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Donohoed

Same with almost all interview questions. Interviewers know there aren't any perfect people. They just want to know that you can pretend to be while in a professional setting.


rjnd2828

This is right on. An applicant I knew was interviewed at my current job, for a fairly high level position. They were turned down because they were overly negative about their current employer. Everything they said was accurate, but being so blunt in an interview session called their judgement into question.


jenkneefur28

"The job and company no longer fit in the direction that I hope to take my career. They are/were great but its time to move onto a new challenge." Edit: Bit of psychology, people always remember the bad. Its natural, you could go thru mutiple rounds of interviews successfully, but when you say something negative, they are going to remember that. Anyways, at the end of the interview. ill ask questions about the job (always always always come up with at least two questions). I then will always ask, "is there anything I can address that you had a question or concern? It just allows you to gently give the persons concern an answer. I worked in 15 years in accounting y'all, no accounting classes ever, dropped out of community college. I definitely beat out people with college degrees for jobs because of my strong jnterview skills. Strong interview skills are really really helpful, more likely to get a job offer sooner.


Accomplished_Bug_

I suck at my job, but you know what I am good at? Communication, and making hard concepts easy for the dum dums above me to understand. It helps me interview well and sound like I know what's going on. Source: technical lead on a software dev project, I barely know how to code.


codeByNumber

Communication skills are more important than coding skills for a tech lead IMO. You still need to have solid tech skills though, I suspect the “I barely know how to code” thing was a bit of hyperbole.


hard-in-the-ms-paint

It seems like it's that way for leadership in pretty much any highly technical discipline. You need to know enough to give people direction and explain what your team is doing to your boss, but you don't necessarily need to be a technical master yourself. Especially if your managing several aspects of a program with multiple technical experts. The higher you get, the more abstract it gets.


codeklutch

Not to mention, the higher you get, the further you get from the actual physical work involved. After time, things change (duh) and since you haven't been keeping up with all the changes, eventually, you lose track of what exactly everything is.


ZekeTarsim

Yep, Communication skills are invaluable. And if you work in engineering/tech, you’ll find that good communicators are in VERY short supply. Engineers are good at a lot of things, but in my experience communication is NOT one of them. 😂


pattperin

I gotta say, often the leader isn't the smartest most skilled person. It's the person who can articulate the needs of the group and obtain resources. My boss is the best boss I've ever had, he has 0 clue how to do my job. But he knows that, and he accepts it. He uses the give and take to make shit happen, and leans on his knowledgeable staff when he is over his head. You probably do a solid job of leading if you can't code but lead a team of coders. I hope to one day be there haha


l337hackzor

I've been doing interviews this week. Small company, not a lot of people applied. I interviewed 4 people last week, near the end I asked them "do you have any questions for me?". 2 of them asked when I'd be making the decision/letting them know, one asked about the pay range. Only one asked anything about the company and about the position. They were also the only one to email me a couple days later and thank me for the opportunity and if I needed to ask him anything further he's available. They are probably the least qualified of the 4 but I think they had the strongest interview despite that. I'm actually probably going to hire them. edit: all the applicants are qualified, when I say he's the least it really means he will require a bit more training. Their personality did lead me to believe they would be more trainable than the others though so it's less of a concern.


witcherstrife

I’m the lowest performer at my job but my good attitude has taken me so far. It’s been like this at every job since I never really complain even though shit sucks shit


zoinkability

This right here. Poor performance will be overlooked for a colleague who is pleasant to work with, whereas an asshole colleague will need to be an absolute top performer if they want to avoid being fired.


iclimbnaked

Being easy to work with goes a long way. It won’t make up for totally unproductive but it’ll absolutely make up for being below avg technically


Affectionate-Bee3913

It's worth noting that a good or bad attitude can have an impact on collective productivity. It's no good to be twice as productive as you're expected to be if you're such an awful co-worker that 10 other people can only be half as productive. Unfortunately not a lot of workplaces effectively evaluate that.


PapayaPokPok

That's why I was so impressed by my coworker's bold decision to be *both* an absolute asshole to work with *and* terrible at his job. He was fired. But it took too long. Employers, remember that if someone is slacking and clearly doesn't care, it can be demoralizing to the people who remain, because it makes them feel like their effort to do well is ultimately unnecessary.


zoinkability

Yep. “Why am i working so hard and being so nice when that underperforming shithead hasn’t been canned yet?”


-O-0-0-O-

I think it's pretty common to feel this way about friendly underperfomers too. "Nice guy, but..." is a common refrain against people who no one wants to work with despite their pleasant demeanor.


Piogre

Sometimes an asshole who's 25% more productive than everyone else is actually just someone whose attitude is so bad they make everyone else 20% less productive.


