The worst interview question ever - and how to answer it
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I am sure you are thinking – how the heck should I know? I agree. I don’t know where I am going to be tomorrow, much less ten years from now. Hopefully it’s on a boat sipping Mai Tai’s with my husband as we gaze into a sunset. Is that likely? I don’t know, but I am going to try.
Unfortunately, when you get that question in an interview, the boat answer will probably not work in your favor unless your interviewer has an unusually good sense of humor or has just had a few vodka martinis with lunch.
What kind of answer should you give to this question? While I think this question is ridiculous and it is quite easy to come up with a contrived answer, you need to be prepared to answer this question. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think about the future – and even plan for the future. I fully believe that you should consider your goals, keep notes or a diary of some sort to keep yourself on track. During an interview though, this question is begging you to tell the interviewer what he wants to hear. So, on to the answer: Where do you want to be in ten years?
Consider the following as a viable answer that will establish credibility and demonstrate that you are focused and committed:
In ten years I hope to have established a strong client base and developed the necessary strategic planning skills to drive organizational alignment and improvement. As I grow, I plan to continue to improve my leadership skills, as part of ensuring that the team I am aligned with is accountable for delivering positive results. My focus is to continue to add value in a progressive and dynamic professional environment.
In ten years I expect that you will have been promoted to executive senior vice president in charge of special projects due to all the great work I will have done for our department and I will be sitting in your chair hiring a replacement for me. Maybe this is too aggressive, maybe not – you need to take care when you answer this question – know the audience and craft your answer to match.
Rest assured there is no “right” answer to this question but there are certainly some wrong ones – my last piece of advice is don’t give the wrong ones.
Comments and feedback are requested and desired; and you are welcome and encouraged to submit questions to thecareerdoctor.
Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC is the founder and Chief Career Strategist of ResumesDoneWrite, a premier career services provider focused on developing highly personalized career roadmaps for senior leaders and executives across all verticals and industries.
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