Whether you’re in a position to interview potential employees, you yourself are looking for a new job, or you plan to explore new opportunities in the coming years, Forbes writer J. Maureen Henderson raises an important point to consider. Is the standard interview question “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” ultimately useless?
While interviewers often ask the question to gauge a candidate’s personal goals, ambition, and desired career path, Henderson argues that the answers are arbitrary. She rightly points out that many career roles we know see as standard—such as social media manager—didn’t exist a few years ago. Short of having a crystal ball, it’s hard to give an accurate answer when the job landscape is constantly shifting.
Henderson also claims that employers only want to hear a predictable answer about climbing up their corporate ladder. That actually tells them nothing more about a candidate than what they already know. So, why is this question still being asked?
Is it time for interviewers to shake things up?