What are your long-term career plans?

On their careers site, Goldman Sachs emphasizes that they are interested in recruiting those who are interested in advancing their growth, development, and careers within the walls of their company. They advertise that by furthering the professions of their employees through training that is in line with, and customized to their culture, they'll in effect advance their own goals. "At every step of our employees' careers, we invest in them and ensure their interests remain focused on the long term and closely aligned with those of our clients and shareholders. Our goals are to maximize individual potential, increase commercial effectiveness, reinforce the firm's culture, expand our people's professional opportunities, and help them contribute positively to their greater communities."

The hiring managers should feel confident that Goldman Sachs can support you and your career desires now and into the future. If you're unsure of what qualifies as a long-term career goal, consider a few of these examples:

- Earning a degree or upgrading your existing education

- Growing a network of followers through consistent thought leadership

- Changing careers to a new industry that excites you

- Figuring out your ultimate dream job and taking action steps to get there

There are a few pitfalls to avoid when answering this question:

- Giving an unrealistic response. For instance, "My long-term goal is to work my way up the ladder from Analyst to becoming the next CEO of Goldman Sachs."

- Giving a response that's unrelated to the job. For instance, "My long-term goal is to live overseas teaching English."

- Giving an answer that shows a lack of preparedness. For instance, "I'm not sure where I'd like to be in the long term. I mean, I definitely don't know the future."

The decision-makers at Goldman Sachs want to be clear on how this job fits your long-term goals. Showing personal and professional clarity is the key to a great answer.

Here is a simple framework to help you form a response:

"In the long term, I would like to (insert your goal). So far, I have (describe the action steps you've taken so far). To meet this goal, I plan to (discuss the action steps you plan to take)."

"In the long term, I would like to be a thought leader in the investment banking sector. I plan to become even more well-connected and trusted regarding the work and results that I deliver to my clients. To achieve this goal, I will take on every continual education opportunity presented to me with full enthusiasm. I plan to learn everything that I can from my leaders at Goldman Sachs and have already begun to seek a mentor."