One
reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this
position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes
along. Or they could be trying to gauge
your level of ambition.
If
you’re too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win,
you’ll sound presumptuous. If you’re too
vague, you’ll seem rudderless.
BEST ANSWER: Reassure your interviewer that you’re looking
to make a long-term commitment…that this position entails exactly what you’re
looking to do and what you do extremely well.
As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand
with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves.
Example: “I am definitely
interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this
position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified
to do. In terms of my future career
path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will
inevitable open up for me. It’s always
been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities
here.”