Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hate this interview question.

I know what I'm supposed to say.

I'm supposed to describe some upward trajectory. More responsibility. Bigger title. Bigger team. Some indication that I'm ambitious and motivated.

But that's not actually how I think about work.

I don't give a crap about the corporate ladder.

I care about the work in front of me.

What needs to get done?

What's not working?

Who needs help?

What can I make better?

What can I get moving?

That's what motivates me.

And here's the strange part.

Once you hire someone, isn't that exactly what you want?

You want someone who gets really good at the job. Someone who takes ownership. Someone who cares whether the company succeeds. Someone who doesn't need a promotion dangled in front of them every two years to stay motivated.

Yet in the interview, we're often expected to demonstrate ambition by talking about where we want to go after this job.

I've been doing marketing for over 25 years. I don't need my next title to prove anything to me.

Five years from now isn't guaranteed.

Today is.

So where do I see myself in five years?

I don't know.

But I can tell you what I'll do Monday morning.

I'll show up and ask:

How can I help?

That, to me, is ambition.