Career Aim Interview Questions And Answers

The primary reason to bounce off such a question is to check an interviewee's level of self-awareness and his planning skills.

When you are asked about what are your career goals, it is the time to communicate your short and long term plans with the interview - the interviewer would want to learn how stable you are in your professional/personal life, how you plan to achieve your goals and how you will grow with the company that you are working for.

I wish to do my MBA and later on, set up my own business.
It is an honest answer. However, no interviewer would be keen to appoint a candidate that wishes to retire from the job soon and start of a venture on his own. He would want the candidate to stick around for some time.

If you happen to be a methodical person who seems to plan for everything under the sun, then such a question would be a 'cake-walk' for you. However, if you are one of those who lead an un-planned life, you need to be prepared.

My short-term objectives are to graduate from the Professional Development Program before the standard two years and begin developing a clientele. As an intern, I prepared ahead of time by studying for the Series 7 and Series 64 exams that constitute a majority of a beginning financial consultant's time. I'd like to make make the company that hires me wonder what it ever did without me.

My primary objectives are to learn as much as possible about your company's product offering, organizational structure, and professional sales techniques so that I may become the most productive member of your sales team.

Although it is hard to predict the future, I sincerely believe that I will become a very good financial consultant. I believe that my abilities will allow me to excel to the point that I can seek other opportunities as a portfolio manager (the next step) and possibly even higher. My ultimate goal continues to be, and will always be, to be the best at whatever level I am working at within ABC corporate structure.

If you are the type of person who prefers an organized way of life, you may find this question a piece of cake to answer. But if you're among the majority of people who let life happen as it comes along, you will probably not have a smooth answer without some forethought.

I have learned that long-term goals are best achieved when I break them into shorter goals. My short-term goal is to find a position that will put me in a forward-moving company with solid performance and future projections. As part of a team, I want to add value and continue to grow the company. My long-term goal will depend on where the company goes. My plan is to move into a position of responsibility where I can lead a team.

Be employer-centered. The employer is looking for someone to come in and solve problems. Since planning is a key factor in this job, think of examples where your planning has affected the results.

Good answer implies, but does not assume that you will stick with the company you are interviewing with, since an interviewer is unlikely to believe that you believe you will be with the company forever. However, the fact that you are willing shows that are you might commit, and the company likes to see people whose short and long term goals have them potentially staying with the company.

Your short and long term goals need to be related. For example, you can't claim your short term goal is to work in technology, but your long term goal is to open your own restaurant. Also, your goals should relate to the job. It's a good idea to focus on intangible qualities of work for example, I would like to work somewhere that makes me happy, instead of more tangible goals, I would like to be CEO of your company.

☛ Your short and long term goals should be related.
☛ Showing that you might commit to the company long term is a plus.
☛ Don't suck up.

Even if you are tempted so say so, but it is best not to blurt out, "I do not plan that far along, my goals are short-term only" or "I don't have any".

Recruiters or managers look for your ability to manage your own goals and also want to gain some insight on your short-term/long-term goals. When answering this question keep in mind that the long-term goals you talk about are not the personal goals but those career goals which relates to or somewhat identifying closely to the offered position/division's objectives or perhaps the overall vision of the company.
While answering this question also keep in mind that you would/could be asked for the short term projections as well. Your short-term and long-term goals must be on similar lines and not totally divergent else cross-grilling and consecutively dishonest statements could result from your side.

I see myself in a management role, leading my team to new innovations and growth. I have a desire to develop my skills as a manager, I'm sure I will eventually get there.

My long-term goals are toward making a positive impact in the company though my expertise and ethics. I also look forward to develop myself in leadership areas through experience and training offered by the company.

I see myself developing my skills through your training and development programs. I hope the company policies support internal training and reimbursement of work related courses offered by university extensions etc.

Short term career objectives are quite simple, like getting a higher post in a few years or months, or learning a new skill so that you can become more productive for the company or even earning a certain amount per month by a particular time. These are the answers that you can provide when you are asked what your short term career aspirations are. In some cases, you can also speak about any dream company that you would like to work with as your short term career aspirations.

As a program manager, it's important to understand all areas of the project. Although I have the technical abilities to be successful in my job, I want to learn different software applications that might help in work efficiency.

My short term goal is to learn everything I can about marketing. I want to find a position where I can contribute what I've learned through education and to gain real life experience. I believe the next couple of years will be very important to me and my immediate goal is to learn and become skilled in all aspects of marketing.

Ten years from now I see myself as a successful consultant for a world-class firm like yours. I want to have developed a wonderful bond with my employer. I will have proven myself a highly competent systems analyst and will represent my company in helping others find solutions to their information-systems needs in a professional and timely manner.

You can go a bit ambiguous and even out of the material world. For example, you can say that your long term career aspirations are to create a path that other people in the profession and line of work may follow. You may even speak about what are your career ambitions, like obtaining the highest post in a company in a while, etc.

A common, open-ended question asked by recruiters is "tell me about yourself." You want to have a one- to two-minute answer prepared for this questions that should include your career objectives. Briefly outline your background without repeating information that's on your resume word for word and add that your background has thoroughly prepared you for this position. Include a sentence about your plans to grow with the company and make yourself a valuable asset.

Think about your future and where you would like to be in five to 10 years because it's highly likely you'll be asked this question directly. Interviewers are not looking for information about your personal life when they ask about your future plans; they don't want to know if you're planning to have children or get married. They do however use this question to gauge your maturity and your thought processes. In this question, they are trying to glean what is most important to you. You should develop a response that includes continuing education to play a bigger role in the company or about your determination to move into management or become the top salesperson in the firm.