Where do you see yourself in five years?' in an interview

Interview Preparation
#1

It’s best to prepare for interview questions such as ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ before you get to the actual interview. This ensures you provide well-thought-out answers and successfully convey the message you’re trying to get across to the hiring manager. The following are steps you can take to prepare for and answer this interview question:

Get clear about your career goals. Take some time to brainstorm what your career goals are for the next five years. Do you want to gain new skills? Are you interested in eventually moving into a managerial position? Do you want to work on particular projects? Are you interested in working in a particular industry? You could also answer this question by thinking about what you’d like to see on your resume in five years. Do you want to obtain particular certificates or hold a certain job title? Make a list of these aspirations.
Find connections between your goals and the job description. To help tie in your goals with the job you’re applying for, look at the job description and see if you can find any traits and skills you already possess as well as those you want to get more experience in. This will allow you to relate your goals to the position you’re applying for in the interview.
Ask yourself if the company can prepare you for your career goals. It’s important to be honest about whether the company you’re applying with can prepare you for your career goals over the next five years. If it can’t, you may want to reconsider the position or let the employer know up-front that you may not be with that company for at least five years.