How to talk about the reasons for leaving your previous job

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

When going to an interview, the applicant should be prepared for the fact that the recruiter will literally bombard him with tricky questions. Some of them can be answered with all your charm and sense of humor, while others require a more serious approach. The question "Why did you leave your previous job?" - just from the second category. And you should think in advance about what you will say before a potential employer decides to inquire about why you left your past "passion".

It would seem, why would a recruiter or future boss know such details of your work life? Well, she quit - what does it matter to them why? At the moment, you are starting everything from scratch and are ready to work without thinking about past failures. However, look at this situation from a different angle: when you meet an attractive man and want to enter into a serious relationship with him, sooner or later you will want to find out what caused him to break up with his ex-girlfriend. What if he cheated on her? Or is he generally a hidden misogynist and literally torments poor women with his claims and quarrels? Of course, it is unlikely that a man will tell you the whole truth, but by his reaction you can understand that something is not clean here. It is from these considerations that hr-managers find out why people completely unfamiliar to them wrote a letter of resignation and set out on a big voyage. When hiring a new person, they must be sure that they are not taking on an inveterate truant and not a quarrelsome schemer who throws mud at their “ex”. An employer needs a competent, experienced and, what is important, an employee loyal to the company - this is the impression you should make when answering the question about the reasons for leaving your previous job.

Get ahead of the hr manager

You already know that sooner or later the recruiter will ask this question, so why not get ahead of him by talking about the reasons for the dismissal yourself? Of course, you should not start a scrupulous topic from a breeze, but you can wait for the right moment and talk about why you left your last place of work. Why is this approach good? Thus, you will show that you have nothing to hide, that you are not afraid to answer such questions and are ready to speak frankly about yourself. And frankness is very much appreciated by recruiters.

Do not criticize bosses and colleagues

When talking about the reasons for leaving, never criticize your former bosses and colleagues. This is the main rule that everyone who is looking for a job should remember. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating the impression of a person who is always dissatisfied with everyone except himself. Agree, you would not want to see such a character in the ranks of your company employees. In the end, sooner or later he will begin to show his displeasure with you as well. With this type of people it is very difficult not only to work, but just to be around. Let it be bad relations in the team that became the reason for your dismissal, keep silent about this, paying attention to purely working moments, diplomatically answering: “I am grateful for the experience that I received in the same place. My colleagues and bosses have taught me a lot, but I would like to move on, and your company is a great opportunity for professional growth."

Don't refer to the crisis

The favorite excuse of job seekers: "I was fired because of the crisis" will not work here. You can hardly count on a new job if you literally admit to the recruiter: "I am so not a valuable employee for the former management that at the first difficulties it decided to get rid of me." This is what most hr managers will think. Say what you like, but with a reduction in staff, the company dumps ballast in the face of those who do not really need it. Good specialists, real professionals in their field, as a rule, remain in the boat. If, in your case, the crisis is not an excuse, but a real reason that left you without a job, then try to explain this to the recruiter as reasonably as possible. The main thing is not to invent non-existent facts, be honest. Recently, the "new broom" is at the helm, which brought with it a new team? Say so. Just pick up a few other words.

Don't complain about a small salary

A job seeker who says he quit his previous job because he was paid a paltry salary also scares recruiters. They will see a person in front of them who can only be motivated by money, and he will not hesitate to leave the new company as soon as he is offered a bigger piece of the pie on the side. In addition, a potential employer knows very well that valuable employees, as a rule, are rewarded, they try to keep them by raising their salaries. If your salary has not increased, then most likely you are not a sought-after professional. Therefore, think carefully before scolding the old salary. It is better either to be silent about such things altogether, or to prepare in advance and clearly argue your position, referring to information about the average market salaries in your specialty.

Most importantly, always remember that your answer must be reasoned, and you must be a thinking, benevolent and calm person. It is such an employee that is expected in the new company, and not a victim of low salaries and crises offended by the whole world.