Where will you be a couple of years hence?

This question may appear rather irritating, but it is asked many a times. At a job interview, it is quite common, but during social interactions too, it is posed in some form or the other. You may be the most striving and an all ears person, but do you know what your career objectives are? And more importantly, can you speak about them? It is important that you know the type of job you will be into or would prefer to be into a couple of years hence.

The competition that exists today in the working world, your career can have ups and downs rendering your future foggy. What to talk of a decade hence, you cannot prognosticate your state five years from now. Therefore, answering the question is not easy, but anyway you have to be prepared with your response, because anybody whom you meet today has the makings of support. You have to know yourself and what you want to do before you can even think of responding.

You need to be reflective because even fathoming an answer could be a thorny affair. You have to contemplate on aspects of your life that you otherwise may not be pondering about. Ab initio, you should consider your strengths and weaknesses. Most people engage themselves in pursuits that are not their cup of tea; hence, you ought to query yourself on your ideals, objectives and willingness to exert to reinforce and attain them. This will assist you in having a fairly authoritative image for the years to come.

You may mull over day in and day out and yet not be able to harvest an explicit chart for you. The dynamics of career choices entail a horde of factors, notable being your domestic obligations and monetary aspects. You may not discern how things will unfold. You should not make wild guesses; on the contrary, you should be honest and practical in your response. Your aim should be to land up in a correct job as distinct from any job. Simply taking one up because it happens to come your way is fraught with risks of failure.

Whosoever asks you the question of where you want to be is not being clear-cut. It is intended to ascertain several bits of information in one go. The other person may be wanting to find out if you will stick with an organization for long or if you are actually suited for a post in question and whether you will be happy in it or not. You should be smart enough to discern the motive behind the question, something that will vary from person to person.. It is always better to not be specific about an appointment that you wish to be in; your answer should be in terms of the experience and qualifications that you want to acquire. In case you answer otherwise, an impression will be created that you are reluctant to improve yourself further.

It is not the response that will matter but the refinement with which it is done. You should be clear about minimum three aspects that you want the other person to know about you. No opportunity should be missed out in transmitting them; perhaps you could dwell on your immediate aims. You should also make it a point to make it known what arouses passion in you. Remember that if you convey your inclinations well, half your battle is won.

So, where do you see yourself in another five years time? To be able to give a convincing reply, there are certain “Dos” and “Don’ts” that you will have to adhere to. You should be able to arrive at an individual response by indulging in introspection. The motive of the other person and the specific information being sought should be discerned with exactitude. You should be able to restrain him or her from prolonging the interrogation process so that you do more talking and come out with more precise and logical responses. It is in your interest if you do not concoct an answer that you do not subscribe to or highlight a particular appointment. You will stand to gain if you go on talking about what you expect to become more skilled at. If you are smart, you will be able to go beyond the scope of the question so that you can convey what you want the other person to know about you.

Remember that you have to be clever    and not give out your intention. Smartness implies your preparation, eloquence and skill to turn a conversation in your favour.