What is an appropriate response (or rather, the response interviewers are looking for) as to the reasons you left your previous jobs?

10 Comments

1. AnonymousJuly 26,2024 at 4:53PM UTC

   I say something g like their was no possibility of growth , I love the job and the people I work with but oppurtunity is limited something g along those lines

2. AnonymousJuly 26,2024 at 7:59PM UTC

   I agree here. Try to provide a message of positivity for sure. Drive the focus to your personal development, even if the company was unable to provide you growth. Owning your development and taking the leap to leave speaks volumes when done for the right reasons. Good luck!

3. AnonymousJuly 27,2024 at 11:02AM UTC

   Company is reorganizing and going in a much different direction.

4. AnonymousJuly 28,2024 at 2:41PM UTC

   This one is so important. Prepare well the answers. Recently, I had a job interview and made a huge mistake. I was asked why I stayed only for a short time in my previous. I wasn't prepared for this question too well because 2 of 3 people who interviewed me know me and the business I am coming from (high-paced with bad working conditions) very well. Furthermore, the reason I left these positions was in 5 of 6 cases a toxic environment - honestly, I as a migrant I didn't land the best jobs in the first place and due to financial struggles (student loans), I had to take any offer I would get. But how to explain this to a potential employer? In order to keep positive attitude I told them, I am very thirsty to learn and develop and these were not the positions I could develop further. The recruiter who didn't know me, just nodded like "I new that you are slutty when it comes to jobs". So, I didn't get that position. I am not at all a job hopper on purpose. I just stayed in these workplaces as long as I could handle it and afterwards I had to do a therapy to heal from things that happened.

   I wonder if I should have told them the truth. I will never know what could have been the best answer in my situation.

5. AnonymousJuly 28,2024 at 3:02PM UTC

   With a response like that, i.e., the "slutty" remark, you did not want to work there, especially if you had to work with that person. That is degrading, if not biased, and inappropriate. If it was a short time, like six months or less, you don't need to put it on your resume unless it highlights something significant that the employer's job description says you need. A better response would have been, "After a short time there, the employer and I decided that it wasn't a good fit." You could then embellish it with a skill set unrelated to what you are interviewing for, which you lack. Do not bash your former employer, especially by calling them "toxic," as the interviewer could view this as something you would do to them if you were ever to leave. It could signal someone who wouldn't be happy anywhere and cause problems with a negative attitude.

   The best response is always positive (I left for a better opportunity that aligns better with my career goals) or out of your control (the company reorganized and laid me off because my position was eliminated/made redundant).

6. AnonymousJuly 29,2024 at 1:47PM UTC

   Use YouTube!!!!!! Madeline Mann has excellent resources. Her channel on YouTube is called Self Made Millennial. Go subscribe now. She is a former recruiter and does videos on everything job and interview related. She has numerous videos on how to answer this question and top 10 interview questions. She has videos on things not to say. How to update your resume. How to negotiate for more money. There are others on YouTube as well. But these videos do help and give you the format to answer these questions straight from someone who works in HR. There’s a lot of free help

   out there you just have to search for it.

7. AnonymousJuly 29,2024 at 10:06PM UTC

   Depends why you left to be able to answer this. Too many scenarios, and things that could be in your controls and things that you have no control over.

8. AnonymousJuly 30,2024 at 6:55PM UTC

   Something that is close to the truth, relatively neutral and does not express any discontentment. One time I was applying for counseling jobs in a highs chool through an org that places you, and I stated that I had recently moved to the area and now had a 2 hour commute each way to work, and I wanted something closer. The placement company told me that was the wrong answer, but I stand by it.

9. Orlagh CostelloAugust 1,2024 at 12:48PM UTC

   You had done all you could and were looking for a new challenge

10. Lori ScrenciAugust 5,2024 at 12:52PM UTC

    Always use a positive note. Downsizing, position eliminated . Left to seek more challenging position. Never say a negative on yourself.