Five Year What??!!
Unless you are a ‘planning freak’, this question will put your mind into a spin! Many employers add this question to their interview list:
"So, what is YOUR five year plan?”
Why do they ask this #shocker question! What are they looking for? How can you answer it?
My-Weird-Switch-It-Tactic!
I like to get my students to think about this question from the employers perspective (reverse the roles). I ask them,
"as a boss - what kind of answers would you want to hear from the prospective employee?"
Answers vary, but many will identify the following:
- do they plan on sticking around?
- do they have some ambitions (eg want to continue to improve on the job – maybe promotions)?
- do they have ideas about what to spend their wages on?
- will they be there long enough to make money for the business?
Once you have thought about WHY the employer is asking this question, it is easier to develop a reasonable answer – one that suits you.
My YouTube toon provides some clues on how to answer this pesky question—I invite you to spend exactly 2 minutes and 14 seconds of your time to watch it.