“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” Arthur Ashe (Professional tennis player, three-time Grand Slam champion)
Why an Unexpected Question Eliminated a Qualified Candidate During a Job Interview
It is unrealistic to expect yourself to prepare for every possible question that a potential employer will ask you during your job interview. In fact, HR and hiring managers keep coming up with new questions to see whether you perform well under pressure. You are not expected to answer every question perfectly.
But there are some core questions that employers expect you to answer with confidence. Most of you readers have probably heard the question that I will discuss in today’s blog, but you might not know the best approach to answering it. Of course, the best answer will depend on your individual situation, but there are some definite Do’s and Don’t’s that can make or break your job interview.
To illustrate the importance of this question, let me tell you the true story of a postdoctoral fellow who applied for a job that required technical skills that he had picked up in graduate school. As a postdoctoral fellow he worked in a slightly different area, but he was confident that his experience from graduate school prepared him well for this position.
He quickly got a phone interview with the hiring manager (by applying through a friend from graduate school) and did his due diligence before the interview by researching the company and reviewing the technical background for this position. He was excited when he received the call from the hiring manager, and was ready to answer any questions she had about his technical background. After all, this area was part of his thesis research and he had several publications on it.
His excitement quickly wore off when he heard the hiring manager’s cool tone: “You know I can see that you have some technical background from graduate school, but then in your postdoctoral fellowship you went in a different direction. I found this a little confusing. Can you tell me where do you see yourself in 5 years? The reason that I ask, is that I want to make sure that this position is the right fit for you and your career path.”
The reality was that this candidate was glad that he got a postdoctoral fellowship in a competitive job market – he was not choosy about the exact career path. In fact, he thought that doing research in a slightly different area would complement his skill set and make him even more marketable. Like most graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, he did not have an exact career path in mind.
After this question from the hiring manager, he hesitated for a moment, and then gave a generic answer about getting proficient in his field and then taking moving into a higher level position. The hiring manager had good intentions – she wanted to make sure that the position was a right fit for him. But she was not impressed by his answer (or lack of confidence), and the job interview process did not go further.
In recalling this story, this candidate seemed most surprised by the fact that the hiring manager was more interested in his vision for a career path, than the technical details of the position. Perhaps if he had answered the question about his career path with more confidence, he would have had the opportunity to demonstrate that he had the technical background necessary for the position. However, since he had not prepared for this crucial question in advance, the hiring manager got the impression that he lacked vision – a crucial component of success in the corporate world.
Why it is Important to Have a Vision of Where You Will Be in 5 Years
The hiring process has changed significantly in the last 10 years. There was a time when it was enough to be “smart” (eg. get a PhD from a reputable university) and employers would hire you, assuming that if you could get through a PhD program you could certainly pick up the necessary skills on the job. While the road to your PhD was (or is) filled with several obstacles that test your perseverance, leadership skills, and creativity, you can no longer rest on your laurels if you want to get ahead in today’s corporate world.
There are so many candidates for each position, that employers now have the luxury of being “choosy” and picking a candidate that has the right technical skills and personality to fit into their specific work environment. You need to prepare thoroughly for interview questions, particularly the ones that focus on your career goals. In fact, I would recommend that you reach out to a friend or acquaintance who is currently in your industry and get advice on how to answer the most common job interview questions.
Your friends have probably sat on the other end of the interview and can give you advice on what employers are looking for in your answer. Remember, any red flag or the slightest indication that this job is not the right fit for you could eliminate you from the hiring process, perhaps unfairly.
Do You Need to Be Psychic to Answer “Where Do You SEE Yourself in 5 Years” ?
Since graduate students are usually consumed by the demands of their thesis research, they frequently neglect to think about their career path until they get close to graduation. However, if you do not take the chance to network during graduate school, it is tough to answer questions about your desired career path.
If you have networked and attended career workshop, does it mean that you need to have your career mapped out exactly for the next five years? Absolutely not! The job market changes constantly, and you need to have a vision that can adapt to the dynamic environment of today’s corporate world.
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Most importantly, you need to prepare a well thought-out answer, because most hiring managers will ask you this question. In addition, it is important for you to know where you want to be in 5 years so you can apply for the opportunities that are in alignment with your plans.
Networking at your university, conferences and local meetings (most industries have meet-ups that you can attend for a low cost or on the house as a student), will give you the chance to find out what typical career paths are and collect contact information from people who might be able to help you in your job search – and of course, there is usually free food!
What Employers Want to Hear When They Ask: “Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?”
At this point you are probably wondering, what are the Do’s and Don’ts of “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” On the one hand, you want to have a vision of your career path, but on the other hand you want to remain flexible so you can adapt to the changing job environment and new opportunities.
