What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?: Why It Is Asked & How To Answer [With Sample Answers]

Are you nervous about an upcoming interview and curious about what the interviewer might ask?

It’s common to feel interview anxiety, but there’s a lot you can do to prepare.

One regular interview question is “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Knowing how to answer this can help make you feel more confident before an interview.

The interviewer has their reasons for asking this question, and knowing them will help you formulate a better answer. It can also assist you in determining whether the position you’re interviewing for is a good fit for you.

Why Do Interviewers Ask, “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?”?

There isn’t a single employer who doesn’t want to know the real reason you want to work for their company. And this question helps them learn something they wouldn’t learn from asking, “Why do you want to work for us?”.

Your answer can inform the interviewer of the kind of employee you will be. They’re seeking to determine whether you plan to remain at this job for long or only view it as a stopgap until a more desirable opportunity presents itself.

It’s very costly to hire and train a new employee. Thus, organizations are unwilling to invest in a worker who’ll be with them for only a short period.

The interviewer wants you to demonstrate that you didn’t just apply for the job because you came across the advert or you badly need a job.

What Is the Interviewer Looking For?

Hiring managers ask what you want to be to get an idea of your long-term dedication to the position. They seek to determine whether you’re certain of the path you wish to follow and how you plan to grow within the organization. They also want to know if you share the same vision for the organization.

Your response should convince the hiring manager that:

• You have long-term career goals
• The interview wasn’t an accident
• The position you’re applying for aligns with your ambitions, which will help you advance your career.
• You can successfully carry out the job you have applied for.

Your chances of landing the job will increase if your long-term career objectives align with the organization’s or satisfy the role’s requirements.

Furthermore, the question permits the hiring manager to discover how the organization can help you to accomplish your objectives.

How to Answer “What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?”

Here are some tips to help you give a satisfying answer and increase your chances of getting the job:

What to Focus on When Answering This Question

• Define your goals: You should come up with your career goals and write them down. Think about what you want to accomplish in the next six months to ten years. Goal-setting and self-reflection help you to demonstrate your aspirations to the hiring manager. Ensure your goals are realistic, measurable, and attainable.
• Conduct thorough research: Your answer should be relevant to the company and the position you’re applying for. Strive to know as much as possible about the organization by reviewing its objectives, initiatives, and mission. It’s easy to access this information from the organization’s website. You can also read news publications and articles about the organization online.
• Describe how you intend to accomplish your goals: Simply listing your objectives won’t help your case. You’ll need to outline the measures you intend to take to accomplish these objectives. That shows that you’ve carefully considered your career and how you can contribute to the organization’s growth.
• Demonstrate you’re a cultural fit: Employers want candidates who can easily integrate into their culture. Thus, your career objective should demonstrate why you’re a good fit for the team. Consider highlighting your work style and personality to convince the interviewer that you’ll be comfortable with the organization’s working environment.

 What To Avoid When Answering This Question

• Don’t discuss salary expectations: When discussing your objectives, don’t focus on compensation, bonuses, or other benefits. Instead, concentrate on the work you wish to achieve. It’s acceptable to mention a pay range, but avoid pinning yourself down this early in the hiring process. Furthermore, when giving a pay range, don’t be too specific.
• Don’t get into too many specifics: If you get into too many specifics, you might reveal to the hiring manager that the position is temporary to you. For instance, if your long-term objective is to become head of marketing for your dream organization and that’s not the role or firm you’re applying for, refrain from mentioning that.
• Setting unrealistic goals: It’s good to dream big. Nevertheless, telling the hiring manager that you’ll become the organization’s CEO within five years, having graduated from college a month ago, isn’t smart. You might appear arrogant, and no one will want to work with you.

Examples: How To Answer “What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?”

Hiring managers ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” because they care about their organization’s future.

You should strive to convince the interviewer that it’ll be a win-win situation. Here are some of the most appropriate answers you can give to increase your chances of getting the job.

