What is your career goals best answer?

TL;DR

To give the best answer to "what are your career goals?", tie your goals to where the company is going, not just to your own advancement. Say plainly that you want to take on work that matters to the organization's future, and show you have thought about how to get there. Then be direct and specific about what you want, such as a particular role or kind of project, instead of staying vague or assuming the interviewer already knows.

Insights

The strongest way to talk about your career goals in an interview is to connect them to where the company is heading, not only to your own climb. Show that you want to take on work that matters to the organization and that you have thought about how to contribute at a high level. One way to do this is to ask how you can be sure to be involved in the projects that are critical to the company's future, which signals that you want to move the whole team forward rather than just collect a title.

Be direct and specific about what you actually want. Many people assume a manager or an interviewer already knows their goals, so they stay vague and hope it comes across, and it usually doesn't. Name the role or the next step you are working toward, take charge of your own path, and say your goal out loud so the person across from you can actually help you reach it.