SINGAPORE: Most job candidates usually talk about their career goals, skills, and ambitions when asked the classic interview question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
One Singaporean, however, took a refreshingly unconventional route.
Instead of pitching dreams of climbing the corporate ladder, they blurted out: “I hope for no layoffs.”
Sharing the experience on the r/singaporejobs forum, the individual explained that the brutally honest response came after being laid off twice in two years.
According to the post, they were retrenched in 2025 and then again in 2026.
“I [have become] super cynical, especially with the current climate of hiring and firing,” they wrote. “In my most recent interview last week, the interviewer asked me where I see myself in 3 to 5 years. I said I hope for no layoffs. Does it really even matter what I think anymore?”
“You need to elaborate more”
Although some Redditors found the answer amusing, several pointed out that it could also cost the job seeker the role.
One user said that if the remark was delivered “jokingly,” it might still land well. Otherwise, the interviewer could interpret it as a sign that the candidate was “not hungry enough” or had “a defeatist mindset.”
Another said, “No issue giving such a reply given the current job market, but you need to elaborate more and explain how you can make yourself more resilient rather than giving a 1-sentence answer. The interviewer wants to know what your thought process. is”
A third added, “This kind of thinking/wit can get Reddit upvotes/karma, but I’m not so sure about actually landing a job. Like it or not, the whole interview is a bull**** song and dance to see if you can ‘play the game’ properly. Outside of exceptional cases, I don’t think most interviewers will appreciate these types of ‘out of the box’ answers.”
What to say when asked about your five-year plan
According to job platform Indeed, employers often ask, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” to gauge whether your career goals align with the role, whether you’re likely to stay with the company long term, and whether you’re genuinely motivated to grow within the organisation.
When answering the question, career coach Kirsten Nelson advises against being too specific about timelines or job titles. In an article for Built In, she recommends keeping your response broad enough to avoid “boxing yourself in.”
Rather than saying, “I want to become the director of this department within four years,” she suggests focusing on the kind of impact you hope to make. For instance, you could say, “I’d like to become the go-to expert in my field,” “I’d like to take on bigger projects,” or “I’d like to be speaking on larger stages.”/TISG
Read also: ‘Survived layoffs, now this’: SG worker react as PIP notices issued across company
