Asking interviewees about their long term career goals is a good way for employers to see where your motivation lies and whether you are looking at a long term future within their company. They will be able to tell a lot about you from your answer. Questions to do with career goals are likely to come up in different forms such as:

  • Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
  • What is most important to you in your career?
  • What are you looking for in a job?
  • What are your goals?
  • How does this role fit into your career plan?

So as with any interview scenario, preparation is key. Think about what questions could be asked and devise suitable answers. Make sure you research the company so you know what type of company they are, their values, ethos and where they are going?

Three people sit in front of their computers at desks and talk to each other.
A common question that is good to be prepared for is: what is your career aspirations, sample answer. Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Don’t make the mistake of seeing goals as salary or promotion goals. Telling prospective employers what you are expecting in terms of salary or promotion for the years to come is a very egocentric answer. Avoid these in your answer and instead focus on experience, skills and abilities you would like to achieve within their company.

In general give fairly broad answers. Whereas you would normally give a specific answer to an interview question, here it isn’t necessary, you don’t want to raise doubts as to whether you’re a good fit for the company. With goals that are too specific you could be seen as inflexible and less well rounded than other candidates. Again, although goals and ambitions are good, if you’re too specific you run the risk of stating goals that aren’t really achievable.

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Career questions and how to answer them

Questions about career goals in a job interview are designed to understand your long-term aspirations and how they align with the position and the company. Here are some common job interview questions about career goals and tips on how to answer them effectively:

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

This question aims to gauge your long-term career plans and whether they align with the company's goals. Emphasize your enthusiasm for growth and advancement within the organization. Describe your aspirations to take on more responsibility, develop new skills, and make a meaningful impact. Connect your career goals to the potential opportunities offered by the position and the company.

"What are your short-term goals?"

This question explores your immediate objectives and how they contribute to your long-term career vision. Discuss specific goals that are relevant to the position you're applying for. Focus on acquiring new skills, gaining experience in a particular area, or taking on challenging projects. Align your short-term goals with the needs and opportunities presented by the role and emphasize your commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

Two people are sitting next to each other working on their laptops.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time career objectives and aspirations? Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

"How does this position align with your career goals?"

Highlight the aspects of the position that are in line with your career aspirations. Discuss how the skills and experiences required for the role will contribute to your long-term objectives. Show enthusiasm for the opportunity to grow within the company and how the position will help you acquire valuable knowledge and skills. Emphasize how the role aligns with your personal and professional values.

"What interests you about our company and how does it fit into your career goals?"

Demonstrate your knowledge of the company and its values, mission, products, or services. Explain why you are specifically interested in working for the organization and how it aligns with your career goals. Discuss the potential for growth, learning opportunities, or the company's positive impact on its industry or community. Showcase how the company's values and culture resonate with your own professional aspirations.

"How do you plan to achieve your career goals?"

Outline a strategic approach to achieving your career goals, highlighting the steps you have taken or plan to take. Discuss your commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and networking. Mention any relevant certifications, courses, or advanced education you plan to pursue. Emphasize your proactive approach to personal and career growth.

Three women sitting around a table, in front of their laptops.
Goals for the future aspirations examples of aspirations. Picture: Unsplash+

"Tell me about a time when you set a challenging career goal and how you achieved it."

Share a specific example that demonstrates your goal-setting abilities, determination, and perseverance. Describe the goal you set, the actions you took to achieve it, and the positive outcome you accomplished. Discuss the skills, resources, and strategies you utilized to overcome challenges and achieve success. Highlight your ability to set realistic and measurable goals and your commitment to following through.

Be authentic and specific

When answering questions about career goals, it's important to be authentic, specific, and demonstrate enthusiasm for growth and development. Tailor your responses to showcase how your career goals align with the position and the company you are interviewing with. By conveying your ambition, motivation, and dedication to achieving your career objectives, you can present yourself as a candidate with long-term potential and a strong fit for the role.

It is important to stress your interest in building up a career within the company. Retention of employees is a valid concern for companies. They do not wish to invest time, money and energy in hiring and training someone who plans to leave as soon as something better comes along. They have to know that hiring you would be a worthwhile investment.

Your response should show that you’re committed to working for the organisation for some time. A suitable response might be ‘I look forward to growing with the organisation and making significant contributions to the company’. If your career history to date has involved a lot of changes from job to job it would be worth emphasising that you’re now ready for a long-term role and you’d like it to be within their company.

These are the signs that you're overthinking your interview.

Show enthusiasm

Show your enthusiasm for the job but without going over the top (you won’t fool anyone!) and that you are motivated to take up this opportunity. No-one wants to hire applicants who seem half-hearted. Show that it is your goal to work for an organisation where you can build a career, to grow and take on new challenges and responsibilities over time.

Woman holding a mobile phone in both hands.
What are you looking for in your next role? How does the role you are applying for fit in with your career aspirations? Goals and aspirations. Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash

If you’re not altogether sure exactly where you see yourself in the future or you’re still weighing up options such as a complete change of career or setting up your own business, now is not the time to raise this with the interviewer. Any concern like this will be a red flag for them as it will not show commitment to their company.

Make sure you research the company and the role for which you’re applying. This will give you information on the structure of the company, expansion plans and what is valued within the company. Study the company website, read about their focus, look at the ‘media’ or ‘press’ pages to get an insight into where the company is moving.

Follow their social media accounts for the weeks before the interview, you’ll be able to glean information about developments, recent successes and awards, expansion plans etc which you can then work into your answers.

Prepare and plan for the interview

As with all interviews it is worth spending time in planning your answers in case a particular question comes up. There is no need to memorise a script but practice how you will make your long term goals relevant to the company. See a question about long term goals as an opportunity to show your potential employer your ambitions, skills and how you’re going to help their company grow.

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Sandra

A knowledge-thirsty literary and cultural scholar from Gothenburg, Sweden.