Advice and Examples: Tell us about your long-term career plans.
9. Tell us about your long-term career plans.
The Goal
The hiring company wants to understand how their 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 the company can offer.
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 10th, 2022
Pro Tip
The hiring managers want assurance that you see yourself working for the company long-term. They also want evidence that your career goals match what the company can offer you now and years into the future.
When hearing your response, the decision-makers should feel confident that the company 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:
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."
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 10th, 2022
How to Answer
The decision-makers 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)."
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 10th, 2022
What You Need to Know
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the hiring company's parameters, the HireVue 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.
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 10th, 2022
Answer Example
"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. 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 Company ABC and have already begun to seek a mentor."
Written by Rachelle Enns on May 10th, 2022
User-Submitted Answer
"In the long term, I would like to be a senior recruiter in the pharmacy sector. I plan to become even more well-connected and trusted regarding the work and results that I deliver to my Hiring Managers. 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 Company ABC and have already begun to seek a mentor."
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview Coach
Jaymie Payne Reviewed the Above Answer
Excellent!