March 13, 2017 Private recruiter.

Interview Question: Where do you see yourself in five years?

The question "where do you see yourself in five years" is almost eternal and no interview is complete without it. Unless the term is announced longer - 10 years, 15, etc.
Usually the purpose of this question is to understand the level of ambition of the candidate and evaluate his ability to plan, this is the first place, but there are also more subtle shades:

• What the candidate thinks about his future, and whether he thinks at all.
• Is his self-esteem adequate?
• Does he have some sort of long-term action plan?
• How his strategies for achievement and life in general are combined with the corporate culture of the company that hosts him.
• Is the company ready for a candidate with this level of ambition.

When to ask this question?

This question is part of a group of motivational questions and is usually asked towards the end of the interview.

"Incorrect" answers:

It is difficult to call something unambiguously wrong, but it will certainly be wrong:

• To discover that there are no plans, I live, they say, one day, or “I haven’t thought about it yet.”
• Compare the future only with personal plans and say nothing about work.
• Talk about entrepreneurship.

These answers are bad, because they show that the candidate is not interested in achieving any goals, which means that he is not interested in helping the company achieve them.

Good Answers:

A good answer depends on whether it matches in its mood / tone with the tasks of the position and the mission of the company and looks something like in the table. In fact, there are more shades, but any recruiter will understand that at the intersection of different tasks and corporate cultures expected positive responses can vary greatly. Described in italics an approximate "correct" response style. Fill in the empty cells yourself :-)

Position objectives/Company type	Young dynamic developingIT-company	Big bureaucratic corporation(Gazprom)
People management	“I plan to lead the company and achieve maximum results in a short time”	“I don’t have any serious vertical plans. I like to work in a system, in a stable large company. I know how to manage people, I know how to maintain order and discipline and I want to take the same position, but in your large well-known corporation "
Sales / customer service	“I want to become the best in my business, become the head of the sales team and earn my own apartment”
Professional performance complex work as a performer	“I want to work in a company where I will have the opportunity to develop, engage interesting tasks and work with those who have something to learn. Many professionals work here and this main reason why I want to build my career in this company"
Perform simple repetitive operations		“I want to do what I do now, but I would prefer to work without overtime”

The general two "positive/winning" response strategies look like this:

1. This is the answer showing your ambitions. It is important for us, recruiters, to see that the candidate is “alive” and strive for something, he has some plans and he is ready to make a deal with the employer, to change his time and abilities for money and status. But here it is important not to overdo it. Excessive agility in this matter may alert some. It is good if the candidate shows ambitions first of all in professional terms, in terms of solving business problems, personal professional growth and the development of the business in which he is engaged. Certain constraints have linear positions, as I have indicated in the table, whose main task is to perform certain repetitive actions well without trying to change anything.
2. Interest in professional development. We are interested in candidates who at least strive to improve their knowledge and gain new experience, go to study in a specialty or related disciplines. But it is important that it looks natural, like some element professional development, and not as a strange whim. When a candidate talks about how he is not yet very good at something, understands how important it is and knows how to improve it with the help of some kind of external training, this will always be a plus for him.

Neutral response to the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” will be something like this:

“I can hardly show you the exact plan for the next five years, there is just a general desire to develop and move forward. I understand that work is a way to solve many important life tasks for me and I am ready to do a lot for a company that is ready to believe in me and give me the necessary opportunities.

Important limitations of the question: it is not particularly intended for candidates for simple linear vacancies.

Additional clarifying questions:

• How will working in this position in our company allow you to get closer to your goals?
• How would you explain the logic of your development over the past five years? What tasks did you set for yourself, and to what extent did you manage to solve them?
• Do you have plans to improve your skills? What exactly do you plan to master in the first place and why is it important to you?

although not an applicant, he still didn’t understand what such a question gives the recruiter, having heard such a couple of times, he would probably suggest that she write in her own way ....