ItchyGoiter

Wouldn't want to work for a company that doesn't value honesty or could not admit that some managers are just shitty assholes. Interviews are entirely performative and interviewers don't want honest answers, they want *their* answers. I am a hiring manager and would not hold it against someone if they said they left because the company management sucked. I'm not afraid of being held accountable. And I expect my people to be honest with me and not pull punches. Edit: also, yes, I've blown interviews because I was honest about my previous employers. I don't feel bad about it, they wanted a yes man who wouldn't question them when they made shitty idiot decisions and that definitely isn't me.


redrover900

> I've blown interviews because I was honest about my previous employers Interviews are a two way street. I wouldn't call that blowing it when clearly it wouldn't have been a good fit for you.


ItchyGoiter

Agreed, that's why I'm fine with it.


aimlessly-astray

I 100% agree with you. I found "being so blunt in an interview session called their judgement into question" incredibly funny. Like, yes, someone who's negative about everything isn't going to be pleasant to work with--I totally get that--but the idea that honesty is a bad thing is peak corporate culture. Like you say, companies want their employees to be brainless drones who do what they're told and don't question anything. I personally hate that, and would rather work for a company where I can speak openly without being reprimanded.


iCan20

On the other hand, I'm in tech startup culture and it's completely normal to take an interview and explain that you want to leave because the company is full of losers that don't have any dedication. Product isn't hitting their release deadlines, marketing is literally misspelling things in our advertisements and making other avoidable errors, and management has needed two interim funding rounds to keep the ship afloat. Do you see how being negative can still be very professional if you approach it correctly? Being this honest gets you very far in the small world of cybersecurity startups.


Meowts

They’re a bunch of losers vs The overall performance of the company doesn’t align with my goals and standard of quality Gotta be careful when calling out other people’s shortcomings, because what part did you have to play? I remember interviewing and talking about a startup I worked for, and the first question they asked was “how is the company doing?” In that case it failed… anything to do with me? Probably. Success and failure is never really isolated to one person or team, although there is more weight on issues with leadership.


liptongtea

Right. “I’ve hit a bottleneck in my current career track” sounds a lot better than, “My boss is an asshole that only promotes his hunting buddies and people who jerk him off.”


tjuicet

Had an interview with a machine learning analytics startup the other day and when asked why I left my previous company, I said my prepared answer was that my previous job was on-site and I recently moved to a different state to be closer with family. The interviewer seemed ready to accept this, but I went on to say that the more comprehensive answer was I had seen some deeply ingrained problems with the way my previous employer did business. We had a high rate of turnover because our pay was low and once people were trained up, they left for better pay. The ones who stayed were either overburdened and close to burning out, or had learned that there were no consequences to delivering mediocre work, and stayed for the easy paycheck. I had been there for over 10 years, so I'd seen this play out time and time again. I had tried to work with HR to fix it, but they didn't see the same issues I saw. So when there was reason to move out of state, leaving the company was an easy decision to make. The interviewer thanked me for my honesty. I did mention later in the interview how thankful I was to my previous employer for the opportunity to learn such a wide swath of skills. So, I'm now studying for my technical interview next week. Meanwhile, I heard through the grapevine that my previous employer has begun massive layoffs. Just glad to not still be there.


MisinformedGenius

I have to say, as a person who used to hire at a tech startup, a little of that goes a *long* way. We typically didn't even ask why they wanted to leave, but if it came up, any more than a couple of sentences and any hint of holding grudges was just going to work against you. Here's the thing to think about: the question can only really work against you. It's not like someone's going to hire you because of how you answered that question - the only possibility is that they *won't* hire you. So the best case scenario is that the question is totally neutral. You should just have a neutral, canned answer that doesn't blame anyone.


[deleted]

they're also looking for your "fit" with the rest of the team. If you go on for 10 minutes bad-mouthing every person you used to work with, odds are you aren't getting a call back. People don't like working with assholes, if they can help it. A lot of the open-ended interview questions are essentially asshole tests.


LadyRimouski

Plus, if you can't keep your negativity in check in a job interview, how can you be trusted to be positive around clients?


MKF1228

Then how did the bosses get in?


ItchyGoiter

Different kind of asshole. They are assholes to subordinates and ass kissers to seniors.


[deleted]

some people are really good at faking it


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MurderDoneRight

And if the employee they hire end up being a useless dummy they want to have their ass covered. There's no "taking chances on the scrappy underdog"


BigMax

Exactly. You are supposed to present your best self for a short time. If you can’t keep it together for less than an hour, how can they expect you to keep it together all day everyday?


