How Do You Tackle the Tricky Interview Question About Leaving Your Job?

“Why do you want to leave your current job/employer?” or “Why are you looking for a change?”

Dear Seniors and Readers, this is one of the dreaded questions asked in interviews, and this topic has been famously discussed in this forum before. However, I have not found my answers. What answer justifies this question?

Answers: Perception by Interviewer

• Better Prospects: Greedy, may jump at another offer
• Management Issues: Not able to handle pressure, lacks people skills
• Relocation: Acceptable, if convinced
• Personal Reasons: Yeah! Like what?
• Better Profile: Lack of self-initiative
• For Growth: Why didn’t you grow at your current setup?
• Stress: Go home and sleep, it's neck-deep stress here
• Laid off: Unimportant resource! Shall we hire him?
• Terminated: God bless you! Sorry!
• Company Closed Down: OK, acceptable!
• Career Shift: Couldn't perform, now want to try something else!
• Branded Employer: Mr/Ms Jumpy! Wants only fame!

Regards

Very true, Bhaskar... "Change is the only thing that is constant," and everyone goes through this constant thing.

Being honest and straightforward saves so much hypocrisy. Remember the '3 Idiots' interview? Raju was very straightforward and spoke his mind, which really impressed the recruiters.

Do such recruiters exist? Or was it just 'filmy'?

To be frank, even as an HR professional, when I have conducted interviews and asked this standard question, I often received rehearsed answers. I used to accept those answers based on the expectations outlined. However, I always delve deeper to uncover the true reasons behind the responses. These reasons may align with the categories I mentioned earlier, but they are justified by the candidates. This is provided that candidates are given an opportunity to clarify or if the interviewer approaches the situation with an open mind to understand the reasons impartially. However, does this scenario occur in reality, as you rightly questioned?

Let's see what insights our seniors and readers have to offer!

Hi Bhaskar, your response falls into the "Better profile" category, where the perception of the interviewer is that the offered profile is usually more or less similar. This is why candidates are sourced for a particular opening based on their experience and qualifications from their current job.

The answer provided is often standard and monotonous, such as "looking for a fresh, growth-oriented, challenging, exciting profile as offered."

Many times, the truth about changing jobs may not be very pleasant. How do employers perceive these truthful answers when determining the selection of candidates?

Thank you.

Hi Seniors, @ Simhan sir: Thanks for your contribution; it was a good read. Some points are good and applicable, but some I don't agree with. @ Mr Pon: I agree with you. Interviewers know the reasons for change; mainly, it's a tempting salary, especially at entry and mid-career levels. Thanks for the feedback. Regards.

I agree, financial growth is the major reason for a change in job. I have come across the following reasons as well for changing jobs:

1. You lost your last job. Layoffs and firings do happen. When discussing this subject in an interview, the best thing to do is to keep your answer factual and brief. Lying only gets you into trouble.

2. You're underemployed and are looking for something that better matches your skills, experience, and career aspirations.

3. You're simply looking for a better opportunity. How do you define "better," though? There could be many answers to this question. If you are looking for a job that better showcases your skills and is more challenging, those are certainly good reasons to search for a new job.

4. You want a job closer to home. Have those long commutes finally gotten to you? Had enough of taking public transit to work? Maybe you'd just like to find a job with a shorter commute.

5. You're traveling too much. Perhaps you are traveling way too much in your current job for your liking and are seeing more airports than you're seeing your own house. Just make sure your next job doesn't end up having the same travel component.

6. You want better long-term prospects. Maybe your current employer is in a dying industry, maybe it's poorly managed, or perhaps the long-term viability of the company/industry is in question.

7. You want a bigger/smaller company. The size of the company you work for can often have big implications for your career. You might like the family-like atmosphere of a small company, or maybe you prefer a larger firm with more stability and more promotion possibilities.

8. Personal reasons. Perhaps the birth of a child, a recent marriage, or another change in your personal life has resulted in you deciding that a fresh start is in order, and you're going to start with a new job.

9. You perceive unfairness in how you're being treated. Is your manager treating you unfairly or not being totally honest with you? If you perceive you are being unfairly treated, you might decide this is important enough to look for a new job.

10. You were passed over for a promotion(s). If other people keep moving ahead of you on the corporate ladder, you might read the writing on the wall and believe that your chances for promotion are going to come with a different employer.

11. Ethical reasons. Have you discovered that your company is doing something they shouldn't be or perhaps something you don't wish to be part of? Maybe your company does something that goes against your value structure or that violates your religious beliefs.

But can these reasons be indicated at the time of an interview?

Regards,
Fay.