Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Summary: There is nothing more nerve-wracking than a job interview. All those questions and always the dreaded, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Today we’ll have you navigate the minefield that is a job interview.<br> As we have discussed in our future of work episode, the face of employment is changing. More than ever we need to be able to stand apart from the competition. One important way to do that is to improve your interview skills.<br> Practice, Practice, Practice<br> Practice makes perfect when it comes to just about anything, and that includes interviews. Interviewing isn’t a skill we normally practice, but it is an important skill if you’re looking to upgrade your job. A lot of what we’ve talked about this year is focused on preparing yourself your what will certainly only be a <a href="https://www.listenmoneymatters.com/the-future-of-work/">tougher job market</a> in the future.<br> The best way to practice your interviewing skills is to go on interviews, lots of them. But you want the stakes to be low until you’ve perfected your game. Apply for jobs that you aren’t particularly interested in but are still within your industry or the industry you want to get into.<br> You can polish your skills without feeling the pressure you feel when you really want the job.<br> Get Prepped<br> Before an interview, you should do a crazy amount of research on the company you’re interviewing with. The more you know, the better you can tailor your resume, cover letter, <a href="https://www.listenmoneymatters.com/9-phone-interview-questions/">interview answers, and questions.</a><br> You can get a lot of the information you need from sites like <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm">Glassdoor</a> and <a href="http://www.vault.com/">Vault.</a> You can find out what the company’s climate is like, what the salaries are, and stuff you might not want to ask initially but is still essential to know like vacation policies and the benefits offered.<br> Pitch It<br> The first thing to get down pat is your elevator pitch. The goal here is to wow someone in just a few sentences. It should be no longer than about 30 seconds, use a timer when you practice.<br> Andrew used to tell people he was a data nerd by day and a money nerd by night. That sort of pitch invites a person to ask you more questions about what you do and what you want to do.<br> Most questions asked in an interview should be answered with a story. Come armed with stories about your triumphs and failures. Triumphs should not be framed as personal triumphs. They should be told as a triumph for your company.<br> You designed a system that cut the time it takes to do X by one third. This saved the company $X in the first quarter alone.<br> Failures might include having been fired from a job. How can you spin that? You took that failure as an opportunity to learn because you never wanted to put a company in the position of having to fire you again.<br> It’s Your Interview Too<br> During the interview process, you are not some supplicant lucky enough to get an audience with Luis XIV. If you are going to take this job, you are going to trade your time and expertise for financial compensation.<br> As much as the interviewer is evaluating you, you are evaluating them and their company too. A job interview is very much like a first date, and desperation is the world’s worst perfume. You don’t want to come across as desperate because the person across the desk or dinner table will wonder what is wrong with you that you can’t find a job or a partner.<br> Questions for the Interviewer<br> Again, just like a first date, coming to a job interview and asking no questions shows that you don’t care about impressing this person. Bring a notepad with your questions and write down the answers.<br> You should ask specific questions about the role you are applying for and the work y...