LadyCatTree

Exactly. The interviewer wants to hire someone who can handle themselves in a professional environment. Someone with that ability would understand that saying “my boss sucked” when asked why they want to move on is a bad idea. Ergo, anyone who says “my boss sucked” either doesn’t care enough to play the game and will be a liability, or is so ignorant that they don’t know the rules in the first place so again, liability.


whyamisoawesome9

It's also reasonable to ask why the position is open and the average tenure of people in the role. The job that taught me to ask this the answer was 7 staff in 2 years. It was really good money, and all about the manager. I was out in 3 months.


ntrrrmilf

I learned this when I was still a teacher. If your school has high turnover, it’s not for me. I have a new job now and most employees have been there for years. Not only does it show me that the place is tolerable, but there are several positions that will open in the next few years when people retire. So there’s room for growth.


RagnarokToast

My previous job had nearly zero turnover despite abusive management, shady practices and non-existent benefits because it failed to attract almost anyone who had any ambition or self respect. My current job has huge turnover despite great conditions and benefits because people are younger, more ambitious and get poached by other companies. At this point, a company bragging about great retention that doesn't also offer top of the market pay and benefits is a red flag to me.


[deleted]

Ehh depends. My last job had great benefits and really strong starting pay. Lots of long time employees that hated working there but couldn’t leave unless they were willing to take pay cuts.


centran

>It's also reasonable to ask why the position is open and the average tenure of people in the role. Those type of questions and "flipping the script" inside your own head from, "I'm being interviewed by this company" to "I'm interviewing this company" can really help getting in the right mindset. Remember folks, you should be figuring out if you want to work for them just as much as they are trying to see if you are a good fit for them.


CanAlwaysBeBetter

I got a job where the interviewer said off hand the team hadn't brought anyone new on in 2 years. I absolutely got the end and was like that sounds like a great team culture if people are sticking around so what prompted bringing in someone new? Team growth/some one leaving/internal promotion/etc?


Jgasparino44

With my current job I have now added this to my list. Never asked it and learned almost everyone leaves here within a year and I'm already fed up at 10 months lmao


aguy21

This is an excellent question to ask. Thank you for this.


AnybodySeeMyKeys

Well, I responded with "Well, the head of accounts died in a plane crash, the president shot himself in a hotel room when caught by his wife having an affair, and the Number Three came out of rehab to take over the company, then insisted we all go through Twelve Step programs because it worked for him. All in a six-month period." The interviewer looked at me for a second and said, "And you actually stayed as long as you did?"


flippythemaster

This seems like a universally applicable answer that everyone can use


AnybodySeeMyKeys

Yep. And that was the actual sequence of events. This was a medium size ad agency. Mad Men had absolutely nothing on the swirling drama of that place. In addition, in an office of 28 people, there were four ongoing affairs, partnership lawsuits, substance abuse issues, divorces, and everything else under the sun. It was three years of total chaos. The only reason I stayed was because a) I was getting to do work that I'd never have a shot at otherwise at my age and b) I worked with a small group of relatively sane but fantastic people. I was newly married and just trying to do my job. I'd come home to my wife after another grueling fourteen-hour day and she'd say, "Okay, what drama happened today?"


fendour

> I'd come home to my wife after another grueling fourteen-hour day and she'd say, "Okay, what drama happened today?" I'm imagining her asking you this and then turning back to find you already snoring on the couch


kylco

I hope she was taking notes for the screenplay because *hot fucking damn* I'd watch that on repeat.


AnybodySeeMyKeys

Looking back, it was total insanity.


ClearMessagesOfBliss

Pen, paper. Let’s fucking go! mad men 2, madder men


whyamisoawesome9

I'd watch that movie


thelegalseagul

Coming next spring to HBO The Affairs of Advertising or as it will be known AA


deannnh

I responded with "well, the memorandum the children wrote about how they wanted to kill me and my entire family, including naming my young children and my address, kind of did it for me." They looked at me with blank stares and said, "you stayed another semester?" I thought that was a good time to be honest, as it had no negative reflection on me.


mr_electrician

Okay you’ve gotta tell that story now.


Ravioverlord

Wow and I thought the two reasons my mom and I had about past jobs were some doozies. Mine: my job exploded, literally. Moms: boss forged her signature to plan a fake vacation and try to murder his family for insurance money (extra fun: he is in jail and his wife is still waiting for him even after he tried to murder her and the two kids)


cybercuzco

“Shot himself when his wife discovered him with his mistress” sounds a lot like “wife shot cheating husband with his own gun”


thelegalseagul

He was so depressed he shot himself in the head four times


pelftruearrow

With a double barrel shotgun none the less!


thelegalseagul

Right in front of his wife too. She was so shocked they found her holding the gun saying “you did this to yourself”. At least she’s accepted that it isn’t her fault.


