How to Answer the Interview Question, “What Is Your Ambition in Life”
By asking you about your goals, an interviewer can figure out if you’d be a good fit for the job. If you answer this question well, you can show the employer that you are ambitious, which is a good quality in a worker. If you look up good answers to this question before your interview, you can improve your interviewing skills. This article talks about why employers ask “What do you want to do with your life?”, how to answer, and gives some examples of answers. “What Is Your Ambition in Life”
People ask, “What do you want to do with your life?” for what reason?
“What are your life goals?” is a question that employers ask to see if you are self-motivated enough to do well at work. If your goals are what drive you to work hard, you may be more likely to do good work for the company than someone who is driven by what their boss tells them to do. The interviewer may also try to find out if you are interested in the job for the long term. If you see the job as a temporary step in your career or a side job to your real passion, you might not be as successful as you could be if your goals match the job.
What to say when someone asks, “What do you want out of life?”
Follow these steps to figure out the answer to this question:
1. Consider your goals
When you answer this question, you can think about your life goals and decide which ones are appropriate to talk about at a job interview. Think about your personal and professional goals, as they are often related in ways that could be important. The two types of goals are:
- Intrinsic: An intrinsic goal is one that is important to you and makes you feel good about yourself even if nobody else does. This could be something like learning a new skill or getting a job done.
- Extrinsic: An extrinsic goal is one whose value comes from something outside of the person, like a prize, money, or a rise in status.
When you write down your goals, you can see which ones match the job you’re applying for and which ones don’t.
2. Figure out how you can get better.
Think about how much room for growth the company you’re applying to has when answering this question. This could make the employer want to hear something different from you. If you want to be a manager or the CEO of a company and are trying to get a job there, you can talk about that in your interview. If you’re applying for a job in retail or as a firefighter, which don’t offer many chances to move up, you can focus on simple goals like making a good income, enjoying your work environment, or helping the community.
3.Make sure it has something to do with the job.
Think about who you are talking to when you answer this question. You might have personal or long-term goals that have nothing to do with the job, like moving to another country or becoming a musician, but you don’t have to talk about them in your interview. You should instead focus on goals that have to do with the job. Think about what the job can give you and how that fits with your life goals. In your answer, you can talk about how the job will help you learn more about the industry or improve skills you need for your future goals.
4. Answer truthfully
If you want to seem like a real person in your interview, be as honest as you can. Interviewers don’t want to hear that getting the job is the most important thing in your life. Tell me about a goal you have and how this job will help you reach it. Think about what about the job made you want to apply in the first place. You can also be honest about smaller goals, like having a good income and good experience, because that can show that you might be happy in the position in the long run. If the job is your dream job, you can say so in your interview.
5. Show how much you’re looking forward to the job.
Talk about your goals and how excited you are about the job when you answer this question. Talking about how the job can help you reach your goals is a good way to show that you’re interested in it. Getting excited about the job can make you look like a positive person and show how much you want the job. Employers want to hire people who will stay at the job for a long time, so it’s important that their goals fit with the job.
When the job has room to grow in the company, for example 1
“My life goal is to work in construction project management at a well-known company where I can build relationships and work with people I respect and trust. I want to work for a company where I can learn a lot and contribute to a lot of good projects that make me feel good about myself. I also want to start a family in this city, so I’m glad to see that your company is hiring and that so many people have worked there for a long time and done well.”
Example 2: If the job will give you the experience you need to reach your goals.
“My life goal is to become the director of marketing at a successful company or maybe start a marketing agency. Even though I have a lot of real-world experience, I’m looking for my next challenge to help me learn and grow. This job as a marketing manager interested me because it gave me a chance to think about marketing with an eye toward building a brand over time. I’d love to work with a brand and help them build a marketing team that can improve how they do things.”
When a business doesn’t have a chance to grow,
“My main goal is to have a steady way to make money and a good job. So, I wanted to ask if you were hiring people to sell things in your store. When I talk to a salesperson here, they are always calm, friendly, and ready to help. I think this is a good place to work with happy people because of how they act. I’ve worked in retail and customer service, so I know that working in retail can be stressful. I want to work in a store with a good vibe so I can focus on helping customers.”
Example 4: When your goals don’t match your job
“My main goal in life is to make enough money to support my family and still have time for my own interests. I saw in the ad that this was a part-time job that couldn’t be turned into a full-time job. That’s great for me because I also run a small business, which takes up about 20 hours a week. I want to find a way to make extra money to pay for the other 20 hours of my full-time job. My side business has very flexible hours, so I think we’ll be able to make it work.”
Example 5: When you get the job of your dreams
“My goal is to be the lead architect at a well-known firm, and yours has always been my favorite. Because I thought they were so good, I was very interested in your school projects. When I saw this job opening, I couldn’t wait to send in my application because I’ve always wanted to work there. This job and the chance to work with some of my heroes in the industry will help me improve my drawing skills and give me access to some of the most exciting and risky projects being made right now.”
