How to Tackle the Short and Long-term Goals Interview Question

How to Tackle the Short and Long-term Goals Interview Question How to Tackle the Short and Long-term Goals Interview QuestionHeres the long and short on this timeworn bewerberbewerbungsinterview question.The key to job interview success is preparation its as necessary as preparing for a race or other sporting event. In this article, well discuss how to prepare and answer one of the most common interview questions, What are your short-term and long-term goals? to ensure you supply a winning answer.What is the employer testing?When asked What are your short- and long-term career goals? in an interview, employers are on the lookout for three main things your understanding of the role, your loyalty and commitment to the employer, and your ambition.When it comes to your understanding of the job position, employers want to double check that you have measured the role realistically against your own aims. In short, they want to make sure your understanding actually matches what the position entails. Any disconnect between your short-term career goals and what the employer is offering will typically come out in this question and will help the employer decide if youre the best fit.Employers also want to gauge whether you will be committed to the role and the company. A hiring process can be a lengthy one, so recruiters want to make sure that a new hire isnt going to leave after a month or two. Its worth noting that employers dont expect you to stick around for the rest of your life this isnt a marriage proposal, after all but they are expecting some kind of commitment to the company, perhaps two to three years depending on your work experience.Finally, this question is testing your ambition. Plenty of roles out there require motivated self-starters, so this question will reveal if you fit the bill. Remember that interviews arent just about showing your professional skills employers have already seen them on your resume. Interviews are also about getting to know you an d what kind of person you are, and this question will reveal just that.This interview question may also be phrased in the following waysWhat do you plan to accomplish in the next year?Where do you see yourself in the next five years?What are your near-term goals?Related How to Answer Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years in an InterviewHow to answer the interview questionAs with every interview question, the best way to answer What are your short-term and long-term goals? is by breaking it down using the STAR method. Heres how to do itSituation Describe the situation you are in regarding your career. You may choose to describe where you are now in your career and how you got there.Task In this next part, tell the interviewer the short-term or long-term goal youre now working towards. This is your task in hand.Action This section will be the bulk of your response. Explain how youre going to achieve your career goals, the processes youll take, and why. Ensure your job skills and abilit ies are highlighted here, especially in relation to the job youre interviewing for.Result To round off your response, you must describe what you hope the outcome of your actions will be. This will link heavily to the Task section of your answer.Tips for job interview success1. Be prepared for this interview questionIn order to provide a sound answer to the question, you need to make sure you prepare appropriately. Its likely youll have a fairly good idea of your short- and long-term career goals, which is great However, you need to make sure you know how to explain why theyre your goals and how you imagine yourself achieving them.Before the interview, make sure you write out some mock answers using the STAR method and try to memorize them. Remember that theres more than one way of asking What are your short-term and long-term goals?, so its best to have a couple of versions in case you need to adapt.2. Refer to the job descriptionIts all very well and good knowing what your career g oals are and how youre going to achieve them, but if you want to impress the interviewer, you need to tie them to the job description.Go through the job description and pair key responsibilities and skills required with your own abilities and goals. From this, highlight the natural progression youd expect in this role given the responsibilities and tie this in with your aims.3. Dont be a suck-upWhen answering this question, be aware that the employer is seeing whether you will be committed to the job position. However, play this up too much and you may convince the employer that its all a faade.Instead of guaranteeing that youll spend at least the next 10 years with the company, explain how the role matches your short-term goals. Employers dont expect you to stick around forever, especially if youre only just starting your career they know as well as you do that goals change and new experiences are necessary.4. Dont be afraid to show uncertaintyRemember that its okay if youre not 1 00 percent sure of your long-term career goals. Goals change all the time due to your experiences and needs in and outside of the workplace. Therefore, as long as you have a general aim that correlates with your short-term goals, thats enough for now.Just remember that your short- and long-term goals should match. For example, it wouldnt make sense to apply for a chef position because you want to be a chef right now, but later in life, you want to work in sales that will raise alarm bells with the employer.Answering What are your short-term and long-term career goals? is just like answering any other interview question. Do your research, follow the STAR method, prepare mock answers and you will land jobs in no time.Click the following link for more interview advice.Hire a TopResume professional resume writer to help you land more interviews, faster.Recommended Reading5 Tricky Interview Questions and How to Handle ThemHow to Describe Yourself in an InterviewHow to Make Sure Your Bod y Language and Verbal Cues AlignRelated Articles