What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
Answer: You can begin your answer with this question:
Tell me, Mr./Ms. Interviewer, what is a typical career path at OPL for someone with my skills and experience?
(Based on the answer you can then respond to the original question using the phrases from the answer to frame your response).
What is important to you? Two things are very important to me. One is my professionalism at work; the second is my family life.
What are your goals for the next five years / ten years?
Answer: The best way to respond to the interview question “What are your goals for the future?” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is to refer to the position and the company you are interviewing with.
Don’t discuss your goals for returning to school or having a family, they are not relevant and could knock you out of contention for the job. Rather, you want to connect your answer to the job you are applying for. Examples of good responses include:
- My long-term goals involve growing with a company where I can continue to learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as much value as I can.
- I see myself as a top-performing employee in a well-established organization, like this one. I plan on enhancing my skills and continuing my involvement in (related) professional associations.
- Once I gain additional experience, I would like to move on from a technical position to management.
In the XYZ Corporation, what is a typical career path for someone with my skills and experiences?
How do you plan to achieve those goals?
Answer: As a follow-up to the interview question “What are your goals for the future?” the interviewer will often ask how you plan on achieving those goals. A good answer to this question will speak specifically about what you are going to accomplish and how you are going to accomplish it. Examples of good responses include:
- I plan on gaining additional skills by taking related classes and continuing my involvement with a variety of professional associations.
- I noticed that XYZ company (the company you are interviewing with) provides in-house training for employees and I would certainly be interested in taking classes that would be relevant.
- I will continue my professional development by participating in conferences, attending seminars, and continuing my education.
What will you do if you don’t get this position?
Answer: When you’re interviewing for an internal position within your company, you may be asked what you will do if you don’t get the job. The interviewer wants to know whether you are concerned about just the advancement opportunity or the company.
Best Answer: I am committed to this company and its advancement so, should I not be selected, I will work with and support whoever might get selected. However, I do feel that my experience in the department and with the team would make me the best candidate.