Do you know the phrase, “Moving deck chairs on the Titanic?” Usually that means being so focused on small problems that we ignore the catastrophic threat that’s about to engulf us.
The same phrase comes to mind when encountering an issue or question that has lost its meaning in light of more pressing circumstances. As in, an interviewer asking a COVID-19 era job candidate, “Where do you plan to be in five years?”
Granted, on its face, that still seems like a normal thing to ask before bringing someone on board. For example, an individual who plans to be running their own company using your customer list and patents is certainly someone to weed out early. Not that you’d ever hear that answer from a candidate, but still.
Likewise, a candidate who expresses genuine interest in moving up in your company is also someone you’d like to know about early in the hiring process. Not that you could be sure which of the candidates saying that is being genuine, but still.
As you can see, there’s a problem with the “five-year question” in the best of times. But add a pandemic and economic crisis to the scenario and it may be all the candidate can do to keep from slapping a knee and laughing hysterically: “Five years?! I can’t even plan five days! Heck, I’d be happy to know what’s going to happen in the next five minutes!”
So, um, that’s not a good answer to the question. But is it actually a good question to begin with?
I’d argue that it’s not. In pre-COVID hiring, the chances of gleaning usable data from a candidate’s response were already low. In our current situation, where even the employer has no idea what the next year will bring, asking about a five-year window might be close to pointless.
This is one of those times when interviewers should ask the “real” question, rather than beating around the bush. Because, in truth, it’s not likely that the recruiter or manager cares about the candidate’s actual plans. What they want to know is probably closer to, “How long do you plan to stay with our company?” or, “How do your career plans align with this position?”
As a candidate, you can’t control how an interviewer phrases things, but you can certainly manage your response. Following are three sets of answers to this question, ranging from not so great to downright strategic.
Not the best answers
- I’d like to be in your job (ha, ha).
- I’m planning to open my own company, so I’m looking forward to learning here first.
- If the pay is good and you keep promoting me, I’ll stay here.
- That’s hard to say. My spouse wants to relocate, so that might be what we do.
- I know this is an administrative support job, but I was hoping to use my marketing degree and move into that department.
Better answers
- I’m excited to stay here and grow.
- I’m planning to finish my degree, so I’d want to see what happens after that.
- I don’t tend to change jobs unless I have to; I’m planning to stay as long as we’re still working well together.
Strategic (and best) answers:
- I’m pretty interested in growing with this company, especially since the products are so innovative. Can you tell me more about what would be possible for me over the next five years?
- My overall career plan is to stay in my field while going deeper to build my expertise. This feels like a place where I can do that.
Ready for a brief recap? The first answers in the first group are either too goofy, too literal, or too centered on the candidate. If you’re surprised to find “hoping to move into marketing” in this batch, consider this: Someone hiring an admin probably wants a person who will grow in that job, not use it as a stepping stone to another department.
The answers in the second batch are an improvement, but lacking in strategy. They’re still very candidate-centered, to the point of leaving the company out of the equation altogether.
The final pair of answers demonstrate the concept of “answering the real question” rather than the literal question. This returns us to the assumption that the interviewer really means “How does your career align with this job,” rather than “How can this job serve you?”
By answering a plain vanilla question with more strategy, you’ll be able to rise above the question’s momentary absurdity, while simultaneously presenting yourself as forward-thinking and gleaning information about the job itself.
That’s a pretty neat hat trick, and a lot more productive than the alternatives.
"plan" - Google News
August 22, 2020 at 09:29PM
https://ift.tt/3ghNKpT
Amy Lindgren: Where do you plan to be in 5 years? - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
"plan" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2un5VYV
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Amy Lindgren: Where do you plan to be in 5 years? - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press"
Post a Comment