Final interview, final question: Be Ready

Scrolling though X (f/k/a Twitter), I came across a post by Chidanand Tripathi (@thetripathi58) about a question asked in the final interview before an offer is extended. It is, therefore, often a make-or-break question. Here it is: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Here are his thoughts, mixed with a few of my own.

Don’t be fungible

All our lives, we are taught to play it safe: Do not stand out, do not rock the boat, do not be different. Once upon a time perhaps, that was acceptable advice. Now—with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI)—it’s a recipe for disaster, with you being the cooked goose. As the expression goes in East Texas, “The only things in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and armadillos.”

Tripathi tells us that the safe answer to the five-year questions is “I want to be a manager,” relegating you to commodity status. The other safe answer is latching onto a title—VP of XYZ. That is a useless conclusion, just like an appetizing looking doughnut, pretty but zero nutritional value.

Do be different

Here are some of his suggested answers: