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I am 67 and will start looking for a job soon. I was in an executive coordinator and now I have a Masters in Social Work; at age 62.

I am afraid of not finding a good job because of my age. I am studying for my license but am not sure if I need one.

How can I address questions related to, "What will you be doing in 5 or 10 years?"

enderland
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Isabel
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  • Hi Isabel, I clarified your post slightly to make it more easily answerable - if this changed your intent too much, feel free to [edit] and clarify. Welcome! – enderland Jun 02 '15 at 15:09
  • Related: http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/9526/how-to-handle-the-where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years-question –  Jun 02 '15 at 15:16
  • So, what are your plans? Surely you know that if you apply for a job, how long you intend to stay? More than 5 years? We need that info to be able to answer, so please [edit] your question and tell us your plans. –  Jun 02 '15 at 15:18
  • You are 67 and are "nearing retirement age"? What country is this, just so we can avoid it as the retirement age is actually lower than this in every country I know... – dirkk Jun 02 '15 at 15:19
  • Besides, I 'read' a lot of other issues/doubts (also in your previous edits), like I am afraid of not finding a good job because of my age. Is this really a question about people asking you What will you be doing in 5 or 10 years? or are you unsure about what you will be doing in 5 or 10 years? –  Jun 02 '15 at 15:21
  • In ym country everyone is whining because they raised the retirement age to 63. Greetings from Germany (we dont really work here anyway. we have machines and stuff and we basically just keep an eye on them) – BlueWizard Jun 02 '15 at 15:22
  • The answer depends upon whether you're planning to retire or you'll work till you drop. I see myself in an ash urn at the bottom of New York Harbor, I don't see myself retiring. – Vietnhi Phuvan Jun 02 '15 at 15:40
  • @dirkk: Retirement age, in the sense of actual retirement rather than being of an age to collect Social Security benefits, is very much a personal choice. As for instance my neighbor, who worked as a mining consultant (on-site!) well into his late '90s. For myself, I enjoy the work I do, so why would I want to 'retire' and drink myself to death in front of the TV, like another neighbor? – jamesqf Jun 03 '15 at 00:17
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    Possible duplicate of How to handle the "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" question – Bernhard Barker Nov 05 '17 at 20:50
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    "the following answers are unlikely to fly well in the majority of scenarios ... I'm looking at retirement in the next 3-4 years" - that seems to tell you everything you need to know (or at least that addresses everything that's different between this question and the linked one in sufficient detail). If they ask that question, they're likely looking for someone who will (ideally) stay at least that long. – Bernhard Barker Nov 05 '17 at 20:54

1 Answers1

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They aren't really looking for you to commit to working there for 5 (or 10) years, they are mostly looking at what you want to learn / get from a job, how does that fit with what the company does, and will you fit in culturally.

Focus on why you got into social work in the first place. Talk about wanting to keep learning and how much you enjoy that. Be passionate and energetic about the job you will be doing and that should be enough to show them you will work hard and be a social fit for the company.

Backup the passion by demonstrating knowledge of the subject matter to the interviewer and you should be good to go!

Brian Dishaw
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    This is the kind of question where I wouldn't worry too much about feeling dishonest. Everyone knows your circumstances could suddenly change tomorrow, no one will hold it against you if your answer to this question doesn't match what you actually do later. This answer I think is an excellent approach. – Kai Jun 02 '15 at 16:45