How to Answer "What Are Your Career Goals?" (With Sample Answers)

1. Why do interviewers ask “What are your career goals?"
2. How to answer “What are your career goals”?
   1. Establish long-term and short-term career goals
   2. Choose a SMART career goal to discuss
   3. Quantify your career goals
   4. Align your answer with the position and the company
   5. Establish a timeline in your answer
3. "What are your career goals?” sample answers
   Sample answers for freshers
   Sample answers for executive employees
   Sample answer for managers
4. 8 tips to remember when answering “What are your career goals”?

Do you ever think about the things you want to achieve in your career?

If you are preparing for an interview, its time you give this a good thought.

“What are your career goals?” is one of the most crucial interview questions that can make or break the deal when it comes to getting your dream job.

Read this blog to discover why interviewers ask “What are your career goals?”, how to answer it, and sample answers to help you ace your interview.

Let’s get started!

Why do interviewers ask “What are your career goals?”

You may wonder why interviewers wish to know about your career goals.

Asking questions about the future in interviews is a tactic that employers use to find the right candidate for their company.

This interview question helps the recruiter gauge your ambitions, goals and even how long you plan on staying with the company.

All this together helps them decide if they should hire you or not.

It also helps them understand your ambitions and reveals the career path you choose.

A realistic, well-drafted career plan can impress your interviewers and get you the job.

On the other hand, an over-ambitious plan may reflect an unrealistic approach towards your career, and the lack of a plan could show that you don’t plan for the future at all.

How to answer “What are your career goals”?

Are you wondering how to answer "What are you career goals?" Here are 5 ways to help you out!

1. Establish long-term and short-term career goals

You can’t discuss your career goals well unless you categorize them well.

Defining goals for the near future and the big picture together can be tricky.

So, we suggest that you talk about them, one by one.

To prepare to answer “What are your career goals?”,

1. Start with self-evaluating your achievements
2. Identify goals that seem achievable from your current position
3. Make a list of potential goals, brainstorm, and eliminate the ones that seem far fetched
4. Now that you have the final list, rank them in order of priority, starting from the most important goal
5. Divide this list into short-term goals and long-term goals for your career

2. Choose a SMART career goal to discuss

Talking about a random goal in an interview can hurt your chances of impressing the interviewer.

This is why you need to pick a SMART career goal out of the list made earlier.

Now you may think, what is a SMART career goal?

Simply put, these are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Relevant, and Timeline specific.

Using the SMART approach while talking about your career goals reflects that you have a well-defined plan and that you mean to achieve it in all seriousness.

Let us understand these factors in detail.

Specific: Vague career goals may not help while answering, “What are your career goals?”. You will need a specific, to-the-point answer.

So instead of saying things like, “I want to be better at my job”, or “My career goal is to outgrow myself!”, go for something specific like, “My career goal is to be a senior manager” or “I want to earn Rs. XXXXX while working in a QPR position.

Measurable: Always discuss goals you can measure in terms of time, money, working hours, etc.

Action-oriented: While discussing your career goals, make sure you talk about them as chunks of achievable tasks along with the action you would take to meet them happen.

Relevant: While you may have several career goals, discussing the ones that are most relevant to the position you are interviewing for will support your candidature and help you ace your job interview.

Timeline-specific: When answering questions like “What are your career goals?” divide your goals into small chunks and discuss them with realistic timelines to add authenticity and realistic touch to your answers.

3. Quantify your career goals

As we discussed earlier, talking about vague, unmeasured goals in an interview may suggest that you are not serious about your career or are making up a goal on the spot.

Add numbers and quantified reports to your answers to talk about career goals effectively.

4. Align your answer with the position and the company

Knowing about the company and position is very crucial as you prepare to answer, “What are your career goals?”.

Talking about your professional plans that align with the position you are interviewing for reflects that you have included working there in your career goals.

It also makes you a better fit as hiring you will seem like a better decision if your goals match the company visions.

To do this, you must,

1. Research the company and check their website
2. Choose a SMART career goal from the list you have made
3. Tailor your answer to match the job description
4. Take a quick look at the mission and vision of the company for perspective

5. Establish a timeline in your answer

Talking about your career goals with set deadlines is a good tactic to have up your sleeve while preparing to answer, “What are your career goals?”

It shows that you plan on achieving goals before a said time and have not only defined your career goals but also have plans to make them happen.

“What are your career goals?” sample answers

Here are some sample answers to help you frame your answer to “What are your career goals?”

Sample answers for freshers

I recently completed my MBA in marketing and sales.

As of now, my short term goal is to get a job that compliments my expertise and helps me widen my horizons with exciting learning opportunities in the next couple of months.

In the bigger picture, I want to learn all about marketing skills, and in the next five years, I wish to bag at least 20 LPA at an upper management position.

Sample answers for executive employees

I spent 2 years in my current position, learning the in and out of digital marketing.

I’m now keen on upskilling myself with SEO practices and social media marketing by the end of this year.

To talk about my long-term career goals, I want to be an established content marketer in another three years.

Your organization has been my dream company since I was in college, and I would be accomplishing my goal if I get hired for this position.

Sample answer for managers

I achieved my goal of becoming a manager seven months ago. Soon, I wish to focus on leading bigger teams through challenging projects and develop better leadership skills.

I went through the job description of this role, and I feel it is the perfect opportunity for me.

To speak about the big picture, I wish to become the Regional VP- Growth and strategy.

In the next five years, my goal is to take on a senior management role and look after national/overseas business for companies such as yours.

8 tips to remember when answering “What are your career goals”?

Here are some tips to remember while answering, “What are your career goals?”

1. Do not talk about goals irrelevant to the position
2. Make sure your career goals are achievable from where you stand currently
3. Avoid giving unrealistic goals and timelines
4. Do not exude over-confidence in the interview
5. Avoid giving vague answers that lack clarity
6. Give example of your experiences to support your answer
7. Keep your answer short and crisp
8. Practice well before answering in the interview

We hope with this, you are now ready to answer "What are your career goals?" and ace your next big interview like a pro!

All the best!