Question
My company’s culture is laden with distrust. There’s no teamwork, but more backstabbing than you would believe. The behavior of the top performers is reprehensible. In other companies, some of these behaviors would be termed harassment. There is no debate that I need to leave this company. How can I honestly describe my current situation with a lousy employer without scaring off potential employers?
Nick’s Reply
There’s a lot of conflicting advice about how to handle questions about why a person left their last job — including when the last employer was “lousy.”
Don’t talk about a lousy employer
Like how to explain many things, the less said the better. (“Never complain, never explain.” – Benjamin Disraeli) By controlling the conversation, you can avoid awkwardness. And you can control the conversation by shifting to a discussion about how you will focus on doing the new job.
I think you will find that most employers don’t expect (or want) a lengthy discussion about why you want to leave your present job. Keep your comments about this tactful and brief. The tactfulness will score you more points in an interview than the explanation itself.
Talk about what counts
Respond by telling an employer that you’re looking for a better job with a better company. Do your homework on the new company, and:
- Launch into a discussion about how you are going to help them meet their challenges and solve the problems they face. (You can even ask what these problems and challenges are, but it’s better if you know a bit about this in advance!)
- Keep your enthusiasm high and focus on discussing the work.
- Reveal your intelligence and motivation.
- Focus your interview on how you’re going to add to this company’s bottom line. (This will take some significant preparation on your part — but that’s what a good interview is all about!)
That’s what counts. Leave your negative feelings and bad experiences behind. The people in your old company will continue to wake up each morning having to face one another. You’ll be gone. Relish that!
How do you handle questions about why you left a job and a lousy employer? Is there any way that going into details can help get you a new job? Does deflecting the question pose problems? What should this reader do?
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You still find this on some old school online applications. I had a bad employer (haven’t we all?) and for “Why did you leave your previous employer?” CONFIDENTIAL “May we contact your previous manager?” NO
Does it honestly matter? I was there five years, this tells you all you need to know.
I then mark this as a busy-body environment I probably don’t want to participate in anyway, and likely I’ll never hear back.
Them: Why are you looking for a new role?
Me: I have gone as far as I can with this company. I am looking for my next step up in skills and responsibilities. I am attracted to this role because…
When the time comes for references:
Me: Company policy is to only confirm dates of employment. But you can talk to this person that was on my team. We always considered them an informal leader. Someone we went to with questions. Or if there was something that might need to be brought to the manager’s attention…we would usually run it by them first.
“We always considered them an informal leader.”
Smart!
A few years ago, I read something about a senior-level tech executive who was departing one of the biggies. She said succinctly (paraphrasing): “I’m seeking a new opportunity with a company whose values align with my own.” I thought that was a tactful way to avoid specifics.
High chance of trapping ones self in a corner with the “V” word during an interview.
HR: “Do tell, exactly what VALUES didn’t align with you at your last position?”
Danger Will Robinson!
“values” is too broad and reeks of the typical law firm commercial propaganda “We have ‘integrity’ and fight to defend the ‘truth’ for you” – LOL, hot air blatant BS.
Even if the average person (NOT some “senior-level tech”) you were to make it past HR after bringing up the “V” word, any diligent hiring manager would want details about these so called “values” – upon which the trap is set.
No matter what you say, it is very risky given your answer will likely be seen as veiled “bashing” of the other company in a passive-aggressive manner.
Best to not bring up the “V” word in the first place.
Good luck…
It still amazes me that people are not more strategic in their job search endeavor. Many examples– like your resume is not a 2 page history, it’s your marketing tool. Some think the job search requires full explanations; it doesn’t. Over the years I’ve heard many people afraid to make a move because they think they must provide a reference from a supervisor/manager they don’t get along with. So many damaging old school myths out there. Thanks Nick for educating us!
“…many people afraid to make a move because they think they must provide a reference from a supervisor/manager they don’t get along with.”
That is too bad.
Sounds like they are suffering from a version of the Stockholm Syndrome.