I agree. This question is just useless. The company knows that they aren't loyal, and the candidate knows that too, so the candidate answers what they want to hear.
I've asked the interviewers this question, where they see their department in five years...and they almost never have a clear plan. However, I've gotten an offer every time
Lol imma do this. The future of a department is also as crazy if not crazier than the unknown future of an individual. The department I entered was restructured two to three times in 2 years, job descriptions changed, company buys out another and completely decides it's approsch need to change, gets rid of entire departments. One department restructuring was after a end of the year departmental event in another city with hotel stay, fun games and quizzes thanking everyone for the work so far and asking how the event should go next year...in three months the department had restructured and changed names and the director was in some other department😂
This is a ridiculous question and I've always hated it cause I don't wanna be an employee for long. IS mostly for them to determine if you are sheep and are willing to stay there for a while
Retired. As far as your answer, it sounds unnatural. I don't talk like that and I suspect most don't. Having been on the other side of the table, if someone sounds too formulaic, I usually smell a little BS even if they're telling the truth. Be yourself, and don't sound like you're writing a paper for your MBA. JMO. I find the canned stuff off-putting.
As you have said, most people are not employed by the same company 5 years later, so while this question may be there to tease out a candidate's long term goals and commitment, we all know it is a case of 'tell them what they need to hear to give me the job'. Most people take jobs out of a need to pay bills rather than some sense of personal fulfillment or growth. In an ideal world we would all have a defined set of skills that match our goals and passions, and we work as a means to master our craft while adding meaning and value to those around us. In reality many people end up needing to chase job roles in fields way different to their interests or area of expertise due to the uncertainties of life and unforeseen setbacks. I may be overly cynical, but I think company recruiters need to be a bit more realistic in what they are looking for. All a recruiter should need to know is: Can this candidate physically do the job, and will they stick around for at least 1-2 years.
When I was asked this, I was honest. I told them that I didn't know 5 years ago I would be where I am but what I have always focused on is challenging and improving myself and being prepared for whatever opportunity comes my way. I've been promoted 4 times since then.
I got this question asked for a part time job that is no way near a living wage. What is the purpose in that case? In my mind I wanted to answer: alive and healthy!
Listen very closely when he says that you assess them just as much as they assess you. They will ask you where you want to be in 5 years. You need to ask them if your 5-year goals are possible in their organization. For example, if they only give promotions in response to people leaving the company, leaving a vacant higher-level position which you must apply for - your goals will not be attainable in that company. In the interview, ask straight out how many people get promoted each year. Ask how many of those coincided with people leaving, and how many were based totally on merit. If in a panel interview with people that will be your peers, ask them when their last promotion was and the circumstances. There will be the official company/HR line about merit, business need and employees being in charge of their career. And there will be reality that the employees live under. If they will not answer the question, or the answer is that promotions only happen when people leave, look elsewhere.
I absolutely hate this question. 😒 Because at this point, I just want to make my money and have a good work life balance. Hopefully retire early. ( In my mind I'm thinking do well enough in my side hustles to get out of the workforce)
I have always felt uncomfortable when asked this question. Always got the feeling that whatever you answer it can be used against you. If you prove yourself ambitious and long-term minded, they might see you as somebody who will potentially challenge the company hierarchy or otherwise leave soon seeking for faster growth. If you prove yourself more humble you might be seen as lazy and passive.
The best answers I've seen are showing that you be learning and that you'll be able to help on more complex tasks and increased responsibilities for your manager.
I recall a recruiter telling me that because I was in school, I wasn’t committed long term. Still got the job because I already worked for the company and the boss really liked me. Still think recruiters suck though.
Thank you for your content! It helped me so much with finding my 2nd job out of college in my dream industry with your interview and salary negotiation videos. I start in 2 weeks :)
I feel like I care more about this question as a (potential) employee than most employers that I've interviewed with. I don't think I've ever actually been asked the question in an interview. I usually ask them. I usually ask what different development paths they envision for the role. I usually get a pretty wishy washy answer back that shows that they really don't know. Somewhat understandably, they're more interested in the immediate need over the next few months.
Any time I hear this question being asked it sends up huge red flags for me. Sometimes they just don’t know how to conduct an interview well but usually I hear this at companies that expect absolute obedience and loyalty. There is no good way to answer this type of question because it’s a bad question. In my experience if you hear these types of questions at an interview, run fast. It’s probably not a job that’s worth your time.
Sometimes they just wanna know you're not a m job hopper and that they don't have to do this hiring again in 6 months. always look at the underlying reason, no one knows what they'll be doing in 5 years. They can't ask, will you be leaving us as soon as you can.
This is great information. I still find this question to be one of those questions that some interviewers throw at people without them knowing what's that supposed to measure. I also find it ineffective in measuring the level of commitment or alignment with company values. The candidate has never worked there, so what do they know about the culture and [actual] values of the company. And candidates are going to attempt to project loyalty and devotion because they want the job. This to me is a silly question that will receive a silly answer. As a side note, the only two times where I was asked that question, the person who asked it left soon after I got hired. That goes to show you the value of that question.
How do you answer this question if you are already working for the company? We are being required to answer a career development form. I have already been on the job 3 years. There is no chance I will still be working for my present management in 5 years. There is no room for advancement where I am and they know that.
