Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

If you are asked this question in an interview, a little tip. The right answer is not "Retired and relaxing on a Caribbean beach drinking piña colada". I keep on harking back to this fact, but every recruiter wants to solve a problem. That problem might be to get a department, dealership or job role filled with someone who is going to make a real difference. You could be following somebody who is very successful, you might be rebuilding something from scratch. But they need their problems solved. So you have to demonstrate to somebody that, whatever you're doing in five years time, it will be as a result of having done a great job in this role. Obviously you will have researched it thoroughly, you will understand the franchise and the structure of the business and should be able to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and track record to come into their business and solve their problem. Be very careful about the ambitions of your interviewer. A slightly cliched answer could be "doing your job". The insecure interviewer might see that as a threat, while those who are ambitious would always want to recruit their successors and would be impressed by it. Decide who you are talking to if you are going answer like this.In this situation think about that great JFK quote (slightly altered) "Think not what their company can do for you, but what you can do for their company". (The actual quote is “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”).  Good luck. Want to subscribe to this blog? click here.