As A Former HR Professional, This Is The Most Ridiculous Question I’ve Ever Answered!

The question I had been asking my interviewees, seemed so irrelevant, practically idiotic! You see, what Karma does. Life comes a full circle, I thought.

In the first eighteen months of my career as an HR Professional, taking interviews was a part of my job. As an interviewer, quite often I would revert to the standard interview question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

After this stint, I had to relocate to a new city and was the one being interviewed for jobs. This was the third place I’d landed at for an interview. And I was already tired of the same old boring questions. Yet, there I sat- full of confidence and a cheery disposition as the usual prospective job candidate, in front of the interviewer.

The fifteen minute face-to-face delivery of the questionnaire went very well. Then he threw that last question on me, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

Suddenly, the question I had been asking my interviewees, seemed so irrelevant, practically idiotic! You see, what Karma does. Life comes a full circle, I thought.

My brain started churning crazy thoughts with that ridiculous question but I had to keep up the impression I had built for myself. I looked at the expression on his face. He looked like he had a lot expectations but I was no longer the baby new-graduate trainee anymore. 

Five years is a LONG time

There were quick flashes in my mind. How could I know the arrows of my fate? That too, five years down the line! Five years ago if he had asked this question, he would have known how the weather keeps changing.

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I had planned to get into journalism five years ago but ended up doing an MBA since that seemed like a better option. Then I took up Marketing as my major but chose to be an HR- which was my minor subject. And then, I worked in my first company thinking that I would be stable there for some time but ended up relocating!

I just wanted to tell him, “I am bad at weather forecasting.” Five years is a long time. For that matter, I also thought if he had planned or expected to be here, doing what we were doing! And I also felt like saying, “Celebrating the fifth anniversary of you asking me this question. Or I could also see myself sitting in your chair, five years hence.”

My obnoxious brain just felt so funny in those 30 seconds. Yeah! My thoughts ran that fast. So the silence was not awkward. Rather my expression probably showed that I was stretched in intellectual thought.

Five year from now…

And then I continued the verbal process, “I am really determined to achieve mine and the company goals. Five years down the line, I see myself into a managerial role and demonstrating my leadership capabilities. I am very keen to be working in an organisation where I feel I share all of its values. And I would love to have the opportunity to contribute to its growing success, five years hence.”

Phew!

I looked at him as if we were playing tennis and it was his turn to strike the ball. Impressed, he shook hands with me and offered me the job almost instantly.

I joined the company.

After working there for four years, I am now a stay-at-home mom working to the best of my abilities!

You see how unpredictable the weather gets?

A version of this was first published here.

Picture credits: Pexels

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