Have you ever gone for an interview and were asked the question “What are your career aspirations?” and you went blank for a while, well don’t be mad that you weren’t able to get the answer properly, you probably didn’t see it coming, besides most people have a hard time seeing where they would be next week let alone in the next one year.

If you haven’t been asked this question, then you are also in the right post because what you would learn after reading this would prepare you better on how to go about answering the question when next you are asked.

The question can be rephrased to be either,
Where do you see your career in 5 years?
Do you have a five-year plan?
What skills would you like to have on your resume in 5 years?
What job would you like to have in 5 years?
One of the hacks for answering the question is by having your plan, a career plan, where you want to see yourself in the next five years, this might be hard to answer immediately if you haven’t put some thought into it but there would be some guideline to enable you to do this.
When the purpose of a thing is not known then abuse is inevitable, when we don’t understand why the hiring manager is asking the question, we won’t know how best to answer the question
When employers ask where you will be in five years, they’re likely looking for a few key pieces of information, including the following:
To see if your expectations in life match what they are looking for in an applicant
To see if you see yourself still working with the company in the next 5 years; this is a bait that you have to see and avoid on time.
Seeing how ambitious you are is good because the higher your ambition is (when aligned with the role and company goals), the greater your chances are of getting the role.
To see if this role is a role that you’re genuinely interested in.

Now knowing what the interviewer is expecting of you, would give you a better understanding of what to answer. Still, more importantly, you must also know what the company is expecting of that role and position.
These are the ways that you can answer the question effectively
Look out for how your aspirations fit into the job role that you are applying for, you need to look out for how your professional goals align with the job description. You don’t need to tell them how you want to be a business analyst when the job description is about business development.
Look out for the skills that are needed for someone who is at the top game of that role, instead of saying “I want to be a senior marketing director within three years,” discuss more generally the skills you hope to accrue, the experiences you hope to have and the impact you hope to make. For example, say, “I plan on expanding my knowledge about different marketing channels, especially around experimenting with paid search and social ads, and finding ways to get more involved in campaign strategy.”
Lastly, tailor your goals to the long-term goals of the organization. This way, both the applicant and the hiring manager or representative of the organization see themselves as winning their goals.

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