“What are your career aspirations?” is a very popular HR interview question that can come up in various forms like “What are your long-term and short-term goals?”, “How do you plan to achieve your career goals? etc.
So, if you are gearing up for your upcoming HR interview round, then do not miss out on this one!
In this blog, we will help you answer this HR interview question and also provide what is your career aspirations sample answer to help you frame your own responses accordingly.
Why do interviewers ask "What are your career aspirations?"
Through "What are your career aspirations?" recruiters want to gauge if your aspirations are compatible with the company's values.
The reason being, they want to ensure if your aspirations can be achieved within this role and company as it will lead to lower employee turnover rate.
Remember, the ultimate motive of the recruiter is to hire the right talent who will be with them for the long run.
How to answer "What are your career aspirations?"
Here are a few points to remember when answering the HR interview question “What are your career aspirations?”
Research the company's mission and vision statements
As we stated above, recruiters want to hire candidates who can grow with the company.
This makes it critical for every jobseeker to read up about the company, its culture, values, etc. through their company websites or AmbitionBox.
This will give you clarity about many things especially if you can see yourself grow in that company and in that culture.
Also, if the job role can help you progress in your career and even have talking points when recruiters ask “Do you have any questions for me?”.
Ensure your goals and aspirations are aligned to the job role
When talking about your career aspirations, you need to recognize the goals that can intrigue the recruiter and hit the right notes.
To do so, you need to read the job description thoroughly along with reading up about the company.
Keep your answer as relevant to the job as possible. You can make the best of this question by highlighting your positive qualities, competency for the role and your career goals.
Use more of 'We' than 'Me'
Replace 'I' with 'us' and 'we' if you want to earn a brownie point from the recruiter. This showcases that you are a team player and are interested in helping the business grow and succeed.
Apart from this, speaking in 'we' and 'together', etc. also highlights your collaborative nature. These are important character traits every recruiter looks for in their ideal candidate.
So, try to draw a clear picture of your aspirations that you want to achieve in the company with the team.
Remain flexible
When preparing your answer for “What are your career aspirations?” it is best to have a few alternatives to present in case the recruiter asks multiple questions like “What are your career goals?” and so on.
You don’t want to provide the same answer to all the alternative HR interview questions and risk the chance of sounding repetitive and redundant.
Avoid trying to wing it
Stuttering and fumbling to answer are the biggest pet peeves for a recruiter.
Most often than not, when you come unprepared to an interview, you tend to miss out on some crucial facts that can make or break your chance at bagging the job.
So, even if you are the smartest and most confident personality, practice answering HR interview questions like “What are your career aspirations?” to leave a lasting impression on the recruiter.
What is your career aspirations sample answer
Sample answer #1:
"I want to work with you to learn the tips and tricks of the trade that can help me not only to progress in my career but also help your business to grow.
I wish to reach the managerial level in the next 5-6 years but prior to that I wish to demonstrate and challenge my capabilities to the optimum and prove my worth by achieving our objectives and goals together."
Sample answer #2:
“If provided with this opportunity, I would like to develop myself worthy as a team lead where we can inspire each other and work together efficiently.
I would require your help to know the team and familiarize with the company so I can inspire the company's values and vision into new recruits.
I would also like to hone my skills and capabilities as a leader to work towards the company's betterment."
Conclusion
It is crucial to consider each and every HR interview question with equal importance.
Therefore, while practicing the basic HR interview questions and answers, practice answering “What are your career aspirations?” thoroughly.
Hopefully, these tips and what is your career aspirations sample answer was helpful to you. Do check out our other interview tips and career insights on Naukri blog.
All the Best!
