I'm currently preparing for the fit part of the consulting interview and saw the question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?'. Can I be blunt with the interviewer and tell him that I would like to work at that point in a corporate strategy role, or would this be a red flag?
Thanks in advance!
It suprises me that consultancies ask such question. Frankly, it goes against the model.
I would just be honest. Not many people are certain what they will be doing in five years and so I would just share a balanced narrative on wanting to explore both internally within the firm as well as outside.
That question is irrelevant in these times. Who knows whats going to happen in 5 years, let alone in 2 years. Its good to have a plan but COVID has remined all of humanity to replan, be flexible and most importantly get your priorities right.
If someone does ask you this question, say you see yourself continuing to learn a,b,c skills doing x, y, z type roles in 5 years but are ready to adapt and change course as the situation demands. No need to explicitly say you will exit consulting in 5 years.
Hi there,
Well, if you are dating someone and they feel you are doing so to date a prettier boy/girl later on, it probably won't be appreciated;)
Consulting companies hire ideally for the long term (yes, the average tenure is around 3 years but the company – and partners – benefit the most from those who stick to it). You don’t have to lie, but don’t give the impression you want to work for 1-2 years just to get the stamp on your CV (even if that’s what most candidates do in the end).
A nice way to phrase this is to say you would be excited to work in Company XYZ (company you are interviewing with) long-term, as you believe there may be great learning opportunities to do ABC. At the same time, if for whatever reason that won’t be possible, you would consider alternatives that could provide learnings in line with your ABC growth goals.
Best,
Francesco
Hi there,
I agree with Ken but with a bit of a caveat. Be tactfully honest.
Meaning, tell them something along the lines of "Look, it's hard to truly know exactly where I'll be in 5 years. That said, I know that it involves something along the lines of x, y, and z"...where x,y,and z equal something ambitious/respectable.
Hey there,
It is definitely not a red flag. MBB know that people likely will stay between 2-4 years as this is
Be honest about your 5-year plans.
Cheers,
Florian
Hi! It’s really impossible to say where you see yourself in 5 years, especially nowadays, because of quarantine and COVID situation in general.
However, you can be honest with interviewers and say about not knowing what’ll happen in 5 years in the world. But at the same time tell about your goals at least approximately. For example, you can say that in future you plan to develop in this sphere and work in the company long-term.
If you need any further help, feel free to PM me
Best,
Gaurav