HR wants to know your plans in order to compare them with the real state of affairs in the company. - this made me happy, thanks for the half-tale, now at least I’ll know from whom I can learn about my plans for 5 years and the true situation, otherwise they came up with GB. figs - a recruiter - that's who is aware of the true situation))))

And who said that in business someone plans for 5 years, and if there is such a thing, then where is the confidence that this is achieved. For example, on Thursday they offered me an investment option with the Swiss, I refused, I was not satisfied with the share they requested from the profits and, most importantly, a long time period ..... behind my back, my friend who brought them to me sent our business plan, they grabbed it, offered more interesting conditions for me - if we agree tonight, plans will change again, only 4 working days have passed, the amount is such that it will dramatically change the position of the company for the better .....

4 days - and it came up from the side, just the son of one of the investors wanted to join us ...... and then 5 years, and even the applicant - utter absurdity, all these American benefits are racist on their mentality, were compiled knowing them methods - probably with a bunch of other specialists, psychologists, etc. - ours have a different mentality and the economy is zero - Russia, unlike the states, like China, Brazil belongs to developing countries with a promising economy, but at the same time, the political situation in Russia is unstable - here businessmen are afraid to plan for a couple of years ahead, so why then demand this from the applicant ???

And most importantly - how can he know whether the company will deceive him or not, what are the real conditions in the company, what are the prospects, attitude towards employees, salary, social package, etc., if he has not worked there for a single day ?? ??? How can he plan for the future there? maybe his employer's abilities will not suit the company and what's the point then of such plans? well, you can understand when such a question is asked in an informal conversation to an employee who has worked for a couple of years and knows the company firsthand .......

And you never know what a person says about himself or is written in a resume? He can be silent, shy, shy - but at the same time a good worker, another to chat, find a way out of any situation, and at work he will also start to find a way out and bring down, then he is to blame for the work not being done, then the sky collapsed yesterday in Kapotnya, prevented work........ And here the character, sociability, secrecy-openness of the applicant and his abilities and skills? apparently, completely stupid - well, I don’t understand such questions at all ....... I always used intuition, it didn’t work out, the person left, worked out - it works ..... without work - you can’t determine ANYTHING!

When asking the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”, the employer wants to understand several things:

• Are your plans in line with the company's expectations and capabilities? If you can realize your plans in a new place and are satisfied with the tasks and workload, the chance that your “romance” with the company will be successful is much higher.
• What goals do you set for yourself, what do you want from your career. It is important to answer this question honestly and openly, because many companies have a certain career development logic. If the expectations will be very different from the company's capabilities, it is better - both for the employer and for you - to understand this in advance.
• Is everything in order with your ambitions and self-esteem. "After 5 years? Yes, I will become a director! - if a narcissistic graduate with no work experience claims this, the HR manager will have to be wary.

What to answer?

You should not share plans with an employer that are not related to a career unless you are asked about it. Therefore, it is better not to voice dreams of building a house, recording a music album and a happy marriage. The answer to the question should be as related as possible to the work under discussion. It is also appropriate to ask a counter question: what is the practice of this company, is there a career development logic.

Here are some possible answers.

You are ambitious and focused on career growth:

• “In a few years, with additional experience, I would be interested in moving from a technical role to a management role.”
• “At this stage, I am interested in solving the problems that you proposed. Especially those related to creation/modification... (please add): I would like to have such a project in my portfolio. And then take on new tasks in the company. Tell me, what is the fate of the previous person in my position?

You did not think about career growth and are aimed at a long stable job:

• “These duties are clear and interesting to me. I am a person who knows how to work long and steadily within one specialization, it will be great if you expect the same from a candidate. Please tell us about your vision?
• "The long-term plan is to grow with the company: I'm going to learn, expand my responsibilities and bring the most value to the company."
• “At this stage, this is the ideal role for me. But if new tasks come up, I’ll be happy to try them.”

All your goals are personal, and work for you is in the background:

• “This position is more than satisfying for me. I’m not a careerist at all, I just know how to do my job well.”

Do you have a dream that is not related to this company:

• If your dream is not related to your current activity, it is important to understand why you are postponing its implementation and wasting time on this work. Most likely, the employer does not need to know about this, especially if this position becomes an obstacle to achieving the goal. You can find out in which areas of activity you will succeed in using the Career Guidance service: this is a professional test that determines your inclinations and abilities and suggests development paths in each direction. For those who work, but still doubt whether it is worth developing in this area, Career Guidance can help with self-determination.

