The dreaded “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”?

[avgas]

Yeah I have been going to a few interviews over the last year. I got so bored with these questions I started to have some fun with them.
Here are a few of mine (and some others I haven't tried yet), that have got a few giggles...
"In your job"
"Interviewing my replacement"
"As your boss"
"On a well deserved holiday"
"Doing another degree that wont be respected in NZ" (I have a B.Eng and MBA thus far lol)
"Designing better interview questions as head of HR"
"In a big house, with 10 kids and a pony" (I stole this from a friends daughter)

Ironically the only genuine one most people want to hear is:
"In the same role, working for you"

Seems when they ask it they aren't questioning your drive....more your zombie complex.
Wrong answers are anything to do with career progression. Don't believe me try it and see whom gets cut first.\

In a recent interview I missed out as they felt "I would use them as a stepping stone" - as I mentioned I would like to work somewhere i could progress through the ranks.
Kinda sad really. HR in NZ is fucked.

[avgas]

You will need to know how to speak "HR", its a language that no one understands, not even I suspct HR people. Thats why no one understands appraisals or any other memo/email/form from any HR department, they don't even understand it.

Funny fact. 80% of HR in NZ never studied HR and actually don't have a solid foundation in it.
Which could explain your comment. Imagine if 80% of electricians didn't know about electricity.

[oneofsix]

Funny fact. 80% of HR in NZ never studied HR and actually don't have a solid foundation in it.
Which could explain your comment. Imagine if 80% of electricians didn't know about electricity.

No, no you are mixing your comparisons. It should have been "Imagine if 80% of the people who worked on electricity weren't electricians", oops hold on a moment, that might be trrue.

[nodrog:Me]

Funny fact. 80% of HR in NZ never studied HR and actually don't have a solid foundation in it.
Which could explain your comment. Imagine if 80% of electricians didn't know about electricity.

thats shocking

[Stirts]

..think seriously about what the future holds & what you would like to acheive within certain timeframes.

Oh that is easy, farkloads more money, less work, and I want it now!

"earning shitloads to support my loser husband, and still making his lunch"

Support your add to cart habit!

You could tell them that there is in fact no 5 years from now to see. The only thing real is now.

A simple and honest answer could be: "I see myself in a satisfying job and I see myself receiving a salary that is enough to support my current and future needs." Anything beyond that is pie in the sky.

PIE?

Seriously though, I like that. He doesn't need to know that my current and future needs also include a track bike and time off work for any trackdays though aye?

Yeah I have been going to a few interviews over the last year. I got so bored with these questions I started to have some fun with them.
Here are a few of mine (and some others I haven't tried yet), that have got a few giggles...
"In your job"
"Interviewing my replacement"
"As your boss"
"On a well deserved holiday"
"Doing another degree that wont be respected in NZ" (I have a B.Eng and MBA thus far lol)
"Designing better interview questions as head of HR"
"In a big house, with 10 kids and a pony" (I stole this from a friends daughter).

I believe some of those might just tickle my GM's gigglebutton

HR in NZ is fucked.

Pretty astute you are!!!

[Flip]

I survived 25 years working at large petrochemical companies being asked just the same kind of questions. When I used to get sick and tired of the crap I used to arive in a suit and go to lunch at 1100 and not return to work. The buggers never said a thing when they think their IP is going to walk out the door with their engineer.

My standard reply to these stupid HR questions is retired. I guess sometimes it helps to be the grumpy old engineer.

[Indiana_Jones]

Indy doesn't know where he'll be in 5 minutes time - except NOT at sea.

Buggered if I know too.

More fun to make it up as you go

-Indy

[Scuba_Steve]

Kinda sad really. HR is fucking useless.

it's not just limited to NZ! But I fixed it for ya


...waits for someone in HR to try & justify their job

[avgas]

it's not just limited to NZ! But I fixed it for ya
...waits for someone in HR to try & justify their job

Yes and No. At some point in time some great managers in NZ thought it was a cool idea to fire the countries HR depts.
The good ones went overseas.
Then these NZ companies thought - all HR did was hire people. Lets contract out all our recruiting.
This opened the doors for a whole lot of door-to-door used car sales people to sell people/jobs for a living.

Good HR is worth gold. Your employees love working for your company, growth happens......and that horrible word 'synergy' actually occurs. Unfortunately this has been pushed on managers to step up and become "Leaders".

Bad HR is detrimental to operations. Staff turnover happens, and eventually people don't want to work for you anymore. Thank goodness we keep breeding new stupid employees or most firms in NZ would collapse.

I once was talking to a good buddy of mine whom works for a large engineering consultancy. Their "HR" department had to hire so many people per year as their target. He was on the other end having to fire them as they downsized.
Why didn't they just stop hiring people?
This still goes on at this large international firm. In Auckland.

On a similar note I was once asked to work for a company, that 3 weeks prior had made me redundant. I asked the girl at HR if she had read my whole CV. 30 seconds later "Oh! I see! But I am sure this was just simple misunderstanding"
"Your right. You were on the assumption that I gave a damn about working for you guys again"

[Indiana_Jones]

There's a few large international engineering firms in Auckland lol

But agreed, the hire/fire way of donig that is silly.

-Indy

[jim.cox]

Then these NZ companies thought - all HR did was hire people."

Everytime I see "HR"

I thnk "Human Remains"

[p.dath]

I don't think much past dinner at the moment. Sometimes I dare to think about the weekend coming up.

[oneofsix]

I don't think much past dinner at the moment. Sometimes I dare to think about the weekend coming up.

I don't think about the weekend as I'm married and she will tell me what I have planned for the weekend Saturday morning Well, this weekend it is the BRONZ ride but that's an exception.

[Stirts]

Everytime I see "HR"

I thnk "Human Remains"

Such fond memories I have of working in an HR Department within the Tertiary Education Sector (which was packed to the rafters with "human remains") was the majority had power beyond their level of intelligence and generally spent most of their time justifying their existence.

[Scuba_Steve]

Everytime I see "HR"

I thnk "Human Remains"

And your probably not half wrong

"Everyone hates human resources. It's one of the pet peeves of most employees. But then, let's face it, most HR people are not that bright and HR has not proven to be an effective career track. It's certainly not the fast track to the top. Historically, it's been a depository of people who haven't made it somewhere else. Not going anywhere? There's always HR."