Interview Tips: What are your short-term goals?

In a job interview, your employer will ask you a variety of questions, and your sole focus would be to dazzle them. You would want to have the answers they desire and to achieve your goals through the company. In order to pursue your goals, you must plan out how to answer the question “What are your short-term goals?”. Employers would like to know your short-term goals to evaluate your qualification for the role they are hiring for. They need to know how your future career objectives would align with being in the company. 

Your answer to the question must provide the employer with a clear and organized idea of your goals that relates to the role you are interviewing for. It should showcase your ambitions and determination to advance in your field. 

The question is, depending on where you stand in your career now, the answer to it will alter accordingly. A person with five-year experience in a particular job or field will have an entirely different short-term goal than that of a fresher.  With proper Career Development Training, you will have improved skill with constant learning, enabling you to reach your goal. 

How to answer, “What are your short-term goals?”

Let’s see how you can approach this question in a better way suiting to the job role you’re interviewed for. 

To provide the interviewer with a clearer picture, inject details while presenting your answer. Elucidate on what subject or skill you would like to work on or achieve. Let them know what your goal means to you. Success may have a different meaning for each individual, so paint a clear picture while answering. For example, clarify what skill you want to achieve, like learning how to excel in digital marketing. 

It is important to determine when you would possibly achieve your said goals. Set a timeframe in which you want to complete your goals. This will bring out a determinant factor in you to the interviewer. For example, if you want to learn digital marketing, keep a time frame like 6 months to achieve the goal. 

Your short-term goals need to be realistic and attainable in the said period of time. It needs to have a relation with your basic skill set and abilities. For example, if you are a fresher, you cannot set a goal to be a CEO within 6 months. That is a long-term goal. Short-term goals need to be precise and realistic. It should be something you can attain within a brief span of time. 

An ultimate criterion the employer looks for is your honesty and optimism. An honest goal in correlation to your abilities has a greater chance of being attained. It gives a sense of assurance to the employer about you and your abilities. For example, if you are on a basic level of learning photoshop, let the interviewer know. This will give them a brief on your photoshop skill.

To make the employer choose you, your answer should not only be honest but also relevant to the job you are interviewing for. Your short-term goals need to fit the needs and nature of the organization. Determine the company’s vision and mission by visiting their website, learn about the company and your employer. This study will provide clarity and help you build a well-crafted response. For example, in a marketing-oriented company, your short-term goal being ‘to excel in digital marketing ’  will be a perfect fit. 

For your answer to be attainable and realistic, it needs to be on par with your skills and overall experience. Consider where you are now in your career, and accordingly focus on what you could and will have achieved in a week, a month, or even a year. For example, if you have been working in an entry-level position for a few years, you might consider taking a job in more leadership roles. This shows that you understand how you want to move forward in your career.   

To Sum Up

There are no wrong ways to answer an interview question, but you can make it a brilliant answer. A short-term goal is an outcome you want to achieve in 12 months or fewer. It can be, ‘to achieve a new skill’, ‘improve work-life balance’, ‘learn and gain experience ’, or even ‘to find a job to be resourceful in’. A successful answer can help you advance in an interview, giving you the possibility to get the job. You can present long answers or brief answers, but the important thing is that it needs to be honest, realistic, and relevant to the job you are applying for.

Read Related Blog: Interview Tips: What are your long-term goals?