Ann Israel is the legal profession's Dear Abby. A New York legal recruiter since 1979, Ann is a past president of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. Advice for the Lawlorn is updated every Tuesday.

Q:HOW DO YOU ANSWER A QUESTION LIKE,"WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS?"

Dear Shout: Whoa, are you really angry or something? Shouting, whether in person or online, hurts my ears and/or my eyes. I hope that question about where you see yourself in five years doesn't make you so angry when it is asked that you start screaming!

Actually, it is one of those Interviewing 101 questions that could make me scream. I often think that an interviewer resorts to a question such as this when he or she cannot think of anything else to ask or when there is an interviewing form he or she is supposed to follow. I'm not sure what someone expects to learn from the answer to this question because, rarely, is it a truthful answer; instead it is an answer that the candidate thinks the interviewer wants to hear.

Unfortunately, it is a question that one generally cannot avoid, particularly during in-house interviews. Therefore, it is best to be prepared to have appropriate answers in case you are asked this question -- answers that are appropriate for the firm or company where you are interviewing.

If you are clever during the interview -- and long before this question appears -- you have found out what promotional, growth or partnership opportunities exist short- and long-term at the firm or company where you are interviewing. Then, when you are asked where you see yourself in five years, you can gear your answer to fit that particular growth or partnership track.

What is important when answering this question is discussing how you intend to get to that five-year mark. That is the real key to your answer and what, I believe, should be the substance to the discussion. A one-sentence answer to the question doesn't deliver the same punch that will come with a well-thought-out explanation of your goals and how to attain them.

If you are quite junior in your practice and you are unclear as to how to answer the question, then it is fair to let the interviewer know you are not quite certain where you see yourself five years from now but you know with the mentoring and knowledge and experience you will receive from this firm, you expect to be a strong, midlevel associate by that time.

The main thing to understand about the question is that it is a time-filler, but it properly does give you a chance to distinguish yourself in an interview that may have been lackluster. If the question does come up, take advantage of it by showing that you are a professional and someone who truly wants to be a part of this firm or company for now and into the future (or at least for the next five years!).

Good luck!

Sincerely,
Ann Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates