This popular question helps the hiring manager understand if your career goals are in alignment with the company’s goal or not. Are you possibly going to spend a good long time or you are just waiting for the next big thing to happen.
While you need to be honest in your response , you also have to make sure that it is relevant to the job you have applied for. Responding poorly can be inferred as your lack of vision about your career or maybe you are trying to cover up something.
Through this question, your expectation for your career is analysed. So, while answering we should be as realistic as we can. It is also an opportunity to showcase your ambition in life. You don’t need to know exactly where you’re planning to be in five years, but you need to be pointed in some direction.
One way to approach it can be to outline a career path i.e where this position could realistically take you, and think about how that aligns with some of your broader professional goals.
For example, you might say, “Well I’m really excited by this position at XYZ Bank because in five years, I’d like to be seen as someone with deep expertise in the banking sector, and I know that’s something that I’ll have an opportunity to do here. I’m also really excited to take on more managerial responsibilities in the next few years . I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing managers, and so developing into a great manager myself is something I’m really excited about.