Remember that the answer to the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” does not oblige you to anything: both you and your interlocutor know that a lot will change in 5 years. And if there is no clear life plan, the process of reflection and the direction of your thoughts are important.

Good luck with your interviews!

March 13, 2017 Private recruiter.

Interview Question: Where do you see yourself in five years?

The question "where do you see yourself in five years" is almost eternal and no interview is complete without it. Unless the term is announced longer - 10 years, 15, etc.
Usually the purpose of this question is to understand the level of ambition of the candidate and evaluate his ability to plan, this is the first place, but there are also more subtle shades:

• What the candidate thinks about his future, and whether he thinks at all.
• Is his self-esteem adequate?
• Does he have some sort of long-term action plan?
• How his strategies for achievement and life in general are combined with the corporate culture of the company that hosts him.
• Is the company ready for a candidate with this level of ambition.

When to ask this question?

This question is part of a group of motivational questions and is usually asked towards the end of the interview.

"Incorrect" answers:

It is difficult to call something unambiguously wrong, but it will certainly be wrong:

• To discover that there are no plans, I live, they say, one day, or “I haven’t thought about it yet.”
• Compare the future only with personal plans and say nothing about work.
• Talk about entrepreneurship.

These answers are bad, because they show that the candidate is not interested in achieving any goals, which means that he is not interested in helping the company achieve them.

Good Answers:

A good answer depends on whether it matches in its mood / tone with the tasks of the position and the mission of the company and looks something like in the table. In fact, there are more shades, but any recruiter will understand that at the intersection of different tasks and corporate cultures, the expected positive responses can vary greatly. Described in italics an approximate "correct" response style. Fill in the empty cells yourself :-)

Position objectives/Company type	Young dynamic developingIT-company	Big bureaucratic corporation(Gazprom)
People management	“I plan to lead the company and achieve maximum results in a short time”	“I don’t have any serious vertical plans. I like to work in a system, in a stable large company. I know how to manage people, I know how to maintain order and discipline and I want to take the same position, but in your large well-known corporation "
Sales / customer service	“I want to become the best in my business, become the head of the sales team and earn my own apartment”
Professional performance of complex work as a performer	“I want to work for a company where I can develop, take on interesting challenges and work with people who have a lot to learn from. Many professionals work here and this is the main reason why I want to build my career in this company”
Perform simple repetitive operations		“I want to do what I do now, but I would prefer to work without overtime”

The general two "positive/winning" response strategies look like this:

1. This is the answer showing your ambitions. It is important for us, recruiters, to see that the candidate is “alive” and strive for something, he has some plans and he is ready to make a deal with the employer, to change his time and abilities for money and status. But here it is important not to overdo it. Excessive agility in this matter may alert some. It is good if the candidate shows ambitions, first of all, in professional terms, in terms of solving business problems, personal professional growth and development of the business in which he is engaged. Certain constraints have linear positions, as I have indicated in the table, whose main task is to perform certain repetitive actions well without trying to change anything.
2. Interest in professional development. We are interested in candidates who at least strive to improve their knowledge and gain new experience, go to study in their specialty or related disciplines. But it is important that it looks natural, like some element of professional development, and not like a strange whim. When a candidate talks about how he is not yet very good at something, understands how important it is and knows how to improve it with the help of some kind of external training, this will always be a plus for him.

Neutral response to the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” will be something like this:

“I can hardly show you the exact plan for the next five years, there is just a general desire to develop and move forward. I understand that work is a way to solve many important life tasks for me and I am ready to do a lot for a company that is ready to believe in me and give me the necessary opportunities.

Important limitations of the question: it is not particularly intended for candidates for simple linear vacancies.

Additional clarifying questions:

• How will working in this position in our company allow you to get closer to your goals?
• How would you explain the logic of your development over the past five years? What tasks did you set for yourself, and to what extent did you manage to solve them?
• Do you have plans to improve your skills? What exactly do you plan to master in the first place and why is it important to you?

What are the most interesting goals in a person's life? Everyone chooses for himself, in this post we have collected some interesting goals in our opinion.

Scientists have long proven that a person who has a dream or goals in life is happier than one who has not yet decided. An aimless life is just a waste of time, resources and spiritual energy.