POSSIBLE ANSWER 1

My short-term objective is to acquire and utilize my communication and marketing expertise in a similar position. But in the long run, I wish to advance into a position that permits me to continue using my expertise while also managing a team of marketing professionals.

I intend to accomplish this objective by assuming leadership roles in group projects and participating in leadership conferences, such as the one your organization hosts each year.

Why This Is a Good Answer

The answer is great because the candidate demonstrates that working for the organization would help them accomplish a short-term objective. That shows they know what they want and how they plan to get there.

Furthermore, the candidate connects the organization’s yearly conference and their long-term objectives. That demonstrates to the interviewer that they’re willing to improve their work performance to the organization’s benefit.

POSSIBLE ANSWER 2

My short-term goal is to land a sales representative job in an organization like yours. One whose main focus is delivering maximum customer satisfaction. The experience I get as a sales representative for an organization in which I have a lot of faith would equip me well for promotions into senior leadership roles.

Why This Is a Good Answer

The answer works because the candidate references the organization. It’s a good way to show interest in working for the organization and signal to the hiring manager that you intend to remain there for a long time.

The answer demonstrates to the interviewer that you’ll be more dedicated to the organization, maintain a positive attitude and work harder.

POSSIBLE ANSWER 3

I’ll graduate from University A with a degree in social work in two weeks. I’ve been working as an intern at the public guardian’s office and enjoyed every bit of it.

Landing a job in this company will permit me to continue with the type of work I was doing while also allowing me the opportunity to gain experience in program development and planning. That will help me better understand the complexities of running a big nonprofit organization.

Why This Is a Good Answer

The candidate is interviewing in a social work organization, and they’re connecting their long-term objective to the same environment. Consequently, the hiring manager has the assurance of retaining the candidate if they give them the job.

Furthermore, the candidate references their experience working in a similar position. You’ll show the interviewer you’ll have no difficulties integrating with the organization’s culture.

More Tips to Really Impress an Interviewer Who Wants to Know What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Check out these extra tips that will help you give a satisfying answer:

1. Be Specific

Answers such as “I wish to make a change” or “I wish to get to the next level” are too general and won’t get you far.

The hiring manager won’t appreciate generic responses, and they may even make you appear unprepared. Rather, highlight what you wish to achieve using concrete examples.

2. Practice Your Answers

Practicing your answers aloud might help you gain the confidence to stand before the interviewer. It’s a good idea to perform a mock interview with the help of a family member or friend.

Try answering the question in various conversational styles, and remember that the interviewer might change the phrasing.

3. Begin With Short-Term Objectives, Then Proceed to Long-Term Objectives

You most likely have a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish soon, such as securing a job with a company like the one you’re presently interviewing for.

Outline these objectives first, then discuss your long-term plans. Try to focus on a couple of achievable goals.

Additional Questions You Should Look Out For

Hiring managers ask a series of questions during an interview to guarantee they’re making the right decision. Other questions you should prepare for include:

• What Are You Passionate About?: Hiring managers use this question to understand your commitment to projects. They want to know how good you’re at seeing things to the end.
• How Do You Have Fun?: Interviewers wish to learn more about you as an individual and determine whether your interests relate to the job’s roles. They also use it to establish whether your hobbies support a healthy work-life balance.
• What are Your Main Interests?: Interviewers want to evaluate whether you fit their organization’s culture. Furthermore, they wish to determine whether your interests are valuable to the organization.
• Who Inspires You?: The primary reason hiring managers use this question is to gain insight into your motivations. They wish to establish your reasons for pursuing this opportunity and whether it’ll continue inspiring you.
• If You Were an Animal, What Would You Be?: Interviewers ask this question to learn more about the value you place on yourself. It also displays your most defining traits.

Wrapping Up

The question, “What do you want to be when you grow up? might be challenging. Nevertheless, with adequate preparation and practice, you can give an excellent, thorough answer.

Think about what you want to accomplish in your career. Consider how your current position will help you achieve it. Furthermore, highlight how you’ll add value to the organization and be specific when explaining your goals.