where do you see yourself in five years

Imagine this: you’re wrapping up a great interview at a company you want to be a part of. You’ve made a connection with your interviewer, done your homework in order to present a detailed plan of how you’ll succeed in the position, and feel confident in how you’ve handled any “red flags” in your career. At this stage, your guard is down, and your thoughts start to drift towards that (well-deserved) drink you’ll be having once this is over. Related: How To Answer The Interview Question ‘Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?’ That’s when the interviewer asks, “So where do you want to be in five years?” A trick question? Really? And things were going so well! Avoid the temptation to be dismissive- this rarely works out well. So what’s the best approach? For one, shorter is better. The more time you spend rambling on about generalities, the less confident you seem. It’s imperative to move the conversation back to your strengths and aptitudes, and how they match up with what the interviewer’s looking for. Second, avoid rolling out old tropes like, “I want to sit where you’re sitting!” You don’t want to alienate your interviewer by being too aggressive or out of bounds (blame it on our overly-PC workplace culture).