Prepare for this common job interview question and answer in a confident and winning way.
In almost every job interview you can expect to face questions that explore your future plans and goals including:
Use this interview question as an opportunity to demonstrate your motivation, self-awareness and focus. Use the good sample interview answers to make sure you have a positive and convincing response ready.
1. Focus on realistic career opportunities
Look at the opportunities you could expect in your industry and what you hope to have gained from these opportunities.
"It is an uncertain world and one can't predict what is going to happen. However, my hope is that I will have contributed to the success of the company and grown both personally and professionally within my position"
Your interview answer should relate to the job you are being interviewed for in some way. The interviewer does not want to hear that you hope to have published your first novel or be running your own business. This job interview question is designed to assess a number of things:
2. Combine personal growth strategies with your commitment to the job
For example:
"I want to have developed new skills and abilities and to have made the most of my opportunities. This position will give me the opportunity to learn more about managing a work team, this is a goal of mine. I would like to be recognized as an individual who has really added value to the team and the company"
Good general answer to interview questions about your career goals and how you would like to grow within the company.
3. Define what success and reward mean to you
Demonstrate that you understand that reward (salary, promotion, responsibility) will be based on the quality and value of your contribution.
"I want to make the most of my abilities and potential. By always doing my best I can ensure that there will be opportunities to increase my value and to grow in ways that benefit both the company and me"
Align your success with the company's success
"I want to continue to gain experience and be a top-performing employee in a big company such as this one. I want to contribute as much as possible to the company's expansion and success"
The interviewer will respond positively if you present yourself, in this job interview question and answer, as a mature, insightful and self-motivated candidate who wants to make an important and constructive contribution to the company.
You can make your interview answer more relevant to the job opportunity by identifying connections between your career goals and the job description. For example, if the job description indicates that the position involves data management, your interview answer could include the goal of gaining further skills in data management and analysis.
For example:
"One of the goals I have set for myself is to improve my data management and analytical skills. I am excited that this job will provide me with the opportunity to further develop these skills and allow me to grow my contribution to the company by utilizing these skills."
Prepare for other typical interview questions and use the excellent sample interview answers to impress in your job interview.
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This is an impressive way to approach this job interview question and answer with a well prepared response.
For example:
If your goal is to achieve X sales revenue, your areas of focus will include all the activities you need to concentrate on to get there - finding good prospects, developing your negotiating skills, improving your product knowledge, following up with clients and so on.