Using your long-term goals as an interview tool.
"What are your goals for the New Year? Where do you see yourself in five years?" It seems like these questions always get asked around this time of year. Such queries may seem benign, perhaps even a little whimsical or philosophical, coming from a friend or relative. Those closest to you are truly interested in your future plans. But in a job interview, the same questions can disqualify you for employment and send you straight out the door.
You Talk Too Much
I recently realized how seemingly innocent questions like this could be disastrous. It was a few weeks before graduation, and I was in an interview for a great job. I would have put a lampshade on my head and pirouetted around the office pretending to be a chicken to land this position. Fortunately, such desperate measures weren't necessary. The interview was going very well and my interviewer and I were really clicking. I felt relaxed, confident that I'd finally have an interesting and rewarding place to land once thrust out of the warm college nest. Then she asked, "Where do you see yourself in the next five years?"
Unbeknownst to me, I was really telling everyone how inflexible, inexperienced, and egotistical I was.
I cheerfully answered: "I plan to work for a year in a job that I find satisfying and stimulating before going on to graduate school. " I went on to explain how "satisfying and stimulating" meant I would spend lots of time on outside projects and studying for the GRE. I also hit her with a detailed description of my hypothetical graduate thesis and post-graduate dreams of bigger and better things. I told her about all the books that I planned to write--even as she led me to the elevator and politely waved goodbye. I had just made a very common (and costly) mistake.
I thought I had aced my interviewer's question by proving my dedication, creativity, and drive. So, why wasn't my interviewer calling me back? It was only during another interview a few weeks later that I learned how wrong I had been. The same question reared its ugly head and again I answered in the same way, only this time my interviewer took pity on me. She explained that everything I had just said could be translated as: I plan to use your institution as a stepping stone for my own selfish and naive goals. I already have one foot out the door before you've even let me in.
Reading Between the Lines
Unbeknownst to me, I was really telling everyone how inflexible, inexperienced, and egotistical I was. It also sounded like I wasn't even interested in the job I was interviewing for. More importantly, I was saying that the prospective company would have to search for, interview, and train someone else to replace me next year--because I'd be long gone by then.
Like me, many recent grads make the terminal mistake of assuming that future employers just want to be impressed with who we are. But they really want to be assured that we would fit in with their organization and be the best possible employees. Most employers today want bright and energetic people, not just loyal machines who never think outside of the office. But they don't want people who leave their best qualities behind when they come to work--or save them for later. Organizations expect you to be present on the job and not always searching for the next best thing.
The Remedy
Questions about your future plans have become interview classics. Jobseekers can't expect to avoid the issue. So, if someone asks about your next five years, you should realize that there is no perfect answer. After being out of the comforting structure of college a while, you will realize that life doesn't often respect your plans. While it's good to have goals, it is very, very bad to stick to them too rigidly. Remember: companies want people who will be flexible and won't panic if the unexpected pops up unexpectedly. But you also don't want to seem disorganized by just giving an "I don't know" answer.
Be honest, focused, realistic, and flexible. And keep in mind what your interviewer really wants--someone who will work well on the job. Maybe you should say, "I hope I'll be working somewhere where I can continue to grow while knowing that I have already contributed and learned a lot." Perhaps that sounds too rehearsed, but it may be the only honest answer.
