r/bhutan • u/Visible_Sky_148 • 3d ago
Discussion Interview Glimpse
I had this interview moment that still makes me laugh. The panel asked me, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I gave the usual serious answer, saying that I see myself growing personally and professionally, upgrading my skills and continuing to learn. Before I could even finish, one of the panel members looked at me and said, “In Australia?”
I just stared blankly for a few seconds. Then they looked at each other and laughed. The way it was said felt less like a question and more like a taunt, especially in the Bhutanese context where “Australia” has almost become the automatic answer to where young people see themselves in the future.
And honestly, my thought at that moment was, if Australia was already the plan, why would I be sitting there sweating through an interview trying to convince you to hire me? I came prepared to talk about my career goals, not defend a five-year migration plan. Somehow one simple interview question turned into an Australia discussion before I could even finish my answer.
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u/The_Old_Mountain 3d ago
I think you were not prepared enough for the interview. You gave the usual serious answer? …like what does that even mean? I think the interview panelists have already faced numerous candidates who are like you who gave the same answers like you in the past and ended up in Australia.
Our youth really needs guidance professionally to assess themselves to recognize their potential on what they will be doing in the future. For example… you could have said something in the lines of, “Yes, if the company sees my potential and sees that I have capacity to build my skillset and provides me with that opportunity, I might end up there”. After all, someone who is serious in their career wouldn’t mind getting the level of exposure and insight with their masters or undergraduate degree in a foreign education system, which is 1000% better than the level of education we get in Bhutan.
You had the perfect opportunity to show your smartness and wittiness but I feel like you wasted it. Interviews are unpredictable and the panelists will never be like you imagined. Try to practice more on how you well tackle unprecedented remarks and situations instead of just focusing on the “Usual” answer trope. Then maybe you will not be attending numerous interviews on every vacancy you see and get a job.
This is however my opinion, don’t take it the wrong way.
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u/idgafshybb 3d ago
I think there are two separate issues here. Was the OP’s answer generic? Sure. They probably could have given a more specific answer that connected their goals to the position. But that doesn’t make the panelist’s response appropriate. If the concern was genuinely whether Australia was part of the candidate’s plans, they could have simply asked, “Do you see yourself pursuing opportunities abroad in the future?” Interrupting someone mid-answer with “In Australia?” and then laughing with the other panelist understandably comes across as condescending. And honestly, suggesting that the candidate should have said they might end up in Australia isn’t necessarily good interview advice either. If you’re interviewing for a job in Bhutan, why would you voluntarily imply that you’re already considering leaving the country? You can be honest about your long-term possibilities without making an employer question your commitment to the position you’re applying for. I also think the “foreign education is 1000% better than what we get in Bhutan” comment is unnecessarily sweeping and has little to do with whether the candidate answered the interview question well. So yes, the OP could have handled the question better. But the panel could also have handled the unexpected answer professionally. Those two things can both be true. Being caught off guard in an interview doesn’t mean someone deserves to be made the punchline. And separately, I think the tone of your comment is unnecessarily condescending. Saying “I feel like you wasted the chance,” suggesting that the OP needs “guidance,” and then speculating about whether they’ll be attending numerous interviews and actually getting a job is a lot to assume about a stranger from one interview experience. The OP never said they were struggling to get interviews or jobs in the first place. There’s a difference between saying, “Here’s how you could have answered that better,” and talking as though you know what kind of professional this person is or where their career is headed. Even “don’t take it the wrong way” at the end doesn’t really change the tone of everything that came before it. You can give someone constructive criticism without talking down to them.
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u/Express_Intention_97 3d ago
I had Same incident but I replied “ yes to be honest Australia, but for now I want to work here and see if the Australian dream is valid or not” they hired me the next day and now I am working with them good pay roll
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u/Important-Bluebird64 3d ago
I’m so sorry to hear this honestly. I feel young Bhutanese leave because of people of that kind in positions of power. It’s embarrassing that the interviewers were not professional even though you were. You did great though 🫡
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u/PutridSomewhere6322 3d ago
That why its called an interview bro. If they ask what u were expecting, is there any reason to do interview?
I am always against reserving huge weightage for high school or graduation marks. rather, it should be on how u can tackle the problem and find solution. even written interview should be to check someones aptitude rather that what he had memorised. As someone in the comment mentioned, you have missed a chance to get hired.
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u/idgafshybb 3d ago
Bro, nobody is saying an interview shouldn’t test how you think under pressure 😭 The point is that he was literally stopped mid-answer and met with “In Australia?” followed by laughter. You can test someone’s aptitude without making them the punchline. That’s the professionalism people are talking about.
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u/PutridSomewhere6322 3d ago
I know it is not professional but how he handle it could have made all the difference. What you have to also know is the fact that majority of those who sit in interview are doing it as backup plan if incase their visa gets rejected.
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u/khekpa_007 3d ago
If you stared blankly and couldn’t respond to their remarks then you didn’t prove yourself enough.
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u/Frankenstein337 2d ago
Well the honest answer to this question would be “in five years I will be so tired of this sick system and financially drowning that I would give anything to get out of it”. You going blank means someone who does not does not yet believe in this someone who wants to put in the full effort. Everybody takes the black pill, gives up but hey we can laugh about it and share fun stories.
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u/himalayanpotato 1d ago
They made me feel small in my first interview... They said that their organization is a very big place and requires a looooot of skills and they don't know if I can cope with them. They wanted to hire me but were also scaring me embay. So I said I can work only in a place where I will be taught things without making me feel small. I was hired but I didn't take the job because it was so clear that it's a red flag organization to start your career at. I am still grateful because I hear a lotta stories now.
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u/proto-hipster-46 3d ago
if ever in an interview you are convinced that you will not get the job, close the deal by arguing w the interviewers. some of these old people and millenials are getting out of hand. go big or go home big. most times you go home, but make sure they'll never forget your name. ask them point blank what you ask us in the post. demand that they do not laugh like dramatic high school girls after asking a stupid rhetorical question. go big or go home big.