Tell us about your long-term career plans.
The hiring managers at Morgan Stanley want to understand how the firm's job opportunity fits your long-term career plans. The goal of your response is to show the decision-makers that your longer-term career desires align with what Morgan Stanley can offer.
The hiring managers want assurance that you see yourself working for Morgan Stanley for the long term. They also want evidence that your career goals match what the firm can offer you now and years into the future.
When hearing your response, the decision-makers should feel confident that Morgan Stanley 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 department 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:
1) Giving an unrealistic response. For instance, "My long-term goal is to work my way up the ladder to becoming the next CEO in 12 months."
2) Giving a response that's unrelated to the job. For instance, "My long-term goal is to live overseas teaching English."
3) 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 Morgan Stanley want to be clear on how this job opportunity 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)."
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Morgan Stanley, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
"In the long term, I would like to be a thought leader in the financial services and investment banking sector. I plan to become even more well-connected and trusted regarding the work and results that I deliver to my clients. I will take on every continued education opportunity presented to me with full enthusiasm to achieve this goal. I plan to learn everything I can from my leaders at Morgan Stanley and have already begun to seek a mentor."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I am absolutely committed to succeeding in PWM and have made a clear decision that I want to become a respected advisor, leader, and mentor in the PWM field and earn a Managing Director title one day.
Marcie's Feedback
Wow! Excellent. Your passion and commitment shine through in your answer. It's also good that you mention a specific title that you aspire to reach. Can you give some color to why you're so dedicated to this field and company? Why is this so important to you?
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