Good point Fawnna. I always give them a serious expression and answer that question by saying that I will be the owner/president/CEO of the company in 5 years. When they ask why I see my self in that role I switch it to a great big smile on my face and say that if we are just guessing then I prefer to go all out and dream HUGE. People tend to laugh at that point and get to the heart of things.

The where do you see yourself in 5 years question is not looking for any particular response. HR reps usually ask questions like these just to see how you react. Have you thought about it? Do you care? Are you looking at this job as a stepping stone or is it just to fill an immediate lack of employment? Are you interested in furthering education? Are you passionate about something? But mainly it is to see if you are able to think on your feet and give them a decent response without getting too flustered and falling out of your chair. The only bad responses would be to basically not have a coherent thought, tell them you see yourself in a federal prison for extortion, or that you are planning to have committed suicide by then...other than that you're good.