that everything I’ve told you about myself today is true.”
Whatever your answer is, consider that you’re giving them another reason to hire you.
(Get more ideas for how to answer this here.)
—-
Learn to be more strategic will all your job interview answers! Check out our How to Answer Interview Questions series, with 101 job-winning answers to tough interview questions.