Dear All,
I am Hariharan and have around 5 years and 5 months of experience in the HR field. So far, I have worked with five companies. Now, I have quit my job from my last company and am looking for a new job. I had worked for just five months with my last employer. The problem is that wherever I attend interviews, everybody is asking, "Why do you keep changing companies?"
I don't know what to tell the interviewer, but honestly, I did not change companies just for the sake of increasing my salary. The reason is that all the companies I worked for were very small, and they were not willing to spend money on employee welfare. Additionally, they did not have good HR policies and rules in place. There was limited scope to learn and develop myself in the field of HR in all those companies. Therefore, I had to quit and join another company that faced the same conditions. Please advise me on how to answer this question in future interviews.
Thank you,
Hariharan - HR
9944868353
From India, Madras
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I am Hariharan and have around 5 years and 5 months of experience in the HR field. So far, I have worked with five companies. Now, I have quit my job from my last company and am looking for a new job. I had worked for just five months with my last employer. The problem is that wherever I attend interviews, everybody is asking, "Why do you keep changing companies?"
I don't know what to tell the interviewer, but honestly, I did not change companies just for the sake of increasing my salary. The reason is that all the companies I worked for were very small, and they were not willing to spend money on employee welfare. Additionally, they did not have good HR policies and rules in place. There was limited scope to learn and develop myself in the field of HR in all those companies. Therefore, I had to quit and join another company that faced the same conditions. Please advise me on how to answer this question in future interviews.
Thank you,
Hariharan - HR
9944868353
From India, Madras
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Hello Hariharan,
You won't like this, but I guess it has to be said. Being an HR professional yourself, you ought to have expected this scenario at some point in time. Coming to the reasons you mentioned for leaving every earlier company, not sure they really jell.
For example, you mentioned, "all the companies where I worked with are very small companies, and they are not ready to spend money for employee welfare. Also, there were no good HR policies and rules in place."
Isn't it your job to devise/find ways to convince the managements to place good HR policies in place and formulate them too? Maybe that was the reason why these companies hired you in the first place?
Your statement, "no more scope to learn and develop myself in the field of HR in all those companies," does seem very odd—given the fact that this was the opportunity many HR professionals aspire for and eagerly look for—when there's so much that can be done, isn't this an opportunity to learn?
Frankly, I think you are confused between 'studying' and 'learning'—if everything is in place, what is it that you—or anyone for that matter—can learn, except study what's already in place? Hope you notice the difference?
Please, for heaven's and your sake, come out of the student mold as soon as possible.
There's another aspect that seems to come out of what you mentioned, "I had to quit and joined another company which also has the same condition." Getting our judgment calls wrong once or twice is understandable, but to get it repeatedly wrong five times in a career of five years does indicate:
1. That you definitely need to focus on how to evaluate opportunities/situations/people—especially being in HR, this would be more important than in other areas/functions.
2. You failed to learn from the first one or two mistakes you did. Everyone makes mistakes (like the saying goes: to err is human), but the much larger mistake is when we fail to learn from them.
Coming to your actual query, it indeed is a tough call for you—with your credibility taking a beating. The only way for you, as far as I can see, is this: First make sure you do the background checks about the company even before you attend any interview. Next, be sure to indicate the truth—on the reasons why you changed five jobs in five years and assure them that you plan to stick this time around. If needed, you are prepared to give it in writing—if that's what can convince them.
I suggest waiting for other members to respond.
All the best.
Regards, TS
From India, Hyderabad
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1650You won't like this, but I guess it has to be said. Being an HR professional yourself, you ought to have expected this scenario at some point in time. Coming to the reasons you mentioned for leaving every earlier company, not sure they really jell.
For example, you mentioned, "all the companies where I worked with are very small companies, and they are not ready to spend money for employee welfare. Also, there were no good HR policies and rules in place."
Isn't it your job to devise/find ways to convince the managements to place good HR policies in place and formulate them too? Maybe that was the reason why these companies hired you in the first place?
Your statement, "no more scope to learn and develop myself in the field of HR in all those companies," does seem very odd—given the fact that this was the opportunity many HR professionals aspire for and eagerly look for—when there's so much that can be done, isn't this an opportunity to learn?
Frankly, I think you are confused between 'studying' and 'learning'—if everything is in place, what is it that you—or anyone for that matter—can learn, except study what's already in place? Hope you notice the difference?
Please, for heaven's and your sake, come out of the student mold as soon as possible.
There's another aspect that seems to come out of what you mentioned, "I had to quit and joined another company which also has the same condition." Getting our judgment calls wrong once or twice is understandable, but to get it repeatedly wrong five times in a career of five years does indicate:
1. That you definitely need to focus on how to evaluate opportunities/situations/people—especially being in HR, this would be more important than in other areas/functions.
