It's that time again. Time for the Interview Question of The Week.
As you know, when you are looking for a job, being prepared for an interview can be the key to making yourself a must-hire. So, each week we take one interview question and figure out the best strategy to answer it.
So, here you have it, The Toughest Interview Question of the Week:
Question:
Why are you leaving your current job?
Why its a trap:
The last thing you want to do here is to badmouth a previous employer, co-worker, company or their customers. Whatever you do, do not say anything bad about anyone. Remember that during your interview, you should never be negative about anything. Even if you hate your boss and think that you work for the worst company on earth, don't say it. Don't even say that you had a “personality clash” or “didn't get along”. Any of these things will make you seem less than professional and can even make an interviewer wonder about your competence.
The best answer:
How to answer this depends a lot on if you are completely committed to leaving your current position. If you aren't committed yet, there is nothing wrong with saying just that. They key here is to be honest and tell the interviewer what it is that you are hoping to find in a new job. If you really want the job, it is a good idea to make some of the things you want correspond to things this particular job offers.
If you don't have a job or you were fired from you last job, the answer is a little bit different. If you were fired, you should never lie about it. It doesn't do much good and it is too easy to check out. If your firing matches up to a merger, a layoff or some other event with the company, then you can easily use that as a reason for being let go.
If, however, you were fired for misconduct, then you need to handle this delicately. The best way to do it is to tell the interviewer honestly, from the company's perspective exactly why you were fired. Admit that you made some mistakes and tell them what you have learned from it. By being honest and humble, you will tell the interviewer loads about your character and your integrity. Which is basically why the question is asked in the first place.
Just because you were fired doesn't mean that you won't get the job. What the interviewer wants to find out is how you deal with adversity and what sort of employee you are. So, show them that you are resilient and that your integrity is second to none.
What do you think about this question? Are there other questions you would like to see covered here? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for ManufacturingWorkers and Beyond. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel. You can read more of her blogs on ManufacturingWorkers blog.
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