Why interviewers ask this
Employers want to understand ambition and whether your goals are realistic and compatible with the role.
How to approach it
Talk about skills and responsibility you want to grow into, not a specific job title or leaving the company.
Example answer
In five years I want to be a confident developer who can own features end to end and help newer team members, ideally growing into a senior role.
What a weak answer sounds like
I want to be the CEO or start my own company.
It is vague, has no example and gives the interviewer nothing to remember.
Common mistake
Saying you want the interviewer's job or that you have not thought about it.
Follow-up questions to expect
- What skills will you build to get there?
- What kind of manager do you want to learn from?
- What would make you stay with a company long term?
How to practise
Describe growth in skills and responsibility, for example owning a feature end to end, rather than fixing a title.
Use this as a pattern, not a script. Answer in your own words with your own examples.