In this article, we want to introduce you to 30 interesting goals in life for the next 10 years. Perhaps some of you will be interested and you write them down in your notebook or.

Or maybe, reading this post, inspiration will come to you and you will come up with your own!

#1 Visit a new continent. This is an invaluable experience that will significantly push you in personal growth. A different culture, new emotions and impressions will become wonderful memories of the adventures experienced.

#2 Visit at least 20 countries. In order to better know yourself and your culture, you need to get to know someone else's. Only in comparison does a person realize his values, mentality, set of views and beliefs. Traveling to other countries broadens one's horizons and outlook.

Moreover, it may have a positive effect on professional activity. In the article, we talked about why a frequent traveler should be the most desirable candidate in the company.

#3 Make at least one acquaintance in every country. Traveling somewhere without establishing an acquaintance can be a serious waste of time. If you have found the money and time to overcome a long distance, then do not be too lazy to make friends in new country. So you better understand the socio-cultural environment around you.

New friends can provide valuable advice on what interesting places see (which are often missing in guidebooks), where it is better to dine, etc. In addition, if you ever return to this country, you will already have connections here and maybe even a free overnight stay.

#4 Learn new language. This is not only an interesting, but also a useful goal. Do you know what is Bill Gates' biggest regret in life? His answer to this question, which was asked a few months ago by a member of the Reddit community, was: “I feel pretty stupid that I don’t know any foreign languages.”

By learning a new language, you develop, train your brain, memory, develop new and improve old skills. Knowledge foreign language will help not only while traveling, but also in reading foreign web resources, books, watching movies. It will also add weight to your resume both at work and in life in general.

#5 Take a spontaneous trip

Without pre-planning every detail, gather everything you need and go into the unknown. You do not even have to leave the country, the key point here is to do everything spontaneously, quickly, without thinking.

Life circumstances do not always give us a lot of time to make important strategic decisions, and such a kind of “training” will harden you, teach you how to act in unfamiliar situations. Having made such a trip, you will get much more life experience than from an all-inclusive tour.

#6 Try some extreme sport. It can be bungee jumping, skydive, jet skiing, downhill mountain river etc. A surge of adrenaline will invigorate you, add variety to your routine, give you a lot of new sensations, emotions and impressions. it's the same good reason get out of your comfort zone.

#7 Try to overcome your biggest fear. This goal can make you much stronger. Regardless of what you are most afraid of, it is likely that this fear is irrational in nature and has nothing to do with a real threat.

There are countless phobias that a person suffers from. Overcoming your phobia will take you to a qualitatively new level, increase self-esteem, self-confidence.

#8 Climb to the top of the mountain. The view from the top of the mountain is unique and priceless. You will literally feel the power of nature and realize how small a person really is compared to the forces of nature. In addition, the mountains are a great place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of civilization and reflect on the eternal.

#9 Increase your financial security

To enjoy life and live the lifestyle you dream of, achieving financial independence is an almost mandatory goal.

#10 Create your own emergency fund. Saving some money regularly is a habit that can save you in case of financial problems. Many personal finance experts agree that a person should have a reserve of money that will cover his living expenses for at least 3 months, preferably for a year.

As you pursue your dreams, remember that anything can happen. The creation of a reserve fund for unforeseen cases can be the very lifeline “in which case”.

#11 Create an online business. Today there are a huge number of ways to earn extra money on the Internet. Each person has some skills or experience that he can describe in an educational course or book, and then sell.

Perhaps even over time you will be able to leave your 9-5 job and lead a free lifestyle, earning money from anywhere in the world, traveling for your own pleasure. Online business can not only provide you with money, but also excellent, in which further efforts are minimized. Thus, this goal can make you richer.

#12 Get in the habit of exercising. In addition to finances, personal relationships and other areas, health is one of the central places In human life. Working capacity and mood depend on the level of health. It is unlikely that a person will be able to enjoy wealth or recognition in case of poor health.

To avoid health problems in the future, start taking care of it as early as possible. You can start at least with the elementary - get into the habit of doing exercises.

