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Subject:Where do you see yourself in 5 years From:"John Fleming" <johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 15 Jun 2001 19:46:41 -0600
> Subject: Interviews: Where do you see yourself in 5 years
> From: "J Bailey" <jbailey -at- megapathdsl -dot- net>
> Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 14:49:31 -0400
> X-Message-Number: 34
> This and "what are your long term goals" are my least favourite
questions.
> My impulse is to say-living, gainfully employed, or something
equally
> facetious such as Ruler of the Free World.
One comment on this question has really stuck in my mind. The purpose
of the question is to see if you can think ahead. Look at where you
would like your career to go.
Hence, a logical answer is to talk about some skills you'd like to
develop or some milestone you'd like to achieve.
In my case, I wouldn't know Framemaker if it came up and shook hands
with me, so an answer that might work for me is something along the
line of "In the next couple of years, I'd like to develop some
proficiency with Framemaker, and perhaps get a contract or two under
my belt where I can demonstrate some ability with the software."
Of course, if the last skill I need for the job is Framemaker, I might
want to emphasize something else.
Your answers will be different from mine.
> Does anyone else have trouble with this question, either at an
initial
> interview or during a performance review? If so, what do you answer
at an
> initial interview? Do you stick with a professional goals (problem
being
> how would I know where I want to be if I don't know what the
opportunities
> are) or personal goals (retired lottery winner)?
--
John Fleming
Technical Writer
Edmonton, Alberta
email: johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca
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