2. You failed to learn from the first one or two mistakes you did. Everyone makes mistakes (like the saying goes: to err is human), but the much larger mistake is when we fail to learn from them.
Coming to your actual query, it indeed is a tough call for you—with your credibility taking a beating. The only way for you, as far as I can see, is this: First make sure you do the background checks about the company even before you attend any interview. Next, be sure to indicate the truth—on the reasons why you changed five jobs in five years and assure them that you plan to stick this time around. If needed, you are prepared to give it in writing—if that's what can convince them.
I suggest waiting for other members to respond.
All the best.
Regards, TS
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Hariharan,
Agreeing with what TS has mentioned, I hope you understand what needs to be done. Analyze your interests with respect to the industry, sector, and type of company you would like to work with. Probably your decisions have always been wrong because there seems to have been a mismatch between what you want and what you opted for. Frankly, it appears that money was the only driving factor - even if you deny it :)
Firstly, could you also explain why you left your current organization before opting for another? It is quite strange - sitting idle is acceptable, but working, earning a livelihood, facing challenges in the current environment, and adjusting to the company culture seem to be unacceptable to you. Remember, it is all about "survival of the fittest."
However, the moment you criticize your existing or previous employers (all five companies) in front of a potential new employer, your chances of being hired are further reduced. Your only option is to convince the new employer of what you can offer with the skills you have acquired, how long you intend to stay - in fact, you should be ready to do anything to ensure stability - and how their company can benefit from your contribution.
If you assume that HR executives and managers will provide you with answers to serve to another HR professional, you are mistaken. You seem to lack focus. Look within yourself for the answers, and you will excel.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
From India, Ahmedabad
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Agreeing with what TS has mentioned, I hope you understand what needs to be done. Analyze your interests with respect to the industry, sector, and type of company you would like to work with. Probably your decisions have always been wrong because there seems to have been a mismatch between what you want and what you opted for. Frankly, it appears that money was the only driving factor - even if you deny it :)
Firstly, could you also explain why you left your current organization before opting for another? It is quite strange - sitting idle is acceptable, but working, earning a livelihood, facing challenges in the current environment, and adjusting to the company culture seem to be unacceptable to you. Remember, it is all about "survival of the fittest."
However, the moment you criticize your existing or previous employers (all five companies) in front of a potential new employer, your chances of being hired are further reduced. Your only option is to convince the new employer of what you can offer with the skills you have acquired, how long you intend to stay - in fact, you should be ready to do anything to ensure stability - and how their company can benefit from your contribution.
If you assume that HR executives and managers will provide you with answers to serve to another HR professional, you are mistaken. You seem to lack focus. Look within yourself for the answers, and you will excel.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
From India, Ahmedabad
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Hi,
There are always reasons behind changing jobs, so it is necessary to have full details regarding our new company's portfolio and other important aspects as we become part of their community. We should be aware of all the necessary things for the interview, make an effective impression, and have the ability to impress the interviewer enough to be selected.
Thank you,
Frenky Plam
From India, Gold
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There are always reasons behind changing jobs, so it is necessary to have full details regarding our new company's portfolio and other important aspects as we become part of their community. We should be aware of all the necessary things for the interview, make an effective impression, and have the ability to impress the interviewer enough to be selected.
Thank you,
Frenky Plam
From India, Gold
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Dear Hariaharan,
I can understand from your post that you still do not know what you want and what you are expecting from this corporate world. As said by TS and Hiral Mehta, you have to search for answers within yourself because you are in utter confusion about what you want.
Even I had undergone such a phase and now know what I need. It takes just a few minutes of silence and concentration to speak to yourself and listen to your soul.
Regards,
Bharghavi
From India, Bangalore
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I can understand from your post that you still do not know what you want and what you are expecting from this corporate world. As said by TS and Hiral Mehta, you have to search for answers within yourself because you are in utter confusion about what you want.
Even I had undergone such a phase and now know what I need. It takes just a few minutes of silence and concentration to speak to yourself and listen to your soul.
Regards,
Bharghavi
From India, Bangalore
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Hi, I am Rahul, a MarComm Professional. I too have faced the same problem. During the tenure of 5 years of my career, I have changed 4 companies. So when I went to attend my last interview, I was asked the reason behind frequently changing companies. I would like to share how I have addressed their queries. Also, I would like to have a few suggestions to improve the ability to choose the right employer.
Since the start of my career, I have been very concerned and choosy about my specialization, job profile, scope of work, and especially how I am going to add value to the company. My first company, XYZ Pvt Ltd, was a leading company, and I was appointed as an Executive Marketing Communication. I was there for 11 months, and during that time, I took lots of initiatives. The most notable one was introducing a full-fledged Call Center for Sales and Service, which was the first of its kind in the industry. Initially, my objective behind this was to channelize the commun...
