# What to respond when asked “where do you see yourself in x years” in an interview? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540 "2025-08-27T23:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/21 "2025-08-28T07:30:39Z")
Also here: [![](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/strengths_and_weaknesses.png) ](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/strengths_and_weaknesses.png) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/22 "2025-08-28T08:43:53Z")
My response is always “Being gainfully employed.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/23 "2025-08-28T12:05:37Z")
Older. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/24 "2025-08-28T14:18:16Z")
This question is a simple skills test to determine how well you kiss ass. “I see myself with x years seniority in a job I love and x more years until a well deserved and comfortable retirement.” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/25 "2025-08-28T16:19:58Z")
I think far too many responses here are from those that neither need nor want the job, but if that were true you would never have applied for it in the first place let alone gone to the interview. My response above assumes that I actually need and want the position offered. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/26 "2025-08-28T16:26:38Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > “describe your biggest weakness.” Complete honesty. “I don’t think that’s a weakness.” Who cares what you think? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/27 "2025-08-28T18:52:09Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I guess my question (not knowing what industry you are in or what sort of work you do) is what does 5 year’s worth of “being really good at your job” look like to you? I think it’s fine to remain an individual contributor instead of going into management. But I think companies want you to show you don’t intend to just plant yourself at your desk doing the same thing until you retire. Right- you want to show that you’ve got long term-ish plans, and that you want to be upwardly mobile within their company. Show you’re a go-getter and all that stuff. But you don’t want to position yourself as a threat or _too much_ of a barracuda either. So something along the lines of “worked into progressively more responsible positions, hopefully promoted” is probably safe, without saying “I want X position”, or setting up any goals they perceive as unreasonable/unreachable. They’re not going to want someone who answers that question with something that’s unreasonable, because that indicates that you’re likely to bounce if you don’t get _exactly_ the career path you’re aiming for. Nor do you want to set yourself up as a threat to your boss or other people in the department/company, that is if you’re interviewing for the sort of job where you are perceived as capable of doing that. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/28 "2025-08-28T22:39:24Z")
True story: a friend working at a data center decided that a particular manager was intolerable. So he convinced her manager that she need to be replaced. Nobody told this woman that this was going on, of course. They get a friend of my friend in to interview, and because this woman’s short tenure is a secret, she’s on the interview list. When she interviews him, she asks, “What position do you see yourself in at this company?” and he looks her straight in the eye and say, “Yours.” And he got the job. Brutal. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/29 "2025-08-28T22:53:05Z")
“Tell me what the _world_ looks like in five years, and I’ll make a good faith effort to explain my anticipated/preferred role _in_ that world.” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/30 "2025-08-28T23:19:00Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > In any case, another thing not to say is “Banging your daughter.” Peter Griffin managed to avoid the impulse to say “Doing your wife,” but only by changing it at the last second to “Doing your… son.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/31 "2025-08-29T00:58:33Z")
Agree w the joking responses that the only sound response to this nonsense is withering contempt. But back in the real world the “right” answer sure depends on whether the job is management track, drone worker track, or tech / science track. Utterly different jobs deserve utterly different legit answers. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/32 "2025-08-29T01:27:38Z")
The last time I was asked that question, I gave a very vague answer along the lines of, “I intend to continue to develop my technical skills in order to be a valuable contributor to the team.” The job was marketing adjacent - applications engineering - which at that company was very marketing focused and not very engineering centered. I did get the job, and I sucked at it and was eventually fired for not being able to persuade a customer into buying a serious turkey of a product. In retrospect, I should have walked out the moment the hiring manager asked such a stupid question. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/33 "2025-08-29T01:46:19Z")
I was told that one WRONG answer is “working for myself”. Dont say it ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/34 "2025-08-29T01:48:31Z")
I would take a piece of paper, put all sorts of math calculations on it for 5 minutes, then give them a latitude and a longitude. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2025, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540/35 "2025-08-29T05:19:39Z")
“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Playing 3rd base for the Mets. “What’s your biggest weakness?” I can’t hit a curveball. Or a fastball. Or any pitch, actually. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-respond-when-asked-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-x-years-in-an-interview/1022540.md?page=1)