{"id":1598,"date":"2022-07-06T10:16:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T10:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/?p=1598"},"modified":"2023-06-26T07:30:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T07:30:01","slug":"where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Best Answer: \u2018Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are lots of questions you may be asked in an interview that aren\u2019t easy to answer. However, among all these, the question \u201cwhere do you see yourself in 5 years?\u201d is one of the most difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/job-interview-questions\/\">The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n    <div class=\"builder-button\">  \n        <a href=\"\/goapp\/new-resume\" class=\"builder-banner__a\">Create your resume<\/a>\n    <\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img width=\"768\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"How to Best Answer: \u2018Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years.\u2019\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years.png 768w, https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years-50x34.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69dede43063aa\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #2c1e39;color:#2c1e39\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #2c1e39;color:#2c1e39\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69dede43063aa\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#Why_do_interviewers_ask_%E2%80%98where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years\" >Why do interviewers ask \u2018where do you see yourself in 5 years?\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#What_do_hiring_managers_want_to_hear_when_they_ask_this_question\" >What do hiring managers want to hear when they ask this question?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#Tips_for_answering_the_%E2%80%98where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years_question\" >Tips for answering the \u2018where do you see yourself in 5 years\u2019 question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#Where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years_sample_answers\" >Where do you see yourself in 5 years: sample answers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#What_not_to_say_when_answering_the_%E2%80%9Cwhere_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years%E2%80%9D_question\" >What not to say when answering the \u201cwhere do you see yourself in 5 years\u201d question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years\/#How_to_answer_%E2%80%9CWhere_do_you_see_yourself_in_five_years%E2%80%9D_key_takeaways\" >How to answer \u201cWhere do you see yourself in five years?\u201d: key takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_interviewers_ask_%E2%80%98where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years\"><\/span>Why do interviewers ask \u2018where do you see yourself in 5 years?\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There may be several reasons why you are asked the dreaded question \u201cwhere do you see yourself in 5 years?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most obvious reasons for why an interviewer might ask you this is that they want to know if your long-term career goals are in line with the job you are applying for. If your long-term plans don\u2019t really match what the company has to offer, the hiring manager may have doubts about how long you will be able to work for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, managers often ask this question to feel safe and make sure you will bring in a good return on investment. With that, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/tenure.nr0.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">US Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, the average employee tenure was just above four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goco.io\/blog\/state-of-hr-2023-great-resignation-recession\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.goco.io\/blog\/state-of-hr-2023-great-resignation-recession\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Onboarding employees<\/a> is a very expensive process. And it is understandable that employers may want to hire someone who will be with the company for the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A hiring manager may also ask this question to see how you want to grow professionally and whether their company will be able to offer you suitable opportunities for career development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/what-are-your-career-goals\/\">Answering the Question: What are Your Career Goals?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"builder-banner-top\">\n        <div class=\"builder-banner-top__title\">\n            You'll Never Find a Good Job\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"builder-banner-top__text\">\n            It\u2019s a job hunter\u2019s common fear, but we can help boost your chances!\n        <\/div>    \n        <a href=\"\/goapp\/new-resume\" class=\"builder-banner-top__a\">Click to use resume builder<\/a>\n    <\/div><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_do_hiring_managers_want_to_hear_when_they_ask_this_question\"><\/span>What do hiring managers want to hear when they ask this question?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-Best-Answer_-\u2018Where-Do-You-See-Yourself-in-5-Years.-1-min-300x145.png\" alt=\"where do you see yourself in 5 years\" class=\"wp-image-1605\" width=\"800\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-Best-Answer_-\u2018Where-Do-You-See-Yourself-in-5-Years.-1-min-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-Best-Answer_-\u2018Where-Do-You-See-Yourself-in-5-Years.-1-min-50x24.png 50w, https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-Best-Answer_-\u2018Where-Do-You-See-Yourself-in-5-Years.-1-min.png 704w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of things hiring managers typically want to hear in response to the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>First, they may want to know that you\u2019ve thought about your professional future and that you care about growth and development in your line of work. They may want to see that you are a driven and ambitious person and will be proactive in the workplace.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn <a href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/how-to-answer-what-motivates-you\/\">how to answer \u2018What Motivates You?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Your answer to the question will also help the hiring manager see that you are interested in the job and aren\u2019t applying simply because you don\u2019t have other options.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of things employers look at when making their final choice. And your skills and qualifications are just one part of the big picture. In most cases, employers will also want to hire someone who is motivated and passionate about their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_answering_the_%E2%80%98where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years_question\"><\/span>Tips for answering the \u2018where do you see yourself in 5 years\u2019 question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few best practices for answering the \u2018five year\u2019 question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The first thing you will need to do to prepare to answer this question is to <strong>know the answer to it for yourself<\/strong>. From here on, you will be able to adjust and tailor it to the job you are applying for. However, unless you know the answer to this question yourself, you probably won\u2019t be able to give a convincing reply. It may be hard to think this far ahead, especially if you are just starting out. If you are having a hard time answering this question for yourself, simply try to <strong>think of what you imagine as the climax of your professional career and then \u201ccount down\u201d from there<\/strong>. Think about what skills you need to develop to get to that point and make your five-year plan based on that.<\/li><li><strong>Tailor your answer to the job you are applying for.