Answers for Traditional Interview Questions in an Untypical Economy
June 16, 2010 11:22 PM Subscribe
Is it possible to really have the classic Five/Ten Year Plan in this type of economy? And when you get asked that type of question in a job interview, how do you figure out what the question is behind the question?
Just to make sure all bases are covered, the executive summary of my job hunting plan/rationale and background are inside.
Got laid off from my job two months ago and have been trying to focus on applying for contracting/short term gigs. My rationale:
* Unemployment where I live (Sacramento, hence the user name) is pretty bad right now. I've seen more openings in the private sector for short term/contract positions.
* Various personal reasons, but at the moment I'm fine with just working on a contract/project basis instead of committing myself to a permanent situation.
* Get out of the house and off unemployment. Exposure to different companies and fields. Pay off some small medical bills and maybe save for eventual travel abroad.
I have a MS and previous experience as a project manager and supervisor, so the obvious tough question I have to face is about being "overqualified." I'm working on some canned answers for that question, but what I'm also running into are questions about:
* Long Term Career Goals
* Five/Ten Year Plan
These questions totally throw me. Because based on what's happening in my town and from what you hear about the economy, any of the standard rules about work have gone out the window. I was hired at my last job with the expectation that I would be a career/long term employee who'd go through a specific career path with the organization. And when the economic situation changed for that company and its industry, my position was cut. So it's hard for me to take somebody seriously when they ask about my long term plans. Especially in situations where I'm interviewing on 4-6 month contracts.
Have other job seekers been asked that question? As with how to handle the "You're overqualified" question, I'm also trying to figure out a good diplomatic (and not too bullshit) response to the question. Because so far I'm striking out by being honest that I think it's pointless to have an X Year Plan when the economy is in this state.
Got laid off from my job two months ago and have been trying to focus on applying for contracting/short term gigs. My rationale:
* Unemployment where I live (Sacramento, hence the user name) is pretty bad right now. I've seen more openings in the private sector for short term/contract positions.
* Various personal reasons, but at the moment I'm fine with just working on a contract/project basis instead of committing myself to a permanent situation.
* Get out of the house and off unemployment. Exposure to different companies and fields. Pay off some small medical bills and maybe save for eventual travel abroad.
I have a MS and previous experience as a project manager and supervisor, so the obvious tough question I have to face is about being "overqualified." I'm working on some canned answers for that question, but what I'm also running into are questions about:
* Long Term Career Goals
* Five/Ten Year Plan
These questions totally throw me. Because based on what's happening in my town and from what you hear about the economy, any of the standard rules about work have gone out the window. I was hired at my last job with the expectation that I would be a career/long term employee who'd go through a specific career path with the organization. And when the economic situation changed for that company and its industry, my position was cut. So it's hard for me to take somebody seriously when they ask about my long term plans. Especially in situations where I'm interviewing on 4-6 month contracts.
Have other job seekers been asked that question? As with how to handle the "You're overqualified" question, I'm also trying to figure out a good diplomatic (and not too bullshit) response to the question. Because so far I'm striking out by being honest that I think it's pointless to have an X Year Plan when the economy is in this state.
Whether you work one long-term job or ten six-month contract positions, you will be somewhere in five years. Why not tell them where you would ideally like that to be?
posted by salvia at 11:35 PM on June 16, 2010
posted by salvia at 11:35 PM on June 16, 2010
Also, the five-year question is primarily about fit and motivation. So if you truly believe your career path is uncontrollable and random, perhaps just imagine what five year plan would have this job as a significant first step. If you took this job, loved it, kicked ass, stayed for 2-3 years, then moved up one notch or two, where would you end up?
posted by salvia at 11:40 PM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by salvia at 11:40 PM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, just lie. They don't actually care about your five year plan, they just don't want to hear something following:
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"Definitely not here! Ha ha ha!"
"CEO!! WOOOOO!"
"Sober. Hopefully."
"Working in a zoo in the Andes."
