I have an interview soon for a technical sales position. I initially got the interview through a temp-to-hire service, and the woman who initially interviewed me has advised me that the company I'm applying at really looks for employees interested in long-term employment. She recommended to show that I'm interested in being dedicated and staying with the same company for 10-20 years.
I know in advance that I won't be with them anywhere near that long. I'm fresh out of college and ultimately interested in startup. I'm looking for places to start to develop my skills, not places to plant myself and take root for the next two decades. What's more, all the reviews I've read of the company I'm applying to indicate that it doesn't treat its employees as though it wants to keep them longterm. On Glassdoor, people say that the company is poorly managed and prone to favoritism, with expensive benefits and fickle profit sharing. I also know from reviews and from the temp-to-hire agency that they tend to lowball their salary offers. It doesn't sound like a company I'd want to stay with for two decades even if I was looking to plan out the rest of my life now. It seems like a good starting opportunity to get some experience and develop real skills and I'm very keen on the position, but I'm not interested in it beyond a few years.
How do you navigate this sort of situation in an interview? I don't want to come right out and say that I don't see myself here more than a few years, but I also do not want to make promises I don't intend to keep. (Even if there's no way they can hold me to anything, I'm extremely averse to making promises or agreements of that nature - it feels like a contract to me.) How should I present my interests and answer questions concerning my long-term plans in a way that doesn't flagrantly scream that I'll be gone as soon as it suits me?