So if asked this question at an interview, how do you reply?
Can you be honest and say you’re not in agreement with current managements vision and your attempts to improve the plan has been squashed? At what point do you come across as the guy with a vice against his manager?
I am passivily looking and will prob bounce after getting my bonus. Boss is a jack@ss and I want a less stressful environment. Life is too short.
Looking for new challenges
Better opportunities to advance your career
Never ever use negatives reasons for this question, or any comments regarding a previous employer. This question serves one purpose, it’s their to probe and seek out problematic employees and gossipers. Lets say you have issues at your current firm and you discuss them. The employer is going to consider the source and disregard anything you say as potentially biased. What they will focus on is the one fact they glean from this discussion: that there is tension with your employer. They will now apply a quick mental model in which there’s a 33% chance you’re completely to blame, a 33% chance your employer is to blame, a 33% chance it’s a combination, and a 1% chance, that we’re all in the matrix. They will then combine the first and third catagories in which you play at least some role in your strife and decide there is a 66% chance you’re a lemon (you’re done).
The only exception to this “no negative statements rule” are factually based and verifiable observations. For example: “Our public firm is in it’s 3rd round of layoffs and the contracting environment reduced moral, hurt our hours (working like 3 jobs now) and hurt career potential.” But even this should be combined with a positive outlook, something like what what STL said.
^respect
Yeah, you can’t say that you can’t stand your manager. One guy I hated at my previous job had a saying: “Life is long and the world is small.” Two days after I quit, I ran into him in an unexpected place.
It is ok to say that priorities have changed (either yours or theirs, but it’s better if it’s theirs) and your career interests are no longer as aligned as they were when you started. It helps to assure them that you still work to deliver what you need and that your work is well regarded, it’s just that the future track is not correctly aligned.
It’s good to think of this question as asking for three assurances:
Assure me that you aren’t looking for a job because you’re incompetant or about to be axed where you are.
Assure me that you won’t leave for greener pastures as soon as we’ve hired you, and
Assure me that you’re not going to talk crap about me if you ever do start looking.
Hit those points and you should be fine.
I have an interview next week for a new job, need to keep this in mind.
^Make me proud bro! Get it!
Bchad is my main man! Bravo bro!
NEW JOB B*TCHES!!
Anyway I had 2 separate interviews, and the first question in each one was, “So why do you want to leave your current position?”
Thanks AF for helping in my prep!
My nigga
I like working at my current place and I really like the people that I work with, but I want to work in a more intense, dynamic environment, where I get a broader exposure to finance and investing.
I switched jobs in the Fall and basically I was given carte blanche to build something so that was my #1 answer. I also wanted to work with smart people in probably the hottest industry in tech now. This is actually a super easy question to answer.
Whether that question is a super easy one to answer depends on why you actually do want to leave your existing employment, and what the opportunity you are discussing actually is.
Otherwise you can just make up a blah answer, which, I suppose, isn’t that difficult, but I didn’t have Blake down as an “it’s easy, you just lie” kind of guy.
This sounds canned to me.
I think I’d probably say, “I’ve enjoyed working there, but I don’t feel like it’s a good fit for my career goals anymore.” Then be prepared for a question about what your career goals are, and how the new company will be a better fit. (I really like this term “fit”.)
^ Good idea.
I’m not sure if I am reading this correctly can you explain your answer? How are you getting my previous post as me suggesting one should lie? Because my reasoning for switching jobs is 100% accurate in my case.
No. I’m saying that what to say was simple in your case, but not always simple, depending on why you actually want to leave your job and what alternatives are on the table. Sometimes you want to leave because what you are going towards is so awesome. Sometimes it’s because you can’t wait to get away from your old job. Sometimes it’s because you are about to be axed (perhaps your fault, perhaps not). It’s not always a simple question to answe honestly.
I didn’t think you were suggesting that people should lie, but the question is only “super easy” to answer in all cases if you are willing to be dishonest in some cases. Otherwise, there are some times when t is a difficult question to manage gracefully.
This is almost exactly my situation. I learned a lot at my soon to be ex-job, but I knew from day 1 it wasn’t a long term thing. Just needed some good experience as a launch pad to get to where I want to be. My new job is pretty much exactly what I want to be doing right now, so not only will I be doing more of what I want, but get better benefits, better work life balance, and a higher salary. No complaints here.
This is very ambiguous. You said something without saying anything at all. What does “I got to build something” even mean?
This sounds canned AND fake. It sounds like you’re trying to tickle the interviewer’s balls.
If I am interviewing you, I would immediately ask what makes you think our company has the smartest people and is the hottest industry. And you better give me a bullshit-free response, or your resume will quickly find the working end of the shredder.
^^^ LMAO. OK junior.