#13 Start eating healthy foods. Today, there are countless recommendations, theories about how to eat right. This is a whole industry in which an army of specialists speculates. Define for yourself what it means to you to use healthy food based on the opinion of an authoritative specialist for you.

What a person eats is important, as it affects long term on the state of his body. So take this matter seriously.

#14 Create your perfect image. We all want to look our best, but not everyone is willing to invest time, effort and possibly money into it. Our appearance very important for positioning in society. He talks about a lot.

Think about how you would like to look? Pumped up? - sign up for gym. Stylish? - read the latest fashion news, start to navigate this topic. Create your perfect look and then book a photo session. Years will pass, and you will be proud to show your grandchildren what great shape you were in your youth!

#15 Become a disciplined person. Self-discipline is an essential skill in order to realize your goals in life. Without this quality, it is extremely difficult to fulfill your obligations, meet deadlines, and do everything on time. In addition, a disciplined person causes more respect and trust.

#16 Get into the habit of getting up early. We all love to lie in bed longer in the morning, to soak up - especially if you don’t need to go or go somewhere. However, it should be remembered that the vast majority of successful people have a habit of getting up early and getting down to business when others are still dreaming.

Whether Executive Director corporations, high-class athlete or musician - all successful people value time as a valuable resource.

#17 Read at least 100 books. This interesting goal will make you smarter. The fact that books contain wisdom and knowledge is already the truth, worn out to holes. It is amazing how little people read today, preferring TV, the Internet or video games.

However, reading books helps intellectual development and personal growth. This habit will make you a more interesting conversationalist and person in general. If you don't know which book to start with, we recommend David Schwartz's The Art of Thinking Big (read its review).

#18 Write a book

81% of the world's population believes they could write a book, but only a minority dare to get down to business. The truth is that once you start writing, you are already a writer. It can sometimes be difficult to complete your work, but the satisfaction from the work done is worth it.

When we wrote the first part about the adventures of private detective Kevin Chris, we got a lot of cool impressions and emotions. Composing the plot, thinking through the characters, breaking down the chapters - all this was not easy. But it was fun. We wrote the book for our own pleasure and did it as we saw fit, without looking back at any rules, laws, canons of writing.

Industry today e-books is developing so dynamically that anyone can publish their book on the Internet and sell it in leading stores such as Amazon, BN or Kobo.

#19 Write a letter to the future to yourself. Do not forget to describe your dream, goals, plans, expectations. Describe yourself, your environment, where you will be, live. You can attach a picture.

Be sure to indicate the date when the "envelope from the future" will be opened. This will be the moment of truth. You will have a great opportunity to check whether you have become what you wanted to become.

#20 Forget the internet for a month. No Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki. No computers. To heighten the effect, turn off the television. 30 days of life in real world. Great time with family, friends, relatives.

A wonderful opportunity to read books, go to nature, be alone with yourself. No information overload - your mind will become clear and bright like never before. This is probably one of the most necessary goals today in the context of the total dominance of the Internet.

#21 Take a daily photo of yourself for a year. You will have a unique archival material - a photo report of how you have changed throughout the year. Looking through it in 20 years, you will experience indescribable feelings.

#22 Make a list of what truly makes you happy. Do this exercise as often as possible. You can have all the wealth on the planet or be the most successful manager of a large company and still feel like crap. This is because it is not what actually makes you feel happy.

Talk to yourself. Look as deep into yourself as you can and ask one simple question: "What makes me happy?" Write down the points on a piece of paper. When you are sad or feel bad, take this list and start doing something from this list.

It can be the most banal thing - eating a cake, walking the dog, listening to music - if it really makes you happy, you will certainly feel better and bad emotions will go away.

#23 Challenge yourself

To expand your comfort zone, choose a task that makes you feel uncomfortable, set a time frame, and stick to it without missing a beat! For example, 30-minute yoga classes for 90 days.

Such a test will allow you to get to know yourself better, to know your strengths and weak sides, will instill discipline and endurance, increase motivation and self-confidence.

#24 Help a homeless person return to a normal life. Our life is not only about how to satisfy our needs and fulfill ourselves. It is also important to help others. Helping another person regain faith in himself, become a self-sufficient member of society is an extremely noble goal that will require real leadership skills and charisma.