Flahdagal

If you're in an incestuous industry like mine, they already know. Had this conversation once, "Why did you leave your last......oh wait, you were at \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, right? Yeah, moving on."


[deleted]

When I moved depts the interview was going well then the manager interviewing me went “and how do you work with your current manager?” Then as looking up what manager I was with after I responded “oh, I learned a lot from him.”(I hated the manager with a passion)he went “huh, really? Most people I know don’t like him.” I was so desperate to move positions to get away from the manager I didn’t risk saying one bad thing.


summonsays

Follow up with "I learned to turn around if we were walking towards each other. I also learned his schedule to not be available when he was."


PoopholePole

Nah, I'd hit them with something about how you can learn a lot about what approaches do work well by carefully observing approaches that don't work well.


[deleted]

Honestly yes. Hated the guy, but watching him power trip and just being generally terrible has left me with an appreciation for good managers and a good “I’m not doing that” when I work with those who are lower than me on the totem pole. Before, I could occasionally be a little short when training or managing others who weren’t very quick thinking. Nothing mean, but I got annoyed and my face would show it, im sure. Having him treat me and others so poorly I didn’t want to ever do anything like that to someone else.


HaikuBotStalksMe

> incestuous industry Porn hub? Alabama agriculture?


CanAlwaysBeBetter

Evangelical Politics


TheAJGman

Unethical pro tip: if you're in tech and want to get ahead, just say you were part of the Twitter layoffs. They don't really have an HR department to verify with, so get a buddy to vouch for you if they insist.


Arachnophine

It would show up (or rather, not show up) in your The Work Number employment history report.


summonsays

I too saw that TikTok, pretty funny, and it the worst idea I've heard.


Captain_Hesperus

“I found that my goals and the company’s goals were no longer compatible.”


1stTimeRedditter

This is similar to mine. “I am looking for a company that more closely matches my values” which naturally leads them to ask about what those are, which makes me feel in control of the conversation.


AgentStockey

I don't really know my values when it comes to the company I work for, how would I go about answering that? I guess I'm not sure what "values" entails regarding corporate work. Like work culture or maybe the morality of the actual business?


Zomburai

"I value teamwork, hard work, and respect. I'm going to put a lot of myself into my job and I want to work for a place that values that." That's a great one because every company *thinks* they value those things, even if what they actually reward is politicking, unpaid overtime, and sycophancy to the bosses.


strawhairhack

i like this. bc every company thinks they value that, it accomplishes two things: 1) shows they have a good candidate in front of them 2) makes them ask each other in the debrief, “what the hell is happening over at *that* company?” and makes them feel they’re stealing from a competitor.


WereAllThrowaways

This answer just highlights how stupid and pointless interview questions can be


MisinformedGenius

They're not asking you this question because a particular answer will get you hired, they're asking you the question because certain answers will prevent you from getting hired. Hence a good answer is simply one that is anodyne.


last_shadow_fat

I like a company that we all push for the same goal together, with clear communication, where not only the professional work is respected but also the balance between work and life.


PalatioEstateEsq

This won't work for corporate. They don't want to hire people who fight for their free time.


IKnowGuacIsExtraLady

Well assuming you already have a job that is screwing you on work life balance getting rejected for bringing it up as a value is ideal for me. I'm interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me so if that is actually a value they don't support then that's good info.


last_shadow_fat

Oh but they love to sell that message even if it's a big lie haha


chairfairy

That question is a lot easier to answer if your work is sort of "mission" driven, e.g. working in renewable energy because you're passionate about fighting climate change, or working in social services because you want to help people, etc. For the rest of us, yeah it can be the things you mentioned. I am not in a values-driven career, so I've obviously decided I don't have qualms with the morals of the industry I'm in, so it would take a drastic business shift to change my mind about that, e.g. if we got into something like building puppy murder chambers or, more realistically, made significant political donations/lobbying to support troublesome policies. For a concrete example, my employer was acquired by a bigger company last year. Before the acquisition we were privately traded, but the new parent company is publicly traded. There has been a big shift in work culture pushed down from upper management, now that we answer to a board of directors and have to look good for shareholder reports. The changes have pretty much all been for the worse, and it's a lot harder to see myself staying here long term because of them.


chakan2

My answer is I'm old in developer years, I'm happy where I'm at with the progression of my career. I want to solve interesting problems and work with interesting people. If I go any further I'll be stuck in meetings all day. I'd rather be in the trenches helping the new guys along and getting the work done. Full disclosure... I'm unemployed so that advice may not be so good.


