I am sure you would rarely have come across this question from your parents whenever your family used to sit together to discuss your future and career. Well, that’s not surprising because most parents don’t ask; they tell you what to do (all in good humor). But if you have been this question asked by your elders then you should thank your stars for such a family.
Well, let’s not divert much from the topic. The only intention was to introduce the topic or should I say, the question to you. Others may not have asked this question from you but don’t worry, your interviewer got this one in his stock to fire on you. But, if no one had ever asked such a thing from you then there are high chances that you would not have thought about it at all. And if you have not thought about it then how will you be able to answer it during your interview.
Worry not. We got you covered. The article describes all with regards to what to say, what not to say, how to say, and everything else as a response to this question. So keep on reading to formulate the best answer from your side to be delivered in your next interview.
What the interviewer is trying to judge?
Okay, some people say that the interviewer wants to listen that ‘your job or the job that your company is offering is my dream job’ as a response to this question. Is it so? Not really. The interviewer doesn’t want to have any acceptance or praise about that particular job role from you, but the other reasons behind asking such a question from you are:
1. To know about your passion: your dream job defines your dream and dream, in turn, defines the things that you are passionate about. So, as a response to this question, the interviewer wants to hear about your dream job that you have been striving for and aiming for.
2. To know the level of responsibility you are ready to take: it won’t be an exaggeration if you say that you would someday like to be a CEO of a company or if you name some other top-level position as this defines the level of responsibilities those you are willing to take on and work for.
3. To know the kind of motivation you want: there are many ways through which a person can be motivated. Some of the incentives can be financially well others can be non-financial. The job that you are looking for i.e. Your dream job, says a lot about your motivating factors. The interviewer wants to know about it to decide on the motivation incentives to give to you.
4. Are you the right fit? This question will surely tell the employer whether or not you are the right fit for the industry or his company. And that is the main reason behind asking this question from you.
Pre-requisites
So, what all goes into the making of a rightly splendid response to this question? Here are some of the pre-requisites to be done at your part to be ready with its answer:
1. Think about the type of work you want: ponder over the activities or roles those you want to do and those you will enjoy doing and can do for the rest of your career-life. It may and may not be any job-position in specific. It can be certain job-roles those you expect from your job.
2. Your abilities: if you have zero in on some roles those you aspire to form your job, now, think of your abilities and qualities. All those you hold and all those you wish to attain in the meantime. Thinking about your attributes will give you an idea that to which all fields or departments you can think of your future.
3. What appeals to you about the job? What is it that appeals to you or attracts you towards a particular job position? Is it the finances i.e. The pay or salary part or is it the sense of importance that you’ll gather in an organization by being at a particular position?
Tips on what to include and what to avoid
About what to INCLUDE:
The tips that will help you to formulate a flawless answer for this particular question are as follows:
1. Your interests: as stated earlier in the article that the main reason for the interviewer to ask such a question from you is that he or she wants to know about your passion. So do not forget to mention your interests and passion in your answer.
2. Mention your skills: talk about the skills those you have and those you will be using while doing the duties of your dream job. The employer must be told about the skills those you hold as to give a sense of what you are worthy of.
3. Mention your reason: there is always some reason behind someone thinking and dreaming of something. So, your dream job too has a reason. Is it because of the skills and qualifications you hold or is it because of the standard of life it promises you once you grab it?
4. A general description will do the needed: you do not specifically have to mention a particular job role or position. You can go on by saying that you want certain things from your job role like recognition, value, challenge, etc.
5. Examples: examples will always add weightage to what you are talking about. So, mention some of the examples from your life that made you think about that position as your dream-job.
Things to AVOID
Certain things that you should avoid while answering this question are mentioned below:
1. Irrelevant: you cannot mention any off-track job position as your dream job because this question is not just to describe your dreams and interests but also a chance to show your abilities to the employer and to impress him to get hired. So, refrain from saying anything that is not parallel to your job-role.
2. Being too general: not mentioning a particular job-role and giving a general description of the roles is fine but being too vague or too general response is not acceptable. For example, you can say that you would like some job in the finance department dealing with some investment decisions of the organization but you cannot say “that I am good in finance so I’ll go in that field!” Just it? This doesn’t give any idea.
3. The job you are applying for is your dream-job: yeah! This has been already mentioned in the article, but still, to highlight this point again, you should not mention the job you re applying for as your dream job. The interviewer wants to know about how far you can go not how far you have reached.
Preparing your answer
How are you preparing to answer this question? Just knowing the above tips won’t do the trick you need to frame your response in a particular framework:
1. Mention your skills: first things first, mention your skills or the qualifications. It can be certain character-traits like leadership qualities or something else; also these can be your skills which make you sharp in a particular field where you dream your career.
