The Most Troublesome Interview Question

“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” – Robin Sharma

Residency interviews are upon us. It is a somewhat hectic time of year which requires everyone in the department to take on extra duties in order to support those who will be interviewing the candidates. I am grateful to work within a program that values training and preparing the future generation of pharmacists. I always look forward to the excitement surrounding this time of year! I guess you could join others and call me a nerd. As I sat down to compile the list of questions that will be asked of candidates this year, I recalled my least favorite one. It goes something like this… “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

Each time I was asked the question in my own interviews, I desperately wanted to say “Oh, I don’t know, let me get out my crystal ball for a consult.” Instead, I answered for my audience. It was a well-rehearsed speech about my career goals. I answered the question in the way I wanted to be perceived, i.e., career oriented, little focus on social life, non-time-consuming hobbies, work experience with X organization, blah, blah, blah. At the time, I gave very little thought to what a balanced life would mean.  This question did not tell the interviewer anything about me, anyway. After I answered, the interviewer was no closer to making a decision regarding my qualifications than before the question was asked.

Watching the unknown unfold, creating new short-term goals, and maintaining some measure of focus on the things that mattered most, was the best part of my college and residency tenure. The things I love most about my life now were definitely NOT in my ten-year plan. And so, nearly ten years from when I first answered the question that I still loathe, I am someone far different than who I thought I would be. Today, I hold a position within the profession of pharmacy I never imagined or knew was a possibility. When asked the question, I did not say anything about how much knowledge that I hoped to gain in my field, which seems odd to me now.

Thinking everything is figured out is a mistake. That sort of mindset will almost certainly haunt the “know it all” as the world crumples around them. The preferred question to ask is lengthy and probably too personal in an interview situation. “Where do you see yourself in 50 years?” In order to answer that question, one must likely ask themselves this follow-up question. “In 50 years, what will I wish I had done with my life?”

If one lives and dies by their ten-year plan, it might mean missing out on the fifty-year goals. When looked at over many years, exceeding in well thought-out ten-year goals sometimes means sacrificing the long-term goals. In other words, we need to look at the bigger picture. Ten-year goals are self-centered. Fifty-year goals, then, are the ones that may take a lifetime to build, the opportunities that may take years of courage to complete, and the things people often regret not doing. They also include how you affected those you come in contact with. I will be honest…it is so difficult to live in a manner that focuses on the fifty-year plan. Believe me, mine is a work in progress.

The fifty-year plan requires vulnerability in order to create a legacy. So, go ahead and ask me “where do you want to be in 50 years?” I can already tell you! In my big picture, I am old and telling stories of the places I have traveled, the risks I have taken that paid off, and those that did not. I am confident I will be imparting life lessons learned through experience and will have created a legacy that remains on the Earth long after I depart from it. I hope those around me will remember how much I loved them, and how I choose meaningful relationships instead of a rote ten-year plan.

In short, I will not be asking the question “where do you see yourself in ten years” this interview season. Moreover, this week I encourage you to come up with a plan for those missing 40 years. I will be sure to let you know how my fifty-year plan turns out…. if blogging is even a thing in 2070!

©2020 Inspired Pharmacist