To stand out in today’s job market, it’s important to hone your story, prepare for difficult interview questions, and “step up” from other candidates.
Candidates who can provide clear, calm, and thoroughly researched answers stand out to hiring managers, says Madeline Mann, founder of career coaching business Self Made Millennial and author of Reverse the Search: How to Turn Job Seeking into Job Shopping.
In her experience, one of the interview questions that frequently trips up job seekers is, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
It’s “kind of an impossible question,” Mann said. While no one really knows what their future career will look like, this question “so many job seekers are rejected and they don’t realize it.”
Your answer should show the recruiter how your goals and experience “fit this role,” she says.
Here’s her best advice for job seekers on how to approach this interview question.
Don’t answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
According to Mann, from a hiring manager’s perspective, the purpose of this question is to determine whether the candidate is genuinely interested in the job and whether it aligns with their career ambitions.
Mann says that many job seekers “prove that the role is not in their orbit” by inadvertently sharing future goals that are unrelated to the role.
“They’ll say things like, ‘I want to own my own shop within five years,’ or ‘I want to get married within five years,'” she says. Answers that focus on entrepreneurship or personal milestones “may give the impression that this person may be a flight risk,” Mann says.
Mann said companies are looking to hire employees who are willing to stick around for the long term, rather than those who are already planning to retire.
Finally, don’t say to your interviewer, “I want your job in five years,” Mann says. You will come across as arrogant and unrealistic.
what to say instead
Mann recommends focusing your answers on specific career accomplishments, rather than job titles or promotions. She recommends thinking of the question as, “How will this role be advantageous to my trajectory?” she says.
She says candidates should focus on the steps they’ll take to achieve that, rather than saying, “I foresee myself leading this department” in five years.
“Maybe I’ll say things like, ‘I want to take on more direct reports,’ or ‘I want to own bigger accounts and be the go-to person in the organization for expertise,’ or ‘I want to speak on a bigger stage,'” she says.
All of these examples are “products of great next-level work,” Mann said.
“Instead of just saying, ‘I’m chasing a title,’ I’m saying, ‘I’m chasing an outcome that’s good for the business,'” she says.
Overall, your answer should be “in line with the role,” Mann says. By doing so, you will show the company that you are committed to the job and intend to continue to “achieve at higher and higher levels.”
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