First, let’s go through what employers really want to find out when they ask you this question. They are certainly not looking for an exact answer such as “I see myself optimizing method XYZ on a mass spectrometer.” They are also not looking for a general answer such as: “I see myself settled down in a stable job with a nice house and 2 kids.” By the way, I do not recommend bringing up any plans for having kids or talking about how this job would be beneficial for your personal life such as making it easier to drop off your two kids at two different daycares.
While most of you probably take your lifestyle into consideration when applying for jobs (e.g. commute, work hours, travel) I suggest not discussing personal matters unless the interviewer asks a specific question such as: “This job is two hour commute for you. Would you be willing to drive that much each day?”
A two hour commute in each direction is not unheard of (unfortunately), so when you answer such a question focus on the job itself “Yes, I realize the commute is long, but this position would be a great opportunity for me because XYZ.” I suggest staying away from answers such as: “Yes, I am OK with a 2-hour commute. In fact, it is a great time for me to listen to books on tape” because the interviewer has no interest in your personal life.
This is what employers are looking for during a job interview:
- What makes you qualified for this job?
- Is this position a logical next step in your long term career goals?
- Are you someone who is willing to work hard and go the extra mile if hired?
- Do you have leadership skills?
- Do you take initiative to grow professionally?
In preparing your answer, take the following factors into consideration:
- Demonstrate that you are ambitious, but stay realistic . For example, if you are being interviewed for a Junior-level Scientist position, then aiming for a promotion to a Senior-level position where you supervise junior scientists in 3-5 years is realistic. However, aiming for a group leader position in a short time frame (particularly in a mid to large-size company) is unrealistic.
- Mention technical skills and responsibilities – which ones do you have right now that you would like to be applying, and which ones you would like to acquire during your professional growth?
- Focus on the value you would like to provide for this company as you would be promoted and given more responsibilities
- Be specific regarding the type of work you would like to be doing (e.g. stay in research or continue your path as an application scientist or develop more skills in technical sales), but keep your answer general enough to demonstrate that you are flexible. For example, stay away from any answers that include specific numbers about how many people you would like to supervise, or specific research projects you would like to work on.
If I had to summarize a few key factors that will help you ACE this question they would be:
- Showing that this position is a logical next step in your long-term career goals
- Emphasizing that you are looking to grow and learn continuously in your profession
- Focusing on the value that you would bring to this company in 5 years
- Demonstrating that you are ready to take on more responsibility and play a bigger role in helping the company achieve their mission
Of course, be honest. The worst that you can do for yourself and the company is to put together contrived answers to “make” the position a good fit for you just because the commute is convenient or you really need a job ASAP to pay your bills.
If you are not sure where you will be realistically 5 years from now, or what words to use in your answer, reach out to alumni from your department or a professional acquaintance. You might find that most people are too busy for a lunch or coffee, but they are likely to give you 15 minutes of their time over the phone. I do not recommend getting advice through email, as it can lead to misunderstanding and you will probably waste more time writing the emails than if you had a phone call.
How NOT to Answer: “Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?”
To demonstrate that this job is a great fit for you and your career path, I highly recommend staying away from answers that include:
- Any details about your personal life
- Compensation/Salary
- Ambiguity: e.g. “I am not really sure”
- Any indication that you want to start your own company
- Changing career paths depending on how you like this one
The 5-year Career Plan Question in Disguise
While most employers will want to find out if this job and company is a good fit for you, they might word “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” in a different way. Similar questions include:
- What’s most important to you in you career?
- What are you looking for in your next position?
- What is your ideal job at this stage in your career?
- What are your long-term career goals?
- How do you define success?
- How are you planning to grow professionally in the next 5 years?
As you put together your answer for the umbrella test of “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” think about how you can take parts of it in reply to questions like the ones above with confidence.
As you are preparing for a job interview, remember that it is a two-sided conversation. You will be interviewing them as much as they will be interviewing you. Therefore, it is important for you to determine if this position and the work environment is a good fit for you.
In fact, after you give your own answer, you might want to turn this question around and ask them, what a typical career path looks like at their company in 3-5 years. What are their expectations regarding career growth and increasing responsibilities?
Finally, treat each job interview as if that position were your first choice and show interest in the company. However, given that there are dozens of applicants for each position, stay unattached to the outcome – there is no “one” job that is perfect you. Keep showing with enthusiasm at interviews, expand your professional network and you fill find a job that is a great fit for you.
I have included more tips on how to prepare for tricky job interview questions in one of my previous blogs, Five Strategies to Help You Answer Tricky Job Interview Questions.