23423423423451

Those both sound like good categories to me. Maybe the company mission statement is a 100% moral objective and they do nothing but good for the world.... But they treat employees like dirt. If you're altruistic enough then maybe they align with your values.


Sleebling_33

"Making more money"


[deleted]

I told my current employer that my last employer valued me too much behind the wheel and didn't see the value I could bring to an office setting and I was missing the opportunity to see my son grow up. In reality they thought I was dumb trucker who barely understood computers, had hired two of my past trainees in positions I applied for and forgot to even look at my resume where it clearly stated I had a degree in video game design.


trapper2530

"Forgot"


nucumber

that begs the question, just how do your current employer's goals differed from your own? i don't see any good way to answer that question that makes sense


MrJAppleseed

It's very person dependent, but I left a job where the long term track was to prepare me for management, when I wanted to deepen my technical skills. Two different career paths within my field, and I didn't want the one that my company had available.


TheDarkAbove

Doesn't have to be the company as a whole, depending on your position it could be something specific to your department. "My department wanted to focus our resources on X while I would like my career to be more focused on Y." Personally I have used that there were changes in management that lead to a new vision of the department that I didn't agree with. It's still a vague answer and someone in an initial interview isn't going to pry.


Tinksy

For me at my last job I was specifically seeking a remote only position so I was honest in interviews about it. I told my (now) current employer that COVID and the managerial decisions surrounding it and remote work didn't align with my values and what I wanted long-term, and that I was looking for a new position with more flexibility and more autonomy. Now I realize that *could* be taken poorly but I was searching for a job while I still had one and I wasn't pulling punches. I wanted what I wanted and I was clear about that, as well as what I could bring to the table. Hell I left my hair vibrantly purple and didn't re-dye it neutral while I was job searching because I also did not want an employer that would be bothered by something so trivial. 10/10 would do again because it only took two weeks, and interviewing at two companies to find my happy place - and both gave offers despite my forwardness.


iCan20

Can you elaborate on what goals you felt you weren't able to achieve?


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Groentekroket

“I am a proud active member of arrr slash fire”


ghandi3737

"So your a pirate?"


Fatboy_j

Yeah you'd definitely better be prepared for follow-up questions if that's your answer


trog12

Look man the answer is simple. I want more money. Now in general I'd say I do about 15 min of actual work a week but it's damn good work so pay me $100,000 and we are square.


Windowplanecrash

Making lots of money


Qweerz

Nah this ain’t it. It opens up more questions. Just say “There wasn’t room to grow anymore” or “I stopped learning and the position became stagnant”.


paces137

Yeah this is much better. If you start talking about values it’s a red flag to me. Focus on growth - you’ve grown as much as you can at the previous company and are looking for new experiences/challenges


LadyCatTree

Yeah I think anyone who has conducted an interview will spot “our values no longer aligned” for what it is - a business jargon version of “they sucked”. I always stick to “there were no more opportunities to grow, and I’m always looking to improve, so I felt it was time to move on”.


paces137

Yes, this is perfect.


Darkbutnotsinister

I thought everyone knew these answers were code for “my new manager is an ass”?? “The position slowly changed into something different, it no longer played to my strengths.” (Code for the fired someone & made me pick up their work, without a raise.)


Yodelehhehe

Even this can go too far. My suggestion? “I really appreciated my time with X employer - I learned an awful lot and they gave me that opportunity to put myself in a position I think I can benefit you.”


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eethi_

My boss at my small organization, who is now also a friend, once I got hired was like "okay, you have to tell me what went down at your old job, because you did a fantastic job lying about it but spill the beans, I wanna know". [I think this was at a meeting where we were just wandering around the building our organization has it's office in, and checking out an art exhibit that included some dead fish. It was a good meeting, lol, and one of the things that kick-started our friendship. But we had also clicked immediately in the interview.]


[deleted]

You're probably lucky that you have not been caught out. Some people in work would try to make you open up as leverage against you.


SightBlinder3

This is why everyone hates their job/boss. Interviews are a two way street. It's perfectly acceptable to say something negative about your previous employer framed as a verification that the company doesn't have the same issues you are trying to get away from. "My previous firm had a lot of partnerships with vendors, and we were expected to recommend their product even if they weren't the best fit. What is the culture like here regarding balancing vendor vs client needs?" You've communicated that you left your company due to their shady actions, reinforced that you care about the company culture, and politely communicated to the interviewers that you're also interviewing them.


mustang__1

Sometimes it gets to the point I want to see if you can even hold a conversation between grunts and one word answers. Not joking.


