How Do You Answer the "Why Do You Want to Leave Your Present Job" Question in a Job Interview?

There are many tricky questions that job seekers face before recruiters and members of interview panels These questions are aimed at knowing the individual's competence, work experience, commitment, loyalty, and so on. A good understanding of these questions is needed, so as to know the right answers that the interviewers need to hear. One of these questions is the "why did you leave your last job", or "why do you want to leave your present employment?"

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This is a very tricky question because you most likely do not know the circumstances that surrounds this new workplace, whether or not the conditions here will be better than where you left, or where you are planning to quit. Some of the reasons why people seek new jobs are underpayment, hostile work environments, little or no challenges at work, the need to change career paths, too much workload, and so on.

When a potential employer asks you why you have decided to leave the other job for his, he wants to know if you have loyalty issues, whether or not you are productive enough, how much you intend to be committed to his company, whether or not your are self-centered and selfish, etc. A wrong answer to this question can go a long way in displeasing the interviewer, thereby losing the job.

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To answer this question therefore,

• take a deep breath,
• choose your words carefully,
• do not attack personality,
• do not reveal sensitive/privileged information about that workplace.

While this is not an answer you will need to memorize before going for the interview, you will need to be calm before answering it. Take a deep breath, and you may even start by saying a few positive things about the company, then you go into the real reasons why you seek another workplace.

Your choice of words must be guided such that the interviewer knows that you understand what you need, and the need to move. Words that will tarnish the image of the company should not be uttered. The interviewer knows that it is the same kind of words that you say about that other company that you will also say to another employer when you decide to quit his job too.

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Attacking personalities will not help you. For instance, you don't say ill words about the ownership, or the management staff, or even your team lead as the case may be. Even harsh conditions can be described in a subtle way, that he will understand what exactly you are saying without using harsh words or swearing. You do not even know if your interviewer and your former or present boss are friends, or even relatives. Your words if well presented will appeal to him rather than displease him.

Do not base your words on hearsay or half truths about that workplace. Sensitive information about company strategies should also not be revealed in an interview. How you manage these words tell a lot about your kind of personality. The key therefore is to be honest, and as subtle as possible in answering. Your answers should be based more on career advancement/new challenges rather than criticism of your former workplace or boss.

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