How do you answer 'Why did you leave your last company' in a job interview?

Answer 1

If you tell the truth......will you be hired? I was actually looking to find an answer here!

This has been haunting me for 2 1/2 years now and I am about to interview for a job that I want so bad I could taste it....and I know for a fact that this employer checks with previous employers.....thus....giving me no choice but telling the truth. I was fired for attempting to get a union in.

REASON FOR LEAVING: Irreconsilable differences

Myself and several co-workers tried to form a union.....when the Receiving Manager....a former disgruntled boyfriend of mine learned of this......he went to the Plant Manager....informed him of the union and named a few of us involved. I confronted the ex-boyfriend.....words got a little heated with his buddy as a witness....I was fired the next working day for conduct not being of company standards. Two weeks later another was fired......two weeks after that another....then another.....etc. Because we didn't have enough signed union cards in our possession at the time...the union refused to help us get our jobs back.

Of course....my prospective employer is a union shop!

Answer 2

Be honest but stay positive.

First and foremost, you should always address every interview question with honesty.

• Of course, your answer should be based on the real reason you left, but put a positive spin on it. That means, you should try to frame your honest answer in the most positive way possible.
• Do not lie, be truthful and honest but do not be harsh on a previous employer.

So answer truthfully while at the same time NOT talking about the company or staff in a negative light.

• More info on why you left a job would help to give applicable suggestions.
• You TELL them why you left! It depends on why you left your last job. If it was particularly unpleasant, remember that they can always check references. Make it sound as positive as possible though. Put the reason you are no longer at your last job in your question.
• Unless you were laid off or the company had relocated you too far, just say "it's a career move." It's better not to go into the specifics.

Always keep in mind that your interviewer is looking for a positive, motivated, hard-working candidate.

• No potential employer wants to hear your gripe about a prior boss or talk poorly about a previous employer. She or he wants to hear about your potential as a superstar at the position you are seeking.

Example 1:

If you felt under-appreciated and underpaid at your last job, instead of ranting about your overbearing boss and under-appreciative corporation, you might say that your prior work didn't allow you to grow professionally or intellectually and didn't offer advancement opportunity.

Example 2:

"After working for two years at my prior job, I realized that I really wanted to work with X and my prior job didn't have any X." (X is something that your interview company has.)

• This is a good answer because it shows that there was a valid reason for your leaving, that you think ahead, and that you are not just interviewing at their company because you want a job, but that the new company has something you want and you will be a motivated worker.

Example 3:

"That's the hardest decision I ever had, I will forever be thankful for the opportunity my previous employer gave me but right now this decision will be beneficial for me and for my previous employer as I want to have career advancement and I am on the process of realizing my other potentials".

Example 4:

'Current Project will be over and I am looking for a new challenge. I have been with my current company for two and half years and don't find the work as interesting as I once did. I am looking for a company where I can take on new challenges and learn new things with a possible career path".

Example 5:

"There was no room for growth and self-fulfilment. My work has become stagnant, I am looking for more challenging assignments where I can apply my skills and experience more effectively."

Example 6:

You typically leave a job because you are unsatisfied with some aspect of your job. Most of the times, it is salary or opportunities. So how do you word it better for the interviewer? You need to study up about the company and look into challenges you can solve for the new company. "I was looking for something more challenging. And I see better opportunities in your company because of the XYZ reasons."

An interviewer's perspective:

As someone that interviews many people for different positions, I would have to say that the truth is definitely the best route to go.

• What you can say is that your previous position no longer challenged you and therefore was no longer enjoyable. That the company was not allowing you to grow within the company and that that was something you hoped for.

• Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Please be sure not to criticize your last company.

• Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.

• If you couldn't get along with your old boss, don't say negative things about him/her; say that, unfortunately, you and your old boss had some disagreements. You may still need a recommendation from them. It is also a reflection on yourself and the company will want an employee that has a positive outlook.

• You could always say: It was time to learn something new (no advancement) - Challenging role - High learning atmosphere - More money / good package - Better benefits - Location closer to home - Seeking a job that's a better fit (no isolation if you love people) - Seeking a job that more closely relates to your career goals.

Answer 3

Whatever you answer, always turn a negative into a positive. You could say you left your job due to lack of job advancement, want to provide a better life for yourself and/or family, want better pay benefits. Ask yourself -- why did you leave your job in the first place. All about common sense and how you feel about your job. If you don't enjoy your job or if a person is causing you probelms, reasons to leave - but to tell a new employer, tell them you want another opportunity to excel and to explore your talents. Tell your employer what you can do for them and why they should hire you. For example, always come to work and come to work on time, like to help others, and so on. This is a start. You have to self analyze yourself and what you want to do with your life. You want a career and not just a job.

One good way to answer it is to say that you felt as if you'd reached your potential in your last position and outgrown its parameters. You're now looking for a position that will challenge your skills and provide for long-term growth and development.

That way, you're not putting down your old job or supervisor, and you're indicating you like challenge and growth, good qualities in a prospective employee.

Answer 4

very tricky question. if you left your job because you didnt like it. say something like i felt my previous job wasnt getting me what i wanted. or it didnt give me the satisfaction and fuflfillment i would expect from a career. or i felt the job wasnt right for me. anythign that seems good enough reason to leave a job. but try not to be over critical about your former employer or the colleagues. never badmouth about your previous job at an interview. say something that makes you seem a positive and sicere employee to employ.

Answer 5

There are certain rules you have to follow when answering this question:

First all, Don't black mouth your previous employer

Secondly, don't get nervous when you are approached with this question.

Your prospective employers may not have all the details of your previous job. He/she may not even know you are fired. If you left your last job because of something considered mis-conduct, try to avoid describing the related incidents of your wrong doings immediately.

Instead, try to explain your last job and responsibilities long enough, emphasizing the achievements and contributions you have done in the last job. Explain how you try to handle something with your effort but somehow some uncontrolled factors affect the results and this is the consequence of your departure.

In many cases, the fault may not be totally on you. Tell the interviewer more about the difficulties you have faced in the last job and how you take the initiation to handle them.

In most of the cases, the interviewers will not drill in depth for the actual reason of your leaving for last job.

So the tactic is to shift the focus on your job and responsibilities rather than the actual reason of being fired.

Practice the answer for this questions for a number of times before you go for an actual interview.

Answer 6

It's important than you think carefully about the answer to this question. You do not want to give an answer that will just be duplicated in the new job. So the first thing is to understand the scope of the new job fully. You can either talk to the HR person or the recruiter who sent you on the job to get a full understanding of the position.

The second thing is that you always need to tell the truth. You must not be unprofessional and talk about how much you hated your boss, but you can say that you felt that you were not in an environment that allowed you to reach your fullest potential and you felt that under a different management style you would excel and be able to contribute more. Same answer, but much more professional.

You can not say that the reason you left your job was for more money. That is rarely the full story anyway because someone that is really happy in their job does not usually leave just because of greater compensation. Think through exactly why you are leaving and make a list. Make sure that those reasons will not be duplicated in the new job and make sure that the new job offers most of the opportunities that you felt you were missing.

Answer 7

My last job did not offer the opportunities I was hoping for; neither were the job requirements as expected. I felt I would be happier and also more productive in a job

a little higher up than the one I had.

Answer 8

tell them that you were fired because you threatened to charge your former employer with sexual harrasement

Answer 9

You say you were fired - and then you explain what you've done to rehabilitate yourself and why you would add value to the organization that's interviewing you.