Host: What should I say when asked where I see myself in five years?
Karen Chopra: Every client I have hates this question, where do you see yourself in five years? The company is asking this question for a couple of reasons. One, they want to know that you do have some type of career plan and so you do need to have some type of answer for this question. The other thing they are looking for is to determine whether the job that you are currently interviewing for matches up with your career plan. If you have a fantasy about winning an Academy Award and you are playing for an accounting position, the company can have some questions about your commitment to this particular job and how long you are going to stay. So what you are looking for in a response to where do you see yourself in five years is an indication that you see yourself in the field probably having advanced and developed some level of expertise, perhaps there is a specific title or accomplishment you wish to have attained and then a little bit of a description of why you think this job is a good stepping stone to that particular career and that's all that they are looking for. As long as it lines with their job, they are likely to be happy with the response.