How to Answer: What’s Your Dream Job?

You’ve established a great connection with your potential employer, and you’ve talked about your resume and skill set. This is usually when the interviewer will want to find out more about your future goals. “So, what’s your dream job?” she’ll ask.

This question is designed to give the person across the table a sense of how your goals align with those of the company you’d like to work for. They want to see that you’re ambitious and that the position you’re interviewing for fits into your long-term plans.

Here are some tips to help you prepare your answer.

Highlight your skills.

Are you great at customer service or awesome at coding? This is the perfect way to start your answer. It’ll give the interviewer a sense of how your skills fit the job description and help them understand why you applied for the position in the first place.

You can say something like: “I know that I want to develop my programming skills while also learning about how tech startups work. I think this role will allow me to do that and give me a sense of how I can grow in this industry.”

Dream big, but connect your future goals to the position.

Whether you want to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the Chief Marketing Officer of a technology company, letting the interviewer know that you have BIG plans is a great way of showing that you’re ambitious. Just make sure that you connect your goals with the role in question. This will show employers that you’re committed to them and will be sticking around.

Here’s what you can say to show the hiring manager that you’re in it for the long run:

“I really want to lead a product development team eventually and create and scale innovative tech products. I know that’s a really big goal, and I want to make sure I set myself up for success by developing my skills and working alongside talented people. My dream job would give me the opportunity to do that while also allowing for growth opportunities within the company.”

By highlighting your great qualities and giving a thoughtful answer about how the position will help you achieve your long-term goals, you’ll really impress the interviewer and get one step closer to landing the job.