Why Did you Leave your Last Job? | Best Answer (from former CEO)

hey everyone today I'm gonna give you the best answer to the job interview question why did you leave your last job there are many variations of this question but they're all really asking the same thing so we give them all the same answer now this seems like a simple harmless factual question right but it's really a very damaging and dangerous question in disguise not always but often recruiters will ask it to see if you're the type of person that will badmouth their previous employer or boss or coworkers and that's a very bad thing because if you're the type of person that will badmouth them you'll probably badmouth people at this current job if they were to hire you I mean would you hire someone who spreads bad things about you behind your back now this is a negativity question it can be a more subtle form of what didn't you like about your previous boss or company often when interviewers ask a question whether they're a recruiter or a hiring manager there's almost always a question beneath the question it's important to know what they're really asking you also want to avoid using negative words or expressing negative ideas this is because if they've just met you and they're still forming an impression of you if you start talking about all the people you don't get along with and the situations that didn't work out for you they're gonna assume you're a very negative problematic person that's why we need to put a positive spin on every single interview question even negativity questions like this one now remember we always tell the truth but we don't always disclose everything and we don't want to take up valuable interview time talking about our last job the purpose of the interview is to communicate your value and how you meet all the requirements so if you could spend 30 to 45 seconds on this question and then move on that would be perfect now remember no character assassinations this always leaves a bad first impression of you never say bad things about people no matter what you feel about them say only good things about them in the interview you can mention that it was a challenge because of a difference of opinion but then tell a success story about you and them and if you're called to say a negative thing about your previous job and you're a manager having to fire people is a good answer often it comes with the territory and it's perfectly normal and okay to dislike having to fire someone so if that's you there's your perfect answer arguably sometimes unpleasant but necessary now if you were laid off from your previous position there's no harm in saying this you can explain that the organization was downsizing or your term expired and if there were several people that were laid off at the same time say that because it provides further evidence that there's nothing specifically wrong with you as an employee now if you left your last position there's no harm in saying that either maybe the job was great but unfortunately there weren't really any opportunities for growth or personal development you feel you're ready to do more and that's a great trait in candidates now if you were fired from your previous position here's where things get a bit tricky the standard answer here is to admit that you are fired focus on what you learned from this experience and tie it to the current job and that may work some of the time it depends on who's interviewing you however there is one big problem of that a central tenet of recruitment theory is that past behavior predicts future behavior behavioral based questions which are extremely popular these days are based on that principle it also implies that past behavior is a better predictor than current impressions and all that backs up my personal experience but if they ask you this at an early stage interview and you say you were fired that's grounds to eliminate you period now what I'm about to say may be controversial to some and if you disagree with me that's perfectly okay but this is from my own personal experience as well as that of an internationally known high-level executive recruiter with whom I've worked don't say you were fired don't lie but don't volunteer this a job interview is not a deposition and you don't have to reveal this if you don't wish to if you get to the last round of interviews there may be more room to safely get into the details of this if it comes up again if you must give a reason speak instead about the problem that led to your firing for example maybe the role changed and the new direction didn't really play to your strengths or your interest but it reinforced your interest and talent for the original role and so you've been engaged in researching companies like this one where you can use your talents to contribute significantly focus on your strengths and then talk about how they apply to this current job and if you're in an early stage interview try to avoid using the words I was fired and there you go to learn how you can get hired or advance your career don't forget to subscribe thank you for watching you are awesome now I was gonna tell them all the usual stuff about you know like liking the video subscribing was it sure you got to share it and the bell right the bell icon the little icon hit it [Music]

Channel: The Companies Expert

Views: 555,163

Keywords: why did you leave your last job, best answer, ceo, former ceo, worst thing about your last job, worst boss, what was your worst boss, job interview, employment, job search, hiring, get hired, recruiters, hiring managers, job recruiters, job interview question, job interview questions and answers, How to get a job, how to find a job, how to prepare for a job interview, interview answers, applying for a job, job interview preparation, how to ace an interview, why leave job

Id: ofTfvFcj5ok

Length: 5min 31sec (331 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 28 2020