Engineer's difficult interview question

by Dale Berning
(Fort Wayne, IN)

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" has always been a tough interview question for me. What if you are someone who doesn't have a 5-year plan? How do you answer this question without appearing to have no direction or career goals?

Mike's comments: I agree. On the surface this doesn't seem like a very stressful question. But, what if you don't want to climb the corporate ladder? A lot of Engineers are happy being Engineers and don't want all the headaches of management. But, candidates worry about how they will be perceived if they answer it this way. Find out the best way to answer this question on my page, good answers to interview questions.