Hi all - I have an interview story. More than likely, it's a "don't do what I did" story...

11 Comments

1. Heather McMay 28,2024 at 4:07PM UTC

   This was the final round of interviews. She was making the decision that day. :o/

2. AnonymousMay 28,2024 at 5:23PM UTC

   Interesting, I gave almost the exact same answer to the question, why do you want this job? Honestly at this point in my career the answer is honest. Anyone have a better answer to the 5 year question, when the answer is retirement? I am looking for very specific and valid reasons.

3. Pao virginMay 28,2024 at 5:33PM UTC

   Reading this is like reading myself questioning what's wrong with wanting to be honest during a job interview. Unfortunately, in the world we live in and for the companies we want to work for, we can't be ourselves.

   If something has made me feel better, it's finding my personality type through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test and understanding myself and the market I'm looking to enter (what I mean is that) it's difficult to be oneself, and we have to learn to create a persona.

   The reality is that working for a corporation can really consume the soul and integrity of a person who doesn't like to be false in life or it's not their personality.

   You're not the first person to go through this; I was like that too until I understood that to get where I want, I have to lie about who I am, what I am, my values, and morals and offer them what they want to hear. Numbers and lies, and that's okay; we also receive the same, and we can give a bit of the same as long as our roles are performed professionally and responsibly.

4. Tami L CannizzaroMay 28,2024 at 5:45PM UTC

   I get it; it’s nice to be completely honest with the person you’re speaking with. Except not during an interview. We forget that interviews are not really about us, despite the fact we are interviewing for a job that suits us. In order to get the offer and, therefore, be able to make the decision whether or not to take the job, we have to remember this is about the hiring manager. They have a problem and are interviewing to find the best candidate to solve that problem.

   When answering the “5-year” question, most hiring managers don’t want to hear that we will retire. That makes a problem for them as they will have to find someone new again,

   even if you plan to move on to another opportunity in a few years, never let this be known! As someone else said, play the game during the interview. I’d continue to play the game after I was hired too. Your long term plans are not their business unless you want a promotion. ,

5. AnonymousMay 29,2024 at 12:41PM UTC

   Hmm. I disagree slightly. You are interviewing the company just as much as the company I'd interviewing you. We don't live in a serf system where there's no choice on what you have to deal with. My default answer to that ludicrous 5 year plan question is "do you tend to keep your employees for 5 years?"

   It's a juvenile question put forward by hiring managers who don't have any idea how to interview.

6. Tami L CannizzaroMay 29,2024 at 5:49PM UTC

   Absolutely agree that we are interviewing the company as well! Yet they are in the drivers seat, right? It’s my goal to be in the drivers seat - I want them to want me so much they make me an offer, then I get to ask more questions and decide IF I want to accept. At that point I can clearly think, does this fit in MY plans? Again, I would not share with them - it’s my turn to drive. If I want to pursue I may counter with something; if they like me as I think they do, it can work in my favor. If we share details we may not get this chance.

7. Heather CutlerMay 28,2024 at 5:59PM UTC

   Thanks for sharing your experience with this board.

8. Tarra ReynoldsMay 28,2024 at 7:23PM UTC

   I'm in the same boat, not wanting to climb the corporate ladder but still have plenty to contribute! I think the best answer is, I'm hoping I'll be able to look back on my last five years here and be able to see my impact in terms of x, y and z. What employers really want to know is what impact you'll have. I don't think they necessarily need every candidate to say they plan to move up rapidly.

9. Wanda ShawMay 28,2024 at 9:45PM UTC

   Sure, you could have rattled off an appealing 5 year plan and articulated it down to the commas in the sentences, but as you said, it wouldn't have been what you knew in your heart to be true. And I'll g o on record to say, "GOOD FOR YOU!" No , you may not have gotten that job, but then that position and company weren't good fits for you and not the other way around. In this day and time when folks are willing to do and say anything to get hired, even if they don't mean what they're saying or it goes against their personal values, it's refreshing to know that there are still people out there who really want to do work that matters to somebody.

10. Jonna Ferguson, ACCMay 29,2024 at 1:17PM UTC

    I respect your honesty about what you want and don't want in your life. As a hiring manager myself, I would have been satisfied if you had answered the question by telling most of your truth, layering in transferrable skills, then sprinkling the top with a couple of your strengths. Answer the question by explaining what you DO want, why you want it and how it's important to you, without sharing what you don't want. For example:

    "My 5-year plan is to do work I love with people I enjoy and make an impact on patients' lives while developing my team for the future so we're proud of the work we do when surpassing our goals. My passion is to be the kind of leader who brings the best out in others individually and as part of a team, and to inspire them to become better versions of themselves through embracing change. It's important for me to apply that same philosophy to myself so while I don't know exactly what the next 5 years will bring, I know I'll develop personally and professionally as the company grows."

    You could clearly write this better for yourself based on the knowledge of your own skills and experience, and while this isn't a "plan" of sorts, it's an example of how to convey what you want and what you're passionate about without focusing on what you don't. That said, I believe things do happen for a reason and based on the red flags you called out, there is a better role out there for you somewhere close by!

11. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdMay 30,2024 at 1:28PM UTC

    While I'm very sorry you didn't get the job, as one who hires, I sincerely appreciate the honesty.

    Additionally, I'm also not a "climber". Not long ago, someone called me a "workhorse" and I replied with "That's a title I'll wear with pride."

    I don't understand why some companies seem to believe that everyone wants to get in and move up. If this truly were the case, who would be left to do the work? ?