From India, New Delhi
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Since the start of my career, I have been very concerned and choosy about my specialization, job profile, scope of work, and especially how I am going to add value to the company. My first company, XYZ Pvt Ltd, was a leading company, and I was appointed as an Executive Marketing Communication. I was there for 11 months, and during that time, I took lots of initiatives. The most notable one was introducing a full-fledged Call Center for Sales and Service, which was the first of its kind in the industry. Initially, my objective behind this was to channelize the commun...
From India, New Delhi
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Hello,
Same as Hariharan, I also have the same problem.
Appreciate your advice for my career assistance!
Well, let me explain my situation. I am feeling very nervous and embarrassed too. I started my career with a good Indian recruitment company as a "trainee - finance and admin" with the help of a personal reference in that company in 2008. I was completely blank at that time. In that company, I started learning from zero and put in all the efforts day and night, even on Sundays and holidays, to learn the work. Gradually, I learned things like finance, payroll, administration, facilities, billing, agreements, purchase, vendor management, event management, PF, ESI, labor court works, and IT there. My profile was to handle all these aspects in the company as I came from a known network, so I also felt bad sometimes. However, due to financial conditions, I continued working until April 2012 and left that company due to a mix-up in my profile and overwork there. I was also unhealthy at that time. At the time of leaving that company, my designation on paper was AM-finance and admin (3.5 years total worked), and my package was around Rs 3 lakhs per annum.
After leaving that company in April 2012, I faced a very bad time in my life. In two months, I did not receive any offers matching my profile. I was really depressed as I was taking money from my parents and not getting any job. Due to financial conditions, I was forced to work in a sales job at half the salary of my first company (10k per month). I started working in sales, marketing, and was also doing well in that profile, achieving my targets. Suddenly, after two months working in the marketing job at the same salary (10k), I received an offer from an automobile company in an HR profile, which was slightly matching my first job. So, I quit the marketing job and joined the HR/operations profile job at the same salary (10k). I was happy with it, but after two months, they planned to shift me to a remote location on the same salary, which was a challenge for me. I had to resign from that position too. Then I sat at home for two months, not getting any job in finance, admin, sales, operations, HR, or any other field. I was totally disappointed. With the help of one of my friends, I got an offer in a good MNC in the sourcing and compliance department at a salary of 14k per month. I worked there for six months, but due to health issues, I had to quit the job. At that time, I was doing BCA, which I started in 2009, but after four years in 2013, many papers were back, and I was not getting time to study and pass the exams. Due to family conditions, I had to search for a job again, and after 15 days, I got an offer in an MNC in MIS and vendor management profile, offering 16.5k monthly salary. I worked there for eight months and quit because I received another offer in an MNC at 22k per month salary. I was happy that I was near my first job in terms of salary, but I quit that company too after working there for only four months due to health issues. My parents were also very angry with me as I was hopeless and foolish in leaving jobs too frequently. Then I sat at home for three months and fell into depression. I had to take antidepressants on a daily basis, which I am still taking today. My friends and family both left me, and I was really alone and depressed at that time. In 2014, again after three months, I got an offer of 11k per month in a small IT company. My profile was in MIS and project management. Again, for a salary hike, I left that company in three months and joined a good e-commerce company in a backend/e-commerce logistics profile with a salary of 15k. I worked there for six months and got an offer from another e-commerce company, where I joined with a salary of 18.5k per month in a Team Leader-Operations role. However, I was deputed to a warehouse with long working hours (16-18 hours a day) and tasks that were more labor-intensive than expected for a Team Leader. I left that organization due to the strenuous nature of the work and family pressure. I then sat at home for two to three months, searching for a job as it was crucial for my survival. I eventually got an offer from an MNC company with a monthly salary of 20k for a six-month contract in the HR department in BGV/employee screening profile. I completed the six months successfully, but now they are not extending my contract, so I joined another company three days ago in the same profile (BGV, employee screening) near my home at an 18k monthly salary. However, after working in a good MNC, I feel very uncomfortable and out of place in a small Indian company. I am trying my best to work there for at least 5-10 years. On one side, I worked in a company for 3.5 years at an AM position, and on the other, in 3.8 years, I changed jobs 12 times, and this is the 13th one. When I think about this, I feel depressed and bad about myself. I am now pursuing an MBA (Operations) 3rd semester from a distance learning institute.
I do not know what I can do in the future as I have worked for various good Indian companies and MNCs, but due to my job-quitting behavior and unfortunate circumstances, I have changed 14 jobs in approximately 8 years. During these 8 years, I worked in various profiles like finance, admin, HR, operations, sales, marketing, logistics, e-commerce, BGV, employee screening. I am seeking guidance for a prompt and life-changing career direction.
