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Response to an interview question. (No flames please)
With a few upcoming interviews since my last long-term position held a
few weeks ago, I need some advice on how to respond to the popularly
asked, "Why did you leave your last job?". Knowing that I left my last
position in upset, I'm just not certain how to respond. It was the sort
of situation where I was being made to feel responsible for the state of
the workplace due to my family life by my boss and of course, this was
only discussed when I was the only one in his presence. And this being
the case, after having it reported to human resources my boss rounded up
a couple of other 'work buddies' including the person she works under
to deny this. They claimed that they never saw any issue between us and
my boss' boss turned it more into a performance issue saying that she
told her she should have fired me a long time ago. HR [obviously]
ended up supporting my boss by saying that even if she said such things to me that
I must have misinterpreted how it was said. In the end, I
let HR know that I was not going to be subject to being treated in
that manner and that this situation was not in accord with my desired work-life
balance. Side note just to vent: Interestingly enough they supported me up until the point
where I said I was leaving and that I would not reconsider staying.
After that, it was me who became an issue. Real nice!
Anyway, I'm trying to get advice on how much information I should
divulge in trying to explain why I left. I do know that if they contact
HR at my previous job they will most likely learn of all of this. And
I'm not going to be dishonest BUT I'd like to answer this question
tactfully and without laying blame or point fingers and what have you.
Any non-disparaging thoughts as to how I should respond?
Thank you.
Re: Response to an interview question. (No flames please)
Ditto the "wasn't a good fit" but I would recommend against saying you left to find another job just because that can really blow up in your face when they challenge it by saying something like "in this economy?" or something similar.
And I'm not sure what the laws are in your state, but I know in mine all a previous employer can divulge is the dates that an individual worked for them.
Just my $.02. Good luck to you!
The best advice I've gotten for this is to turn it around and talk more about why you really want to work for this company vs why you left your last. Eg, "I wanted a better opportunity, and this seemed to be the perfect fit for me."
Other than that, yes, being relatively vague, definitely professional, and not at all negative (eg, "It wasn't a good fit", "I wanted better opportunities for advancement", etc.) is fine.
Our little Irish rose came to us on March 5, 2010
Don't drink the water.
Disclaimer: I am not an MD. Please don't PM me with pregnancy-related questions. Ask your doctor.
I would actually disagree with "it wasn't a good fit." I used to have this prepared as an answer to why I left a job and the first (and last) time I used it I got asked "why wasn't it a good fit?" I wasn't expecting that so I stammered on my answer. It was hard to come up with a positive way of saying that our personalities didn't jive, they didn't pay well, etc.. I would stick with the "I wanted better opportunities for advancement," "I wanted something more challenging," etc.
Just my experience.
Keep it vague - you're looking for further opportunities for growth and advancement and think the potential company will be a great place for you to do this because of blah blah blah. Make it about your future, not your past. Your former company will most likely not share more than simply verifying your employment ("yes, she was employed here, in X position, from X date to X date"). If they do badmouth you, they'll do it whether you spin your reason for leaving or not, so why go there in an interview and risk the potential employer deciding not to pursue it further (thus negating the reference check anyway).
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