Honest question: what if you’re already where you want to be? I’m in a senior role and I would be interested in a technical lead position (so there’s my answer, ironically), but if that’s not available, how do I say “I’d like to still be a senior, but a better one?” I have absolutely no desire to be management of any kind. I don’t want direct reports. Me behind a terminal at a command line is where I thrive and I know that. How do I convey that without sounding like a “coasting lifer”? I still want to continue to learn and hone my skills, but the upper rungs of the ladder all involve managing people and …no thanks.
I usually say I see myself welcoming and mentoring new employees that will be in the shoes I am in now. Not necessarily as a formal "mentoring" position, but as someone who will have been their five years and is supporting the growth I see for the company in the next five years. I am not sure if that is a good answer or not.
This didn't help me and my situation at all. The truthful answer in my case would be "I will use your company as a ramp to jump as high as I can to a higher pay check elsewhere", because that's a fact in the programming world in the first 5-6 years of one's career. It's much faster to job hop than waiting to get a raise. What's the answer in my case?
Nobody wants to hear the candidate won't be there in 5 years. Yet, they are not willing to compensate accordingly loyalty and performance, they'd rather prefer paying more for a new hire instead 🙃
That’s insane to me that most people won’t be in the same job in 5 years.. I been with my company for 14.5 years and I plan on being there until I retire… lol I like stability.. I could never hop job to job.
@@deerinfear7484 My daughter said the exact same thing to someone who asked her the question and her reply was, "Oh let me have a look in my crystal ball and then I will be able to tell you where I see myself in 5 years time." The interviewer thought she was being sarcastically funny, but she was serious! 🤣
@@samanthahardy9903 This is the worse question to be asked by anyone in HR. Personally it is cocky and arrogant. It is almost like they are saying " can you do as good as me in 5 years." It is just condescending.
When I answered this question for my current job, I had specific roles that I wanted to be in that could mostly be achieved from gaining experience in the role I applied for. For example, I applied for my first QA specialist role, but I have future goals of going into auditing and/or supplier quality. The hiring manager was very intrigued by my response. Being able to answer this question tells the employer that you know what you want, are taking control of your career, and are going to stay for at least a fair amount of time. Plus, I’m also telling the employer that I need for this role to help get me where I want to be.
My brother answered the question in a similar manner, and the comment he got back was "So you're going to try to get my job?" This question is valid only when people know what they are looking for in the answer.
Though not my situation, I don’t understand why hiring managers get intimidated by someone wanting their kind of job in the future. It’s not like a newbie working under them can steal their role. It would usually go to (from what I have seen) a colleague at their level when merging groups.
@@pinklobelia2389 I agree. Seems like in your situation, the interviewer knew the question, how to ask it, and what to do with the answer. In my experience, I've seen interviewers throwing that question at candidates not even knowing what's it good for.
@@pinklobelia2389 you could not be a newbie, you could be an overqualified person starting a new career path with a junior level role. You could be a master's holder and they've hit the ceiling in their career. They could have been traumatised before by job hoppers. They could have been traumatised before by people who were just trying to use the role to go higher, not his they'll help the manager complete the responsibilities of the team.
Nice video ! Now an honest question. What if we answer their question and then revert a similar question to the company? “How do you see the company growth and goals for the next five years ?”
You can and is a good thing to do. But most of the time they don't have an answer for that, what you get back is them being angry at you, a blank stare or a cliche formulaic answer.
I've yet to encounter a company that would be able to answer the question "What do you think I'll be doing in five years?" Nine times out ten the job doesn't even turn out to be what they say it will be, and that's within weeks of starting. So them asking me where I see myself is equally irrelevant and it is disingenuous to ask it.
I have a question why do they make newbies in management positions like shifts leads. I have a dude who is a shift lead who really shouldn't he just points out the wrongs or tells me I can't do this or that. Like one situation I was doing dish pit and i was scrubbing a pan that he burnt cheese sauce on in it (I watch him do it) and he told me to stop scrubbing it.
As I did, interviewing for a temp 3 month job doing a very boring thing, I said something about my personal life goals. Later, after I worked there over the temp time and was asked to interview for the permanent position by the foreman the HR woman walked in an shouted at me, "I remember you! You are the guy who thinks that working here is a convenience, just for your convenience!" For the next three years that HR person was nasty and vicious as regarded anything regarding myself, even simple things like organizing 401K investment percentages. Remember, HR is not your friend.
I've never understood this question. How am I supposed to know what the expected career path will be for that company? Isn't this the sort of question I should be asking THEM? Managment is the obvious answer. It's also the only "good" answer I think I've ever heard. What is someone who doesn't want to go into management supposed to say?
You want to be honest. That's a laugh, as they give you advice that is saying lie about what you say as the questions they ask aren't honest either, but intended for ulterior purposes.
Deepen your expertise as an individual contributor. Management is a separate discipline and it can be a trap if you don't have those skills or care to develop them.
With this kind of horrible leaders/managers I have even standby to quit my job anytime even without another job lining up let alone seeing myself there in 5 years time.
Too bad that he already said you dont want to tell your recruiter/hr that you want his/her job in 5 years. That would be my standard joke on this type of videos.
I said I want to stable my life and feel good in one company. (Came from consulting), got manager function instead of system engeneering where I was going for lmao
Hi Brian these days no managers ask this question this probably is because most managers are under mere cost pressure that they care a dime about someone’s aspiration
