Where do you see yourself in five years?

Employers usually ask this question to determine three key things about you:

1. Are you likely to remain at the company long-term?
2. Do your career ambitions align with the job and company you’ve applied for?
3. Do you have a sense of how you want to grow?

Each hire a company goes through with requires a significant financial and time investment, and they want to ensure they get it right. Someone who isn’t ambitious, and isn’t likely to remain at the company for at least a few years, and someone with no clear sense of progression means that investment isn’t well-spent.

The best way to answer this question is to be general, and consider how your interests and goals align with the company.

For example, you may want to discuss your interest in taking on a leadership role, or perhaps you’d like to become a mentor for junior roles. Perhaps you’d like to take on a project that you’re passionate about in an area you’ve had little experience in, but have enjoyed in the past.

You may want to structure your response like this: “One of my future goals is to take the lead on a creative project. To do so, I’ve decided to take online courses in project management in my spare time, and I’ve been using Asana to manage my work so I can familiarise myself with project management software. I would love to put my hand up for these kinds of opportunities within this role.”