<\/strong> This doesn\u2019t mean that you have to lie or make things up. But you may want to highlight the connections between where you see yourself in five years and what you will be doing in the role you are applying for. For instance, if you are applying for a managerial position, you may want to mention that you plan to develop your leadership and team building skills to become a director or top manager one day. This means that you need to <strong>research the company and the job<\/strong> you are applying for carefully. In fact, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twinemployment.com\/uk\/blog\/8-surprising-statistics-about-interviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Twin Employment Training<\/a>, 47% of job candidates fail interviews because they didn\u2019t do enough research about the company they were applying for.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t be too specific.<\/strong> Career coaches usually encourage candidates to answer job interview questions in detail. However, when it comes to the question of what you will be doing in five years, it may be better to keep things general. For example, instead of referring to a specific position or salary, you may want to <strong>focus on the skills you want to develop<\/strong> the most within a five year period.<\/li><li><strong>Be realistic.<\/strong> Make sure the goals you are voicing to the job interviewer are realistic. Sure, you may believe that in five years you will be the next Elon Musk \u2014 but it\u2019s best to keep these thoughts to yourself and your vision board. To your potential employer, you may say that you see yourself <strong>\u201creaching new levels of expertise in your field\u201d<\/strong>. This will send the right message about your professional ambitions but also won\u2019t sound too wishful.<\/li><li><strong>Build connections between short-term and long-term goals.<\/strong> The job you are applying for may not give you a straight route to your long-term professional goal. But it may help you develop the necessary skills. Talk about what you want to focus on in the position you are applying for and how the skills you will acquire or improve will let you attain your big goals.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years_sample_answers\"><\/span>Where do you see yourself in 5 years: sample answers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example answer #1: recent graduate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" style=\"font-size:16px\"><p><em>I\u2019ve only recently graduated from San Diego University. My major was business administration but I would say that within the next five years I would love to improve my sales skills. One of my long-term goals is to be a sales manager. But in order to get there, I need to first learn how to work directly with clients, make sales pitches and learn from my competition. This job will offer me the opportunity to obtain first hand experience in sales and, hopefully, develop new skills and grow together with the sales team.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example #2: mid-management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" style=\"font-size:16px\"><p><em>In the next 5-10 years, I hope to become a team leader and be in charge of a small team or department. I enjoy my current work but for the past two years I\u2019ve also been working on developing my leadership skills and I believe that in five years I will be able to take on new responsibilities. This is why I found your job offer particularly interesting as it mentions leadership opportunities.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example #3: startup<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\" style=\"font-size:16px\"><p><em>As you can see from my resume, I spent the past three years working as a project manager in a larger company. I\u2019ve enjoyed my work immensely but I have also found my role to be quite limited. I hope that by working in a startup, I can take on more responsibility and gain more independence when it comes to being in charge of projects.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_not_to_say_when_answering_the_%E2%80%9Cwhere_do_you_see_yourself_in_5_years%E2%80%9D_question\"><\/span>What not to say when answering the \u201cwhere do you see yourself in 5 years\u201d question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several things that are better not to say when someone asks you about your long-term plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most obvious no-no here would be saying <strong>\u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d<\/strong>. If you say that you don\u2019t know what you will be doing in five years, it may send the wrong message to the employer. They may think that you haven\u2019t given much thought to your career. And this may lead to them deeming you an \u201cuncertain\u201d candidate who may change this mind, switch to another career and more. This is especially true if you are not a recent graduate and already have experience in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another answer that may raise red flags for the hiring manager is saying that you are <strong>looking to get promoted quickly and in a senior role<\/strong>. This may signal to the employer that you won\u2019t be satisfied in the role you are applying for and may request getting promoted instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also read<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/how-to-show-a-promotion-on-a-resume\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3869\">How to Show a Promotion on a Resume<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saying that <strong>you are after a specific job that already belongs to someone else in the company<\/strong> may also be a questionable idea. To some managers, it may sound bold and ambitious. However, to some, it may seem over-confident and rude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_answer_%E2%80%9CWhere_do_you_see_yourself_in_five_years%E2%80%9D_key_takeaways\"><\/span>How to answer \u201cWhere do you see yourself in five years?\u201d: key takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several key takeaways from this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>First, it\u2019s a good idea to <strong>prepare at least an approximate answer<\/strong> to the question before the interview. Think about what you want to be doing in five years, go over the job description again and make sure your answer aligns with the position you are applying for.<\/li><li><strong>Avoid going into too much detail<\/strong> about how you see your professional future. It may be best to focus on the skills that you want to develop and how the job you are applying for will help you develop them.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t say \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d.<\/strong> Saying that you don\u2019t know what you will be doing in the future may send the wrong signal to the hiring manager. They may take it as an indication that you are undecided about your career path and may not stay in the job long.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that you can also ask questions during the interview: here are <a href=\"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-an-interviewer\/\">the best questions to ask an interviewer<\/a>.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"builder-banner\">\n        <div class=\"builder-banner__title\">\n            Build your perfect resume in&nbsp;a&nbsp;snap\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"builder-banner__text\">\n            Use templates created by HR pros to make your resume and cover letter catch the recruiter's eye.\n        <\/div>    \n        <a href=\"\/goapp\/new-resume\" class=\"builder-banner__a\">Create your resume<\/a>\n    <\/div><div style='text-align:left' class='yasr-auto-insert-visitor'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are lots of questions you may be asked in an interview that aren\u2019t easy to answer. However, among all these, the question \u201cwhere do [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0,"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1598"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6233,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598\/revisions\/6233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1598"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resumekit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=1598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}