THE BEECHMONT CREST CAREER GUIDE:
SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
CHAPTER 4: INTERVIEWING AND CLOSING THE DEAL
Answer the "Where do you see yourself in five years?" question in a relevant manner.
The “where do you see yourself in five years” question is yet another interview standard—and another response that you can safely prepare in advance. Make sure that you don’t tell your interviewers that in five years you see yourself raising chinchillas back in Ohio or backpacking through Europe.
Your answer should in some way relate to your anticipated professional growth within the organization. A vision of yourself at a job level one or two rungs above the one you are currently interviewing for is always a good idea. (This doesn’t make you sound arrogant or presumptuous—it is, rather taken as a sign of healthy ambition.)
Don’t directly mention the interviewing company when you respond (since they haven’t extended an offer to you yet); but paint them in the picture through the context: “I see myself as a regional sales manager with an automotive components firm.”
Copyright 2006 Beechmont Crest Publishing