BEST Interview Answers: “Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?”

BEST Interview Answers: “Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?”

By Jane Okoth

One of the most uncomfortable questions in an interview is the panelist wanting to know so much about your current job and why you want to leave it.

For someone who is seeking a job change, being smart in tailoring your response will meet your particular situation.

Speaking to Fridah Abuya, a Human Resource Consultant at Virtual HR, she advises that mentioning the need for more challenges and experience will portray you as a competent candidate.

“A wiser way to answer such a question is to say that you are looking for more opportunities,” she says.

“Say that the relevant position seems like an excellent match for your skills and experience but you are not able to fully utilize them in your present job.

Or you can also say that there isn’t room for growth with your current employer and you are ready to move on to a new challenge with more responsibilities.”

Should you mention anything about the relationship with your former boss that is making you leave your current job?

“Never mention anything negative about your boss,” she advises.

“And if at all your former boss decides to badmouth you in case he is called by your potential employers”, she asserts that “As a HR consultant, there are many people we can look for information about the candidate other than the boss.”

She further adds that “I do understand that some bosses can be really mean and not give you a chance to grow.

If your boss says that you were fired because you were incompetent, your service to the company will speak for itself.

One cannot expect an incompetent employee to be retained in a company for  more than 5 years because I do believe that an employee who has worked in an Organization for long cannot be fired.”

Ms Abuya also advises that being more of a job hopper as indicated in your CV will hinder your chances of being recruited.

“This is because a potential employer may view you as a risk for her company.”

I have seen candidates who have worked for more than 3 companies in a span of 6 months.

As a recruiter, this is a worrying meaning that the candidate cannot cope with the pressure and challenges of a job, she says.

“The fact that a company cannot retain you for long is because you do not like being corrected,” she suggests.

So what exactly is a recruiter looking for when asking a question about your current job?

“Most of them are just waiting to see if you can talk ill of your boss and also of your job,” she reasons.

“Everyone started from somewhere in our career journey thanks to our current or former jobs.

Our bosses no matter how bad they were to us, they helped us achieve a lot by mentoring us in life,” she opines.

“Regardless of why you left, don’t speak badly about your previous employer because the interviewer may wonder if you will be bad-mouthing his company next time you’re looking for work,” she concludes.

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