Straight talking
It’s the age-old question that’s posed at interviews, in the hope of getting an honest answer – “So why did you leave your last job?”. It’s a favourite question of interviewers, because if you haven’t rehearsed an answer beforehand, it can really put you on the spot.
Quick thinking
If you’re unprepared, your answer can reveal a lot about your character. It can also show how you react under pressure. If you haven’t already given this response some thought, it will result in the following internal dialogue. “Oh”, your brain says, “why did I leave my l last job? Quick, don’t mention who you fell out with, come up with something plausible”. Your response is even trickier if you didn’t leave your last role voluntarily. However, honesty is always the best policy. It’s possible to be entirely truthful and yet strategic in your response. Under no circumstances lie in an interview. The risks of being found out far outweigh any possible benefit. Facts can easily be checked by contacting your former employer. With networking and social media and platforms such as LinkedIn, this is even easier to do these days.
Questions and answers
Answering strategically will put a positive spin on the situation, even if in reality the situation impacted you negatively. For example, if you were made redundant by your former employer, then explain that your job role was redundant due to restructuring or downsizing. Avoid an overtly emotional response. This may make you sound like a victim. Be sure to highlight your accomplishments in your former role. Don’t focus on how and why it came to an end, but on how excited you are by this new opportunity – and how it matches your skillset.
Don’t allow yourself to be led into saying anything detrimental about your former employer. Industries are often quite small and you may quite unknowingly be speaking to one of their friends or acquaintances – if not in person, then maybe online. Speaking negatively about a place you used to work comes across as unprofessional. This is not going to show you in a good light in front of your potential employer.
Positive activity
When you have been unemployed long term, try not to sound defensive about it. Focus on the positive activity you have undertaken during your unemployment. This could be voluntary work, freelancing or temping – and the experience you have gained from this interim period. If you have moved around a great deal, changing roles frequently after just a few months, make sure you present each move as a positive one for you career-wise. Alarm bells might ring if employers see too many jobs on your CV in a short period of time. If an explanation is required, concentrate on the positives gained from each role. If you have moved between industries, make sure you have good reasoning prepared that reflects well on you.
As always, practice makes perfect. Practising your responses to particularly tricky questions will mean your answers don’t come over as hurried or panicky. You need your answers to be confident and relaxed, to reassure your potential employer that you’re just the candidate they’re looking for. Recruit a friend to help you, practise using online platforms such as Zoom or Teams. Or even rehearse in front of a mirror – it can be a great help in building your confidence before the real thing.