Thank you again.
From India
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Same as Hariharan, I also have the same problem.
Appreciate your advice for my career assistance!
Well, let me explain my situation. I am feeling very nervous and embarrassed too. I started my career with a good Indian recruitment company as a "trainee - finance and admin" with the help of a personal reference in that company in 2008. I was completely blank at that time. In that company, I started learning from zero and put in all the efforts day and night, even on Sundays and holidays, to learn the work. Gradually, I learned things like finance, payroll, administration, facilities, billing, agreements, purchase, vendor management, event management, PF, ESI, labor court works, and IT there. My profile was to handle all these aspects in the company as I came from a known network, so I also felt bad sometimes. However, due to financial conditions, I continued working until April 2012 and left that company due to a mix-up in my profile and overwork there. I was also unhealthy at that time. At the time of leaving that company, my designation on paper was AM-finance and admin (3.5 years total worked), and my package was around Rs 3 lakhs per annum.
After leaving that company in April 2012, I faced a very bad time in my life. In two months, I did not receive any offers matching my profile. I was really depressed as I was taking money from my parents and not getting any job. Due to financial conditions, I was forced to work in a sales job at half the salary of my first company (10k per month). I started working in sales, marketing, and was also doing well in that profile, achieving my targets. Suddenly, after two months working in the marketing job at the same salary (10k), I received an offer from an automobile company in an HR profile, which was slightly matching my first job. So, I quit the marketing job and joined the HR/operations profile job at the same salary (10k). I was happy with it, but after two months, they planned to shift me to a remote location on the same salary, which was a challenge for me. I had to resign from that position too. Then I sat at home for two months, not getting any job in finance, admin, sales, operations, HR, or any other field. I was totally disappointed. With the help of one of my friends, I got an offer in a good MNC in the sourcing and compliance department at a salary of 14k per month. I worked there for six months, but due to health issues, I had to quit the job. At that time, I was doing BCA, which I started in 2009, but after four years in 2013, many papers were back, and I was not getting time to study and pass the exams. Due to family conditions, I had to search for a job again, and after 15 days, I got an offer in an MNC in MIS and vendor management profile, offering 16.5k monthly salary. I worked there for eight months and quit because I received another offer in an MNC at 22k per month salary. I was happy that I was near my first job in terms of salary, but I quit that company too after working there for only four months due to health issues. My parents were also very angry with me as I was hopeless and foolish in leaving jobs too frequently. Then I sat at home for three months and fell into depression. I had to take antidepressants on a daily basis, which I am still taking today. My friends and family both left me, and I was really alone and depressed at that time. In 2014, again after three months, I got an offer of 11k per month in a small IT company. My profile was in MIS and project management. Again, for a salary hike, I left that company in three months and joined a good e-commerce company in a backend/e-commerce logistics profile with a salary of 15k. I worked there for six months and got an offer from another e-commerce company, where I joined with a salary of 18.5k per month in a Team Leader-Operations role. However, I was deputed to a warehouse with long working hours (16-18 hours a day) and tasks that were more labor-intensive than expected for a Team Leader. I left that organization due to the strenuous nature of the work and family pressure. I then sat at home for two to three months, searching for a job as it was crucial for my survival. I eventually got an offer from an MNC company with a monthly salary of 20k for a six-month contract in the HR department in BGV/employee screening profile. I completed the six months successfully, but now they are not extending my contract, so I joined another company three days ago in the same profile (BGV, employee screening) near my home at an 18k monthly salary. However, after working in a good MNC, I feel very uncomfortable and out of place in a small Indian company. I am trying my best to work there for at least 5-10 years. On one side, I worked in a company for 3.5 years at an AM position, and on the other, in 3.8 years, I changed jobs 12 times, and this is the 13th one. When I think about this, I feel depressed and bad about myself. I am now pursuing an MBA (Operations) 3rd semester from a distance learning institute.
I do not know what I can do in the future as I have worked for various good Indian companies and MNCs, but due to my job-quitting behavior and unfortunate circumstances, I have changed 14 jobs in approximately 8 years. During these 8 years, I worked in various profiles like finance, admin, HR, operations, sales, marketing, logistics, e-commerce, BGV, employee screening. I am seeking guidance for a prompt and life-changing career direction.
Thank you again.
From India
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When one is eager to develop, they will find ways to do so. If you quit jobs in a short span of 5 months, one after the other, then you are not giving enough time for it to germinate. As TS and a few other colleagues pointed out, why did you not take the 'initiative' to make your career more meaningful? If during an interview you were promised something and were asked to do something else, you should raise it as quickly as possible and find ways to enrich yourself.
I am not sure if it answers your question.
From India, Chennai
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I am not sure if it answers your question.
From India, Chennai
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