2. Mention of the job: so, here is the main content. Mention about your dream-job. Remember, if you are very much sure about it then only to name a specific job-position otherwise go general in terms of your expectations from a job. Like what it should relate to.
3. Mention your passion: here is the favorite part of the candidates. They like talking about themselves, their passion, their interests, and all. So, here is your chance to name the interview in your name. Talk of the passion that drives you towards the job which you call your dream job.
4. Relate with the job offered: remember the relevance. Do not mention any irrelevant job-role as your dream job. Relate all the above-mentioned points. Your skills, your dream job, your passion, and your interests should all indicate a common point along with describing you as the right fit for the job.
Sample answers:
Example: 1
As I mentioned earlier, I hold nearly seven years of experience in the apparel industry and that too mostly at the stores. My plan, for now, would be to continue working in the same industry and gain more and more exposure. And my dream job would be to work in the same industry as a regional manager of some luxury brand stores. From my experience to date I have learned to work well in a team as well as individually. Also, I hold a good command over my oval communication skills. So, I would like to advance on those skills and keeping working hard to be eligible for such a responsible position someday.
Example: 2
My dream job would be some work that will allow me to make an impact on people’s lives positively. My dream is to work for a responsible company like yours that affects the needs of people on an everyday basis with its products. Your products are time-saving as well as life-enriching used by thousands of people daily. I would someday, love to be part of such an organization and would like to work with an incredible team to develop products in new and innovative ways such that people find them more effective and efficient while using.
Example: 3
I believe that I am a good team player as well as a good team-leader. I value teamwork very much and hence I would like to work in some job-role that will engage numerous people as a team where everyone will work together, encourage each other along with holding themselves accountable. I have always tried to be an optimistic and positive person who believes in motivating people around him so that everyone will give their best every day. So, I dream of being a team-leader someday under which a whole team of responsible works to deliver big-projects maintain high-quality standards within in stipulated time duration.
Example: 4
Whenever I think of someday in my future, I imagine myself at some leader position. A leader who has her team working to attain the organizational goals. I have always been praised for my leadership skills and qualities. And so, taking all these attributes in mind I would like to take on leader responsibility someday shortly in my career. I enjoy setting up everything right at their place and making sure that everything works as per plan. I like to guide other team members in the best possible manner. So, my dream job will be a leader job-position with active team members.
Example: 5
I believe that my dream job-position would be some position that will be a combination of two job roles. The first one will be of creating or designing new and innovative products for the company. And the second one will be communicating about the product to the world so that more and more people would use them daily. The position in your company too somehow aligns with my dream job and that’s why I got excited when I came across the news. Your company is one of the leading companies in the industry who design products which are used by millions out there. I think I would be right fit into the offered job-role.
Example: 6
I am a person who has his background in the medical stream and the only reason to choose that stream at the time of my higher education was a mission to help people and make the best treatment available to them. But soon after working as a medic, I realized that there is a need for affordable medicines in the Indian market. So, my dream is to work with some company that has its vision on the same line as my mission and that aims to make medicines available to all at affordable rates. That will help me to attain my purpose as well as the company’s purpose.
Example: 7
thinking about the future of my career, I have always dreamt of starting my own company. Since I hold good experience and connections in the fashion industry, I wish to launch my brand of fashionable products that will range from clothes to accessories. I have thought a lot about it and always tried to inculcate the required skill set in me. Also, I will continue to work hard to convert my dream into reality someday. This particular industry has its own set of challenged to throw at me who I am aware of, but also ready to face boldly. Your company has its name and fame in this industry, I look forward to gathering as much knowledge as possible along with giving my best to the company.
Example: 8
I hold a degree in engineering. The reason behind pursuing engineering at my college level was that I wanted to make a mark in the renewable energy sector. With the rising demand for energy, this is sure, that there will be a huge imbalance between demand and supply of energy. I knew I lacked the proper exposure to commence something new in this industry. So, that’s why I chose to pursue an MBA so that I can actualize my dream of innovating something new in this sector. So, my dream job will be to work with a company that will allow me to explore more in this sector.
Example: 9
I have always been involved in the marketing field in one way or the other. When I started my career, I started as a salesperson, the next job that I got was also in the marketing department of one of the companies. My dream job is to work as a freelancer for numerous organizations and develop or formulate marketing strategies for them. I am passionate about working with various organizations and to suggest them the marketing tactics they need to use. I want to deliver customized and tailor-made services to each one of them to best satisfy them. In short, I want to work for many companies in the marketing field.
Example: 10
I do not hold the name of any specific job-position in my mind to say as such. But one thing that I know for sure is, I hold good communication skills and problem handling skills. So I wish to have a job in hand that will make the best use of these skills to grow more. I think of some role in the sales department of a company that will give me chances to interact with people and know their issues and ultimately works towards solving those problems. The job-position offered by your company can be a good chance for me to formulate the skills required by working with your marketing department.
