I once had an MBA student who checked every box. He was whip smart, well-spoken, genuine, and clearly hard-working. He attended a respected college and spent two years at a top consulting firm. He was a typical top pick for the companies he was courting.
And yet, he kept getting rejected after job interviews. Something wasn’t adding up.
Finally, after asking him to do a mock interview with me, I quickly spotted the problem.
When I asked the classic “What are your long-term career goals?” he smiled and told me he wanted to start his own business one day.
Perhaps you can still hear me screaming, “No!”
As a CEO, here’s my advice to job seekers: Announcing your desire to someday leave the company that is trying to hire you is one of the three sudden death interview answers.
Let’s talk about what to avoid, and what to do instead.
1. ‘I want to start my own business someday.’
To a recruiter, this answer sounds like you’re planning your exit before you even walk through the door.
Why? Because every company understands that once you arrive as a new hire, the deal they’ve made is not fair. They will be paying your salary. But for several years, while they invest in your training, you will barely be worth it.
In fact, at most companies, executives agree new hires start making financial sense after about three years. If you signal that your plan is to leave and launch your own thing, most companies won’t want to take that bet.
My student thought it made him sound ambitious. And it does. But here’s how to frame it better: “My career goal is to rise to a leadership position, manifesting my ambition and initiative — right here at your company.”
2. ‘I value work-life balance and self-care.’
Yes, we all want balance. But if you say this is your top priority, you’ll instantly disqualify yourself, at least in the eyes of many hiring managers.
Companies want to know that you’re motivated, that you want to win, and that your goals align with theirs. Productivity and passion matter.
Our research at Becoming You Labs shows 65% of Gen Z identify self-care as a top value. That’s not wrong. It’s real. But in interviews, you need to balance it with what the company values, too.
Here’s a stronger approach: “I care about well-being, but I’m most driven by growth, excellence, and being part of a high-performing team.”
This shows that you’re human, but also hungry.
(Most companies have a set of well-honed questions to get at your values; others ask you outright. I recommend taking The Values Bridge test to explore your values before the moment of truth.)
3. ‘I was let go as part of my company’s recent layoffs.’
On the surface, it sounds benign. But seasoned executives know that in many layoffs, companies pluck out the top performers and reassign them elsewhere in the organization. And they are wondering why that didn’t happen to you.
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So you need to explain your situation in more nuanced detail, signaling that you know what they’re thinking. For instance, you might explain that your company was getting out of a certain business line entirely, and thus your skills no longer applied elsewhere in the newfangled enterprise.
If you want to be very authentic, which is always a plus, you might even say something like: “The layoffs taught me a lesson I’ll never forget, that you have to constantly be expanding your expertise with training, because business changes constantly.”
The job market today is challenging, and people are having to work hard just to land interviews. That’s why once you’re in the door, every answer has to hit right. And when in doubt, ask yourself: Does this answer show I want to be here, grow here, and win here? If not, rethink it.
My student learned that the hard way. But now, he’s back in the game, and hopefully his next play is a score.
Suzy Welch is an award-winning NYU Stern School of Business professor, acclaimed researcher, popular podcaster and three-time NYT best-selling author, most recently with “Becoming You: A Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career.” A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School, Dr. Welch is a frequent guest of the Today Show and an op-ed contributor to the Wall Street Journal. She serves on the boards of public and private companies, and is the Director of the NYU | Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing.
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