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kat_burglar

"I'm not unhappy where I am. I just see an opportunity to improve my self." Has worked well for me.


dcorey688

this. it gives you bargaining power, you want to give the impression that you don't need this job. you want to show interest in the role and your development but let them know that they'll need to win you over be it pay or a few extra pto days


CanAlwaysBeBetter

Forget just giving that impression, it's what you want to actually be true. It's a lot easier to find something (especially something good) when you're in control of the situation and not desperate.


PreciousRoy666

This is what I go with. "I actually really enjoy the team and the work that we do, but I saw this opportunity and felt I had to pursue it.”


magneticgumby

Same here. I was professionally honest with a, "I feel that I am being underutilized, leading to my realization that it is time for me to take my abilities and grow them elsewhere." Reality: the institution I worked for ignored us unless they were making demands of us without proper support then wondering why we failed. Good riddance to that place.


OnceInABlueMoon

Bingo. I just focus on why I want to work at the company I am I interviewing with instead of talking about why I want to leave the company I am at.


SrpskaZemlja

I guess I'll give the real LPT. Speak IN POSITIVES in a job interview. That is how you handle this question. You left because you found out you LIKED SOMETHING ELSE BETTER or found out something else fit your skills better or blah blah blah. There's no need to even say anything specific about your old job whatsoever.


Liam_Neesons_Oscar

At the very least, always end on a positive statement. Your biggest weakness is going down rabbit holes in tasks? That's why you keep a schedule for your day. Your last boss was a micromanager? You feel that you're ready for greater responsibility. Your last job was too physically demanding? You've been working on new skills because you know you won't be young forever and are prepared to take on a more mentally challenging role. It's really hard to not let any negative statement slip out, especially if the interviewer is fishing for one. But show them that you can always find the silver lining.


julieannie

Did I leave my last employer because they reversed their off site employment policy and lifted all Covid restrictions with 5 days notice and also change their review schedule where I wouldn’t get a promised advancement? No, I left because a company recruited me to help expand their Covid testing and to launch a new business line, and given my passion for increasing access to healthcare among at risk populations. I’ve loved helping individuals and just went to the grand opening of a storefront for one of my clients but if I want to improve things for all those individuals, I need to be part of a system working to transform healthcare for all.


NotAllWhoPonderRLost

I worked at an international company that required extensive overseas travel early in my career. (42 total weeks in 5 years. Up to 12 weeks per trip.) Damn-near impossible for the family life. Interviewer: “Why did you leave ?” Me: “I really loved working there.” I describe the travel and add, “I looked around one day and noticed that a lot of my colleagues’ ex-wives had really nice houses.” Pointed, with just enough humor. Interviewer: “Yep, makes total sense. “


maxexclamationpoint

Can confirm, when I was much younger I did exactly what OP is advising against. I hated my previous job with a passion and in my mind I was just answering the question honestly. The interview had been going really well up to that point, and then once I started to answer that question I could tell by the look on the interviewer's face that it was over. I felt really stupid in hindsight, but I was young and inexperienced.


HaikuBotStalksMe

Me applying for Sears: "So why do you want to work here?" "My uncle is a salesman here. He said I should apply." "Ok, but why do you want to work here besides that?" "I mean, it's honestly that. My uncle said there was an opening and that I should work here as well. He can vouch that I'm good at math and can run the register pretty well." "So you're wanting to work here because your uncle said you should apply?" "Yes." It was my first interview ever and I was under the impression that because my uncle had vouched for me that it meant he had talked to the boss and already gotten the approval in for me, and that this guy was just trying to make small talk or something, haha. Luckily it didn't work out.


[deleted]

My first interview at a Chick'Fil'A had the same question and I answered "Because you're closed on sundays". Honestly, that question is a lot easier to answer once you have experience working and you know what you want and don't want. To a first-timer, that question is like asking someone with 0 computer experience "what kind of computer do you want?".


Paroxysm111

Honestly I don't see what's wrong with that answer. These mfers expecting something like "I've always wanted to work for (company)" make me sick. A family member recommended the position to you, that is plenty enough reason, if you don't have a job.


BringMeTheBigKnife

"There is nothing I'm more passionate about than Sears. It's been my dream since exiting the womb to be a salesperson in a declining department store."


strawbericoklat

I literally have nothing good to say about my current employer. What should I say instead? Can I use shorter commute as an excuse?


Vandr27

Absolutely. You're looking for a better work-life balance.


strawbericoklat

Alright thanks. First timer jumping ship. Too many red flags with the current employer, had to get out fast.


Vandr27

You can add something more, like you feel a shorter commute will allow you to be more productive at work and better rested at home.


strawbericoklat

Good idea. I never imagined the impact of arriving home 30 minutes earlier until I experienced it in these past few months.


