The One Interview Question I Hate

There is a wealth of knowledge an employer can gain during a candidate's job interview. Usually past experience and behavior is discussed to help predict how the candidate will perform in the proposed role. There is one question that usually gets asked in a job interview that I’ve always hated, mainly because I never knew how to answer it.

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” I understand what the employer is trying to find out - they want to see if you have aspirations and goals. However, now that I have completed the first 10 years of my career, I never would have guessed where I would be today.

The reason I don’t like this question, is it make the assumption that we control our ultimate career paths, and after experiencing two lay-offs, that is far from true. And as a 21-year-old, I didn’t know where I wanted to go, I just knew I needed to be open to all opportunities that presented themselves and take advantage of making connections at every networking event. Being excited and willing to pursue opportunities is more indicative of someone’s success than where they think they want to be in 10 years.

I would encourage employers to reframe their questions to understand what areas a candidate is interested in working and learning in, but leave the 10-year question behind.