What are your career goals and where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In the short term, your goals have to tie-in with what the job has to offer. The interviewer is curious about how much research you have done about the job and the industry. You want to indicate a career path that demonstrates that you have done your research. Here is a possible example:

“With this job, I would be joining as a Quality Analyst. I would like to rise up the ranks and be a Senior Quality Engineering 2 years. I would like to be a Quality manager of a small group in 4 years. In the long run, I would like to move towards a director level position. It would be ideal if I could be working on projects that involve new technologies”

Each company has its own career paths. Here are some examples of career paths

• Software Engineer -> Senior Software Engineer -> Team Lead -> Director
• Quality Analyst -> Quality Engineer -> Senior Quality Engineer -> Team Lead -> Director
• HR Analyst -> HR Manager -> HR Senior Manager -> Director

The titles and paths are often industry and company specific. Do your homework before the interview.

Category: HR interview questions, tips

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