"Same job, same pay, same pants."
Just say something that sounds like a realistic career path for whatever particular job and organisation you're interviewing at the time. By time they discover you're lying you will have worked there for years. Don't be too ambitious, but display a little go-gettery, and you'll be fine.
posted by smoke at 12:04 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"Definitely not here! Ha ha ha!"
"CEO!! WOOOOO!"
"Sober. Hopefully."
"Working in a zoo in the Andes."
"Same job, same pay, same pants."
Just say something that sounds like a realistic career path for whatever particular job and organisation you're interviewing at the time. By time they discover you're lying you will have worked there for years. Don't be too ambitious, but display a little go-gettery, and you'll be fine.
posted by smoke at 12:04 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I hate these questions. Then my career coach asked me to write about where I would like to be in 15 years - all of my life stuff, not just work, but it did include work. What I found useful about that much longer timeframe was that (for me) it did lay out for me the sorts of experiences and possible paths I might take to get to that point, so now I have more of a sense of what sort of experience I should be seeking in the short term, to get my longer term 'vision' (ugh).
My vision was quite vague in terms of being something where I had a lot of different 'projects', with control over my work and the sort of work I took (where I would get to fly business class if made to fly internationally - I have spent too much time in horrible economy for work!). After considering my current experience, areas of interest, and what I was prepared to do in terms of study / changes in career, this left me with a few specific paths (intersecting) to get to what I wanted my life to be like in 15 years. So, now I know that for the next two years, I should be broadly seeking experience in one of three areas that will get me there.
Having said that, I am all for 'lying' and just giving them a plausible answer to what I think is a silly question in many respects. However, if you want to give an honest answer, try thinking more in terms of what you want to have in your repetoire in five years, rather than a specific title.
posted by AnnaRat at 12:23 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
My vision was quite vague in terms of being something where I had a lot of different 'projects', with control over my work and the sort of work I took (where I would get to fly business class if made to fly internationally - I have spent too much time in horrible economy for work!). After considering my current experience, areas of interest, and what I was prepared to do in terms of study / changes in career, this left me with a few specific paths (intersecting) to get to what I wanted my life to be like in 15 years. So, now I know that for the next two years, I should be broadly seeking experience in one of three areas that will get me there.
Having said that, I am all for 'lying' and just giving them a plausible answer to what I think is a silly question in many respects. However, if you want to give an honest answer, try thinking more in terms of what you want to have in your repetoire in five years, rather than a specific title.
posted by AnnaRat at 12:23 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think you're bean-plating this a little too much and getting too insecure.
They don't want to see that. They want to see a smart, capable, self-directing, motivated, optimistic, business-knowledgeable type of person. So when I interview I pretend to be one of those.
Try to answer how that kind of person would answer, while still being true to yourself. It's like dressing up for the interview. I hate ties, I don't wear ties, I don't want a job where I wear a fucking tie, but I'll put one on for an interview and not freak out about it because I know they like to see someone who knows they should put on a tie for an interview and doesn't freak out about it.
So anyway, maybe you could joke about the economy and how your last job sort of knocked your career track back two squares, but don't make them think you've been destroyed by the deal and view the work world pessimistically now. Similarly with the "overqualified" thing they don't want someone who thinks the works is beneath them, nor do they want someone who overestimates the importance of the job.
They also want to see someone who "knows the game". A lot of what managers do is communication, so they will favor people who they can more easily communicate with. They tend to like people who understand the significance and importance and subtext of the conversation whatever conversation they are having with you right at this particular moment, and so all this is just trying to be on the same page as them.
So unwrap yourself from your head a little, and try to see yourself how they will see you.
posted by fleacircus at 4:03 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
They don't want to see that. They want to see a smart, capable, self-directing, motivated, optimistic, business-knowledgeable type of person. So when I interview I pretend to be one of those.
