The seemingly harmless interview question, “Where do you see yourself in the next three years?”, could become the downfall of many job applicants if answered without tact.
This question, if not carefully answered, will be the pitfall or the reason why an applicant may miss the job offer.
Career coach Dickson Assan says while there is nothing wrong with aspiring to entrepreneurship or having ambitions beyond paid employment, candidates must be careful not to present those ambitions in a way that suggests they are already planning their exit from the organisation even before their tenure starts.
According to him, telling a prospective employer that the three-year plan is to leave, start a business and become independent could raise concerns about whether the candidate is genuinely interested in building a career with the organisation.
The career coach explains that employers are often assessing whether an applicant’s ambitions are reasonably aligned with the role, whether the person is likely to grow with the organisation, and whether the investment in training and development will yield long-term value.
For instance, an applicant who responds, “In three years, I want to own my own businesses and not work for anyone,” may unintentionally signal that the organisation is merely a temporary stop.
Dickson Assan therefore advises candidates to frame their ambitions around growth, contribution and increased responsibility within the organisation.
A stronger response, he believes, would be “In three years’ time, I see myself still with this company, hopefully not in the same role, but having grown into a position with greater responsibility. I hope to have developed a strong understanding of the business, delivered measurable results in my current role, built stronger technical and leadership capabilities, and earned the opportunity to take on a more senior position within the organisation.”
The lesson, he stresses, is not that applicants should abandon their entrepreneurial dreams or lie during interviews. Rather, interview intelligence requires understanding the question behind the question.
For jobseekers at interviews, he says, the strategy is not to be ambitious but must be presented without making your prospective employer feel that hiring you is simply an investment in their future competitor.
For him, some dreams may be worth keeping in the notebook, for now.
