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First of all: I've seen this question, read the answers but it doesn't provide a solution for the specific problem I have.

How I should answer "where do you see yourself in X years" in an interview when my plan is to move to another country?

Should I mention that I'm planning to move in a interview. For the company it would mean that I leave the job. Or is it normal for companies that their employees don't work that long in their company?

If it is important: I am living now in Austria and am 17 years old, going to school. So I don't need to answer this question now, if ever. My plan is to move to Ireland after university (plan is at the age of around 26). How should I handle this question in an interview after graduation, where I don't plan to stay very long? (I would take the job to save money then)

I'm no qutite sure how I should handle that question. I know that the interviewer wants to know some of my goals (professional, maybe personal too, just to get to know the employee) but IMY moving to another country is both a personal and a professional goal.

Should I be honest, when X = 5 years?
Should I be honest, if X = 10 years?

EDIT: I've also seen this question which answers how one should answer the interview question: "How long will you stay with us?" Unfortunately the answers aren't fit for my questions, because I'm rather looking for an answer that helps me if I should talk about my moving plans at all or if I should say something completely different.

EDIT: Although I already said it in the introduction: This question doesn't provide an answer for the specific question: Should I say, that I want to live and work in Ireland. The question only gives answers what good answers to the interview questions would be, out of all possible answers.

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  • @gnat They are quite similar, but the question "How long will you stay with us" can only be answered one way. With a number of years. I want to know if I should answer my question honestly at all.
    – Féileacán
    Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 19:12
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    I do would not enjoy working for a place that asks those kind of silly filler questions. There are so much interesting things to talk about in an interview.
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 22:27
  • Do not make statements that hinder your chance at landing the job.
    – Mars
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 5:23
  • Of course not - are you nuts?!
    – Fattie
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 21:53
  • When folks ask you idiotic questions like "where do you see yourself in X years" just respond with brief and clear platitudes. What about this: "I'm a team player. By maximizing skills you can achieve real goals. With real goals, you can have a team. Achievement can be maximized - and that's what I want to do." Just answer with a platitude, like, "Hmm, I have the skills that I should be able to move along in an above average way in that time scale-if I focus, with the right company." Never, ever, ever, ever say anything about your actual personal plans not in a million years!
    – Fattie
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 21:56

3 Answers 3

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No, do not mention where you want to be living at that point.

This question is about your career aspirations and whether the company would be able to provide that.

They want to know what type of work gets you excited, what type of employee they can expect you to be and whether your long-term goal is in line with the career path available at the company.

The ideal for them is for every hire to last as long as possible.

They certainly do not want to hear "Oh, I'm planning on leaving the company in like a year or two", regardless of why you want to leave.

Also:

Where you want to live is more of a personal goal than a professional one.

It does not say anything about your career aspirations (unless you want to move somewhere because there are better career opportunities there, but that still doesn't help create a positive impression with the company).

It's about as relevant to what they want to know as saying you want to get married or buy a house.

Even if the company had offices in the place you want to move to, you still shouldn't mention your plans to move there (at least not primarily - you may be able to use mentioning this as a way to lead into enquiring about their policy on moving between offices in different countries, but I would suggest a gentle approach, e.g. "While I don't necessarily want to be there in exactly X years, I might want to spend some time working in {country} at some point in the future, ...").

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    One caveat in this answer is if the company is used and looking for employee to send abroad, and the country you want to end up in is one of the main country they do send employee too. For example, some consulting company are delighted to have somebody come up and say they would like to work in a foreign country, and it may help your applications. You however need to make sure before revealing that the company is indeed searching for that type of profile, and in that case, they will be the one asking you, and will be clear that they are interested in that kind of profile.
    – DrakaSAN
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 14:48
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The question is almost certainly asking for answers to these questions:

  • Can we offer a career path that makes the candidate stay here long term?
  • Does the candidate have aspirations for a management track?
  • Does the candidate have interest in things we are planning to explore in future projects?

So there is likely more to it than just the literal and unlikely to be truthfully answered question whether the candidate will stay for a short time or long term.

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From your comment:

the question "How long will you stay with us" can only be answered one way. With a number of years.

That's not true: you can tell the truth and nothing but the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth. For example,

I'm not an oracle - I can't predict the future. That said, so long as my goals and the company's goals are aligned, I don't have any plans to leave.

Frankly, it's a silly interview question, because nobody is ever going to say "oh yeah, I'm only planning to stay for 18 months and then I'm out of here".

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  • And how should I answer the question: Where do you see yourself ...? Should I be honest about planning to move to ireland or just lie and say something carreer-style like.
    – Féileacán
    Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 19:22
  • @Serafina Reisinger when they ask "Where do you see yourself?" they are not expecting a physical place as an answer. The "Where" in this case is used metaphorically. They are asking you what point you believe your career will be at.
    – Ian Parry
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 3:21
  • @Joker28322 I understand that, but living in Irelabd is a goal of mine. Personal and Professional cuse I want to live there.
    – Féileacán
    Commented Jan 8, 2018 at 6:40
  • Philip, healthy assessment, I have always thought it a silly question and your response is right on except I would leave out I am not an oracle I can't predict the future part, but I get your point. The rest of it as a response is legit.
    – Daniel
    Commented Feb 16, 2019 at 1:07

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