Try to answer how that kind of person would answer, while still being true to yourself. It's like dressing up for the interview. I hate ties, I don't wear ties, I don't want a job where I wear a fucking tie, but I'll put one on for an interview and not freak out about it because I know they like to see someone who knows they should put on a tie for an interview and doesn't freak out about it.
So anyway, maybe you could joke about the economy and how your last job sort of knocked your career track back two squares, but don't make them think you've been destroyed by the deal and view the work world pessimistically now. Similarly with the "overqualified" thing they don't want someone who thinks the works is beneath them, nor do they want someone who overestimates the importance of the job.
They also want to see someone who "knows the game". A lot of what managers do is communication, so they will favor people who they can more easily communicate with. They tend to like people who understand the significance and importance and subtext of the conversation whatever conversation they are having with you right at this particular moment, and so all this is just trying to be on the same page as them.
So unwrap yourself from your head a little, and try to see yourself how they will see you.
posted by fleacircus at 4:03 AM on June 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I should add that it's good to show you can sort of abstract away problems and present summaries. This is a pretty key business skill; when a manager asks how something is going, he or she doesn't want to hear the rigamarole ten hour list of irritations and setbacks, they want a quick concise report on the status with maybe a prognosis. Not like an inhuman robot---humor and so forth can still be there a bit---just try to be easy/enjoyable to get information from.
I.e. don't be someone whom getting relevant information from is like pulling teeth.
In an interview I think it's a similar situation, but the topic is your life instead of the current project or state of the thing you're maintaining.
posted by fleacircus at 4:12 AM on June 17, 2010
I.e. don't be someone whom getting relevant information from is like pulling teeth.
In an interview I think it's a similar situation, but the topic is your life instead of the current project or state of the thing you're maintaining.
posted by fleacircus at 4:12 AM on June 17, 2010
Five years - you want to re-immurse yourself in the techniques and technologies that you have experience with to strenghten and build your skillset. Make this more specific and tailored to your skills and experience (I don't really know whats involved in library / archiving)
Ten years - you want to have used your skillset to settle in one industry so you can narrow your focus and be more masterful of the specific knowledge required in whatever industry you end up in.
posted by WeekendJen at 7:09 AM on June 17, 2010
Ten years - you want to have used your skillset to settle in one industry so you can narrow your focus and be more masterful of the specific knowledge required in whatever industry you end up in.
posted by WeekendJen at 7:09 AM on June 17, 2010
Check out Knock em Dead Interviews. It's a good book that will give you a variety of answers to these kinds of questions.
I think you tailor your answer to the job. When I was conducting interviews, I usually had two types of jobs to fill. Dead-end jobs that offered little chance of advancement but paid decent, were relatively easy and you left every day at the same time. Then there were jobs that were more challenging, required more overtime but were likely to be promoted into other positions. In these two cases, you’re looking for different answers.
But smoke was right, they’re just looking to see if you know how to answer the question. That tells an interviewer more than the actual answer.
posted by iscavenger at 9:12 AM on June 17, 2010
I think you tailor your answer to the job. When I was conducting interviews, I usually had two types of jobs to fill. Dead-end jobs that offered little chance of advancement but paid decent, were relatively easy and you left every day at the same time. Then there were jobs that were more challenging, required more overtime but were likely to be promoted into other positions. In these two cases, you’re looking for different answers.
But smoke was right, they’re just looking to see if you know how to answer the question. That tells an interviewer more than the actual answer.
posted by iscavenger at 9:12 AM on June 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
* I am getting on state employee exam lists, but if you're in CA you know about the furloughs. Plus lots of state employees could get laid off if Meg Whitman is elected in November.
* I am one of those library/archives types with a ton of tech skills. I'm totally agnostic when it comes to the profession and right now, it matters more to me to stay in the region than it is to try and get a job in a local library/archive (which are pretty rare right now). But what that means is that I have a lot of transferable skills so the # of openings in different state exams or contracting in the private sector is just greater than if I tried to stick to libraries/archives.
posted by gov_moonbeam at 11:30 PM on June 16, 2010