Interview Tips – What are your 5 and 10 year goals?

This is a very common question. So common in fact, if it is not asked, one might question the experience and preparedness of the interviewer. Every executive or manager is expected to have goals. The higher the level of the position, the more refined those goals are expected to be.

The following list of responses was compiled from our recruiting partners. These are responses candidates gave as their primary goals.

Take a moment and review the list to see if your primary goals are listed and make a note of it;

1. To get back to work
2. To find stability with an employer where I can work for the long term
3. To make more money
4. To gain a better challenge
5. To attain a higher level or responsibility
6. To Find a job that I really enjoy
7. To shorten my commute time
8. To work for a more stable company
9. To obtain a better work life balance
10. To retire
11. To obtain a position where I can get excited about what I do

Did you identify if your goals were similar?

Now let’s break it down;

When an employer is hiring a leadership candidate, they want to know that the person they are considering is driven and focused. How could one be focused without an established benchmark to focus on?

If a leadership candidate does not have developed and documented goals, they will probably not be advanced. Remember; in the mind of the employer you are always replacing someone. Either they had someone who was very good at the job or who was very bad at the job. Either way, the employer has goals for that position and they want to be sure you line up.

There are 2 types of goals we found when surveying our recruiting partners;

• Exocentric
  • Goals that are outwardly focused
    • For the good of the team

And

• Egocentric
  • Goals that are inwardly focused
    • For the good of self

The entire list above is egocentric and would not help to advance you in the interview process. If you identified any of those common responses, you will not create differentiation in your candidacy.

An executive or manager who does not have well established exocentric goals is sending the message that they are not driven beyond their own benefit. Professional career goals are target points for the improvement of the organization. Anyone who has succeeded long term at anything that was worth while did it using exocentric goals.

Most often when you are asked this question in an interview, the employer is looking for the following information;

1. Does this candidate have goals at all?
   1. If not, why would I hire them?
2. Are this candidate’s goals in line with our organizational goals?
   1. Are they too aggressive?
   2. Are they too passive?
3. How developed are this candidate’s goals?
   1. Do they extend to and beyond 5 years?
   2. Do they extend to and beyond 10 years?
4. How visionary is this candidate?
5. When asked this question, did the candidate focus on themselves with their goals or on our organization?

Now for some answers;

We believe the best answer is to thoroughly research the organization you are interviewing with and find where their goals are already in line with your goals. Don’t be too specific about your goals but find the balance. Make sure you have taken the time well in advance of your research to really think about, and then write out your professional goals.

Don’t focus on your personal/professional goals; making more money, having greater responsibility, or finding work life balance. Those goals are not likely to ever be in line with what an employer is looking for. Instead think about your potential contribution and focus on that.

Here is an example of some statements that were created by some of our résumé writers;

 Employer: What is your 5 year goal?

Candidate: Are you looking for professional or personal goals?

                       (Shows how the candidate thinks)

Employer: Professional

Candidate: Would you mind if I started with my first year?

                        (Confirms how the candidate thinks)

Employer: That would be fine

Candidate:

I believe goals have to be fluid. You set a goal based upon what you know and then your augment it based upon what you achieve. My focus the first year would be to continue the momentum that has already been established by your company and do everything in my power to fuel that momentum. I would not make any change for the sake of change itself. Once I have a clear grasp on the methods and processes that are already in place and working, I will be able to develop improvements, check them against the team and my leadership, and then implement them.

I have learned that to succeed in attaining goals one has to teach their subordinates to make momentum the rule and not the exception. I would not do anything that interrupts momentum.

I have led teams that have worked hard and achieved fantastic results. My job is to facilitate and motivate.

So my first year goal would be to fuel what is working while identifying what is not.

Then carefully implement the changes monitoring results. To me this is continuous improvement at its core. Within 5 years we should see a dramatic shift in momentum and have to restructure our 10 year goal based upon our successes. That is what I mean by goals have to be fluid.

I have done my homework on your organization and I have a vision for what we could do together. I brought an outline with me, would you like to see it? I am not an insider yet but what I learned from the outside might benefit you. 

The candidate then lays out a 5 year plan based upon all available information about the company’s goals. The interview runs on for several hours as the hiring authority asks more questions and becomes more interested. The offer comes a few weeks later. 

This article was written by one of our resume writers; a former search firm CEO with more than 25 years experience in the industry and is available to give you a free resume critique (see below).

JSR has lots of free interview training modules on the way. Watch for these insights to help you navigate these uncharted waters. Good luck to you!

Jackson Stevens Resumes

Click here to hear why more Search Firms partner with Jackson Stevens than any other Executive Resume Service

Click here to put your resume in our system and get notification on new positions

Contact Jackson Stevens Resumes

1. 

   Mark says:

   January 6, 2012 at 2:35 pm

   I have sent over 200 applications sent and not an interview……….any advice??????
2. 

   Resume Executive at JSR says:

   January 6, 2012 at 2:47 pm

   There are a number of factors. If your resume is accurate and communicates the depth of what you offer, which is unlikely if you did it yourself, the culprit is probably your resume (see article – 5 laws of resume communication) There are a number of other factors to consider.

   Number of competitors – job boards are a waste of your time – too many applicants
   Accuracy of your background compared with the job description – it is very common for especially unemployed candidates to make statements like; Well I don’t have all the requird elements but. For this economy there are no “buts”
   Location – companies are reluctant to pay for relocation
   Timing – meaning if you are late in the game. This is especially true of the job boards.

   Another culprit for non-activity (when you have a solid resume) is not getting enough resumes out. You say 200, if you have been at this a month, you should at least have 1,000 out. Every company that is a viable target in your community needs to be approached.

   You have to get the resume to people before they have an opening or right at the moment. Recruiters are your best source. Search Firms know who’s hiring, they know the players.
   Everbody goes to the job boards, that is a waste of valuable time. You have to get your resume to them before they go to the job boards. If you are even 10 days after the job board listing you are too late. They are inundated with too many resumes. We suggest you think about focusing on Employers and recruiters directly. Also, it is a numbers game.

   Hope this helps