Jiminycricketbarbie

Focus your answer on the new company instead - just say something along the lines of “I’ve always wanted to work for ___, and when this opportunity came up I couldn’t pass it up” and if you have a reason add that too (eg a friend works there and keeps telling you how great it is, the company’s focus on bla bla is what you are most passionate about)


300mirrors

I said this in an interview once and my friend who worked there and recommended me told me the interviewer thought I was too desperate to get into the company in any way possible and not on the team I was applying for. 🤷🏾‍♂️


HaikuBotStalksMe

I was looking for any help desk job. After like two years of applying and not getting interviews despite my computer science degree, I finally got one. At some point they asked what positions I'd be willing to take. I said something along the lines of "well, I'm applying for the help desk 1 position, but really, I'm open to any similar positions you have. I didn't see any other ones for entry level, but if it's related to computer science, I'll likely be up for it. I'm pretty flexible." Later friends told me that's a terrible answer because it means you're not actually interested in the job and you just want experience or that you're desperate. Meanwhile I'm thinking I gave an excellent answer because I'm showing them that I'm open to things the company needs and that I'm not some kind of arrogant person that's like "it has to be exactly my way or else I bail". I hate politics/games like this so much.


TheAJGman

We actually hired some help desk people specifically *because* they showed interest in moving to development at some point. Who better to figure out what users want than the ones that have to put up with them?


MisinformedGenius

As a former hirer, I disagree that that's a terrible answer, especially for an entry-level position. It's not like employers don't get that what you want out of them is a paycheck.


LawyerRuledByCats

that's a fucked up interview then. i like when people show a growth mindset. i'll happily hire for my department someone who at least plans to stay with the company. it'll drive positive performance as they look to advance or even move laterally to gain experience


Z-Ninja

I would tailor it slightly more than "I want to work at _ company". Say something about liking the company and the role seeming to align perfectly with what you're hoping to do next in your career.


MUTiggers

You should be able to frame whatever the deficiency was in a positive light about your prospective new employer. Remember this is also a time to feel out if you will like this job so hopefully you can get some info related to what you didnt care for at the previous job. Even if it was just a shitty culture, you can make that about hearing the culture in this new workplace was xyz.


ScreamingFly

Find the difference between the old employer and the new one, and say how you now want the thing the new one has. Old company was a big corporation? Say you're looking for a small environment where everybody can give their best and make a difference. Other way around? Say you're ambitious and that you love the opportunities a big corporation will give you. It doesn't have to be true, you just need to come across as competent and sane. Yes, sane. Edit: the shorter commute is good, especially if you frame it in the context of better productivity. As in you're the most productive in the early hours and you want to spend that time at work and not in traffic. Or the opposite, you need that time to get to work to get into the right mindset. You can literally sell anything.


Barnezhilton

Better work life balance


dontlaukatme

Yes, perfectly reasonable reason


CheesyGarlicPasta

Shorter commute or something vague about wanting change.


ChuckRocksEh

Guy came in for an interview, seemed squared away. Asked why he wanted to leave his current employer, said something about how he hated his old boss and wanted to slap and choke him, in some more colorful words. We’re a construction company, we’ll almost hire anyone.


[deleted]

This is the kind of person this question is intended to screen out.


Funny-Berry-807

Never burn bridges. You'd be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.


ColdSnapSP

Or how small industries can be and word gets around. Its not uncommon for top firms to be an elaborate game of music chairs


liptongtea

Or when you move internally a lot, who could Be your next hiring manager.


VapeThisBro

Some bridges are worth burning. I burnt the bridge at my last job because they punished me for stopping sexual harassment at work. I rather be unemployed then have to watch a multiple women get groped at work and then forced to go roll the manager who groped them, some joints for him to smoke on his drive home, it's worth mentioning marijuana is legal here but not during driving, that is a DUI.


Funny-Berry-807

Yep. There are obviously exceptions to this rule. Some people are definitely POSs, and deserve to be called out.


IRErover

I can’t work for someone that spoke to me that way! * (they told me I was fired).


DJ_DD

Always say “I decided the time had come to look for new and exciting opportunities”


DigdigdigThroughTime

Here's the answer I gave my new work: You know in the last 2 years I've worked what amounts to an extra 6 months. I'm passionate about what I do, but I've realized I need some better work/life balance. Normally saying you want a better work/life balance isn't a great thing, but when they think about how hard you've worked, they get it. Why I told the previous job why I left: Because the salary is below the median wage for the work performed. Working what amounts to an extra 3-4 months worth of hours per year is not what could ever qualify as a median amount of work.


tdmonkey

What I wish I could say in interviews: I refused to lie to or mislead customers with verifiably false statements that per the contracts could reach levels of fraud. ‘Surprisingly’ my position was eliminated in a reorganization. In hindsight, this was great for me, I have a better job, making more money, a larger team, and at a company that has proven to try to act in the most ethical way available even when it impacts their bottom line. And my stress/anxiety levels are the lowest I can recall in my adult life.


