An employer is always looking for the candidate who will be the best investment. Who will give them the best return for the salary there are going to give? This answer will show a potential employer your ambition, motivation and loyalty. It is important to show the employer that you want to develop your skills knowledge and experience.
When answering any question it is always also important to think of what the employer wants to hear, how can you match your answer to the role that you are applying for, how can you promote yourself with this answer and almost of equal importance is remembering what not to say.
Imagine yourself having been in the job that you are now applying for in five years time. What position would you like to have? What skills would you like to have improved? What areas of your position would you like to know more about or have more experience in? Is there any more training you would like to have completed? What achievements would you like to have had in the company?
Make sure you give detail in your answer.
I hear many people giving generic answers to this question for example, “In five years time I would like to see myself in an important role in your company, thriving and succeeding to reach my goals and to become an important part of your team”. This answer could be given for any job and doesn’t give the employer the idea that you have thought about yourself in this role specifically.
Your answer should include key areas that you would like to develop.
This will show the employer that you have thought about being in this role long term and have a plan for how you would improve yourself and the gains you would bring to the role. Make sure to give details in specific areas such as:
In five years time I would like to see myself as an experienced …..
- What is the position that you would like to have?
- Name the duties and tasks you would like to gain experience in.
- Mention the areas you would like to gain more knowledge in, study more and develop more skills in.
- Mention both the hard and soft skills that you would like to develop.
- What are the achievements that you would like to have while working in the role?
For example;
In five years time I would like to see myself as a trainer and job coach, facilitating lively and informative classes while working one to one with clients to help them find their career. I would especially like to develop my skills in relation to psychometric testing to support clients in finding the career that is right for them and I would like to improve my skills in movie maker to be able to put more of my presentations on line. I would also like to complete a Masters in either adult career guidance or adult education. I would see myself working closely with clients to ensure that over 70% were entering employment or education after the first 6 months of linking in with the service. I would also see myself publishing articles in relation to job hunting tips which I would hope would also spread the word of the services provided here.
If you want to learn more about how to answer difficult questions when attending interviews contact our employment programme in Business in the Community Ireland: call (01) 874380 / (01) 8743814 or e-mail employmentprogramme@bitc.ie. We provide free Training and individual support for people looking to secure employment/education.
Breda Hegarty is the Pre-employment Trainer in Business in the Community Ireland, supporting people with barriers gain employment and author of the blog www.thejobmotivator.com
Breda Hegarty - Career Counsellor 