Hi! Rita Mendes, Talent Developer extraordinaire, at your service!
When I read the post about the worst job interview question, I knew I just had to speak my mind. Like David, I talk with dozens of candidates every day. There’s lots of great interview questions and answers tossed around, but there’s a particularly tricky one that helps recruiters understand if the candidate is a novice or a veteran interviewee.
Usually the conversation is going smoothly, until the topic arises:
“Why did you leave your last job?”
It’s a bit scary, but you don’t have to be afraid to hear this. It’s a normal question. We just want to know why you left, especially when you are describing the level of awesomeness of your last assignment. It’s not torture and it’s not just a way of stuffing the conversation with random interview questions (ain’t nobody got time for that!).
So, why do we ask it? We want to know:
- If you left the company on good terms
- If you were fired
- If you left the company for a positive reason (personal growth, relocation)
- Your cultural fit, because the reason you left is a hint to the kind of values you have as an employee
Yep, there’s actually a reason why this question is made. And you must expect it, so get ready! How should you answer it? There’s no recipe for that or a right answer. But there are some things you should keep in mind:
1st Rule: Never ever EVER badmouth your previous boss or company
Yeah, yeah, 50% of people leave because of their bosses. I know, you know, everybody knows that. But it’s not so much the reason, it’s how you deal with it. Things such as “they didn’t pay enough” and “the boss was a dictator” are forbidden to say during a job interview, even if they’re true.
The recruiter doesn’t know your previous company, colleagues and managers. The consequence? You’ll be seen as havinga negative attitude towards your co-workers and the interviewer will start thinking of you replicating this behaviour in the new role.
Plus, there’s always a chance the company you’ve applied for is actually a partner of your previous employer. Owch.
2nd Rule: Never LIE!
Interviewers are like hunting hounds… We can smell a lie a mile off, and when we get the scent, there’s no escape. Once we figure out that something’s not right, we’ll do everything to understand what’s going on beneath those white lies. There’s really no positive outcome that can come from not telling the truth! What do you think it’s going to happen if you got hired? People won’t find out? Good luck, dear.
3rd Rule: Stay Positive!
Highlight the good reasons that made you to leave the job! We want to know what’s driving you. Even if you left your job because you hated the boredom and were overworked to within an inch of your life, you can say it in a good way: “I’m looking for new challenges!” (more on this later).
Some candidates tend to focus on the negative, and that energy can fill a room in seconds. Try to better understand what you want before the interview. Think of your goals, your accomplishments so far, the experiences you’d like to have, and share them with the recruiter. Avoid thinking about the reasons that made you leave, and focus on the reasons that led you to want a new job. There are some main reasons why people leave their jobs (some of these ideas you can find them on our YourFit Model):
- Career Growth
- Looking for new challenges and responsibilities
- Learning opportunities
- Team and leadership
- Relocation
- Restructuring
- Looking for a better work/life balance
- Office location/commuting time
4th Rule: Storytelling!
You can have a really nice and positive attitude towards your previous job. Still, answers like “I’m looking for new challenges” don’t say anything about you. Without YOU in the answer, you’ll just sound like a machine spitting out buzzwords.
We wanna you better, as a person. What are you looking for? Do you want to work in a new language? Functional programming your thing? Do you want to try Scrum Methodology? Tired of working only with programmers? Want to try out multi-disciplinary teams for a change? Looking for a team management role? Why? Do you like dealing with people? Explain your motives, give the recruiter some context. Help us understand your life journey!
In the end , the best advice we can give you is for you to be polite, know what you want, and do your research beforehand. Be yourself! 😉
Talent Developer
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