If you are currently employed, you can almost guarantee you will be asked about why you want to leave your current position. Typically, an Interviewer will start an interview by doing a quick, chronological, oral review of your Resume and work history. During this portion, basic interview history questions will be asked about what you did and when. This is the time (generally in the first fifteen minutes of the interview) where you will be asked why you want to leave your current position and employer.
This question can create a bit of an awkward moment between the Job Seeker and the Interviewer. Often, this is because the reason the candidate wishes to leave is not one that comes across well to the Hiring Manager. So, the challenge for a Job Seeker is to credibly answer the question, while trying to avoid some of the following reasons.
• You Are About To Be Fired – If you start the interview with how you are on a Written Warning and about to be fired, you will spend the entire conversation defending yourself (if you are allowed to get that far). The Interviewer will be focused on your performance, attendance, or behavioral issues (whichever apply) and not on you.
• You’re Having Issues with Your Manager or Co-Workers – Your manager may be a jerk and your co-workers are driving you “nuts”, but that should not come up in an interview. The interview should be all about you being a team player and how well you work with others. You should stress how you build relationships, follow direction well, and will pitch in wherever needed. If you start talking about personality conflicts, then your Interviewer may wonder how much of this problem is them and how much of it is you. You know the old saying…”it takes two”. Even if you are completely innocent, you may be causing unnecessary doubt.
• Your Current Company Stinks – Well…I doubt you will be this bold and actually say they stink, but you may get into how things have changed for the worse, or generally what you don’t like. An Interviewer will likely conclude that if you speak poorly of this company now, you will probably do the same with them in the future. You may also give them the impression that you can’t adapt well or accept change.
• You Want Something Easier – Yes, I have been told this by a candidate many times. Even if you have a very physical job or one that is stressing you out, it is dangerous to go in this direction. Many Interviewers will interpret this answer as you telling him or her that you do not want to work as hard for them. This will naturally cause the Interviewer to speculate regarding how productive and/or reliable you will be in the prospective role.
• You Want More Money – Of course, you want more money. We all do! This is, however, where some of the gamesmanship of an interview comes into play. If you are very overt in making this type of statement, you may give the impression that the opportunity is secondary to the money. This may be because you are “bruising” the ego of the Hiring Manager, as most of them want your focus to be on the position and the chance to work for the company. The Interviewer may also conclude that if money is your sole motivator, you will leave them too as soon as another company comes with higher compensation. Finally, when you make the “money statement”, you may concern the prospective employer regarding a counter offer from your current company. If they offer you the same (or more) money, you probably will stay with them.
• You’re Just Checking Things Out – This is wrong, for many reasons. The Interviewer will likely feel like you are wasting their valuable time. You will also come across as someone who is not really interested in the position, or not serious about leaving your current employer. Finally, you will leave the impression as someone who does not know what you want in your career or next job.
I am never an advocate for a Job Seeker to misrepresent or mislead during the course of an interview. There is, however, an unspoken understanding that all may not be 100% transparent during the discussion. The fact that some Interviewers will have an almost utopian mindset regarding why people wish to leave positions, creates a need to frame your answers in a certain fashion. Review the tips above and determine what you should not state when you are asked this inevitable question.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of WNYJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
