What they are really asking

Hiring someone is expensive, so the interviewer wants to know whether you'll still be here in a few years and whether your plans fit what the company can offer. They also want to see that you've thought about your career at all. "I haven't really thought about it" tells them you might drift.

The trap is a goal that points away from them. If your dream is to open a bakery, keep it for your friends. The other trap is a goal so narrow it sounds like a demand, like a particular job title by a particular year. Talk about direction, not a fixed address.

A shape that works

Direction, skill, step. Say what kind of work you want to be trusted with in the long run. Name the skill you're building to get there. Then show how this role is a sensible step on that road. Leave room for the plan to change; a goal that can bend sounds more mature than one that can't.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: a data analyst who wants to lead
Answer 2: a hotel front desk supervisor
Answer 3: an engineer who prefers a specialist path

Check yourself

1What is the interviewer mostly trying to find out?
2Why is "I'd like to open my own bakery" a risky answer here?
3What does the lesson mean by "direction, not a fixed address"?

Practice · 3 min

Write your answer in three sentences or more: the kind of work you want to be trusted with, the skill you're building now, and why this role is a step toward it. Record it and time it; aim for under a minute. Listen back for any goal that points away from the company, and cut it.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.