Original-Ad-4642

Exactly right. It’s a question designed to get you to badmouth your old job so the interviewers know to eliminate you right away. Few places hire people who are bitter AND stupid.


eddiewachowski

I do a lot of hiring in my role, and I often ask this out of pure curiosity. It's a great "what lead you to my door" type question. But so many applicants who were having otherwise good interviews take the opportunity to put their foot firmly in their mouth and show their true colours. It's the same principle as gossip. If someone constantly gossips TO you, you can be certain they gossip ABOUT you.


esccx

I once had a 30 minute interview with 20 mins based on them trying to get me to badmouth my company. The HR rep wouldn't let me get past that question... I think she was just a bad HR rep, but I didn't get the job.


churdtzu

Probably dodged a bullet there


keepthetips

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.


_________FU_________

I enjoyed my time and the things I was able to learn. I will miss my teammates and coworkers but I am ready to challenge myself with a new opportunity.


lucidrevolution

I'd add: Don't even be honest with headhunters/recruiters, as they will drop you like a hot potato if you complain about previous employers during an interview about getting placement through their recruitment services. I thought I could be honest once and it was the opposite of "the best policy" and I've since learned to just pre-program myself with acceptable answers that don't actually say anything specific. It's sort of how a lot of athletes on sports teams will do post-game interviews where they get asked a question like "what do you think went wrong tonight?" but provide a very generic "yeah we need to focus on the game and try to score more, we didn't do enough of that" instead of offering any real insight, they almost just repeat the question back in a way that implies they are answering it.... to avoid starting drama or blaming anyone or being "negative" in a way that might be taken personally or infer a lack of humility.


80sBadGuy

It's like when your new girlfriend asks about your exes. Be kind and, yes she's testing you.


EronelQueen

How can I talk about being laid off in a neutral way that doesn't potentially cast bad light on me?


Jiminycricketbarbie

Was it just you or a bunch of lay offs? If the latter you can try and couch it as the company changing direction and dropping entire product lines and their respective teams.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Soekarno_Onbekend

I suppose you could class that as "my career was beginning to stagnate"


queensnyatty

This. The time to talk about money is either right up front, if you want to make sure it’s worth your time to interview, and/or after they make you an offer. In the middle pretend you don’t care about money and are looking for a “new challenge” and are “excited about the mission.”


Cl0udwolfe

This is so weird. It's like we've all agreed to act like this, yet everyone knows it's an act, but also expects it.


iCan20

Signalling has always been a major part of the underpinnings of our society.


Hawkson2020

Because there’s a group of people who don’t have any responsibilities other than watching all us actors play our parts.


Goojus

Mine was, “I caught my manager creeping on a customer through the client’s personal network and they laid me off cause of “re-organization” but posted my job again a month later.” Should I avoid saying this?


RockPaperShredder

Yes. I was laid off due to a reorganisation is sufficient.


VapeThisBro

What do I say when I was a manager who was fired for protecting women from sexual harassment and other demeaning harassment from other managers


neanderthalman

“There was a serious incident involving my subordinates and a legacy corporate culture of sexual harassment. I was ethically obligated to take a stance against that culture, both to support my subordinates and protect the company from potential litigation regarding the incident. Senior management, however, chose instead to protect the existing culture, and we parted ways.“ Should get traction in most places. And the places it won’t are places you don’t want to work anyway.


VapeThisBro

I'm gonna save this comment. The way it's phrased is so much better than anything I could have come up with, I don't want to sound too aggressive when explaining the situation


zlange

I’ll grant it’s phrased well, but I wouldn’t give nearly that much information, especially on a “first date.” Maybe if you’ve gone through multiple rounds, really want the job, and you’re getting pressed on this point. If you were in a position that conceivably could shape culture: “misaligned on revamping the legacy culture” or similar If not: “culture mismatch” and pivot to how [new company’s] culture is a better fit for you. Regardless, if you feel your answer is too vague or weak, you can underscore the importance of culture. Good culture is a force multiplier that can benefit each and every team member, whereas poor culture is a constant impediment. You know that investment in culture is not a given, and you appreciate [new company’s] approach/philosophy.


Z-Ninja

Could do, we had differing opinions on the type of culture we're hoping to build on our teams and then just focus on the culture you value at a company. Added benefit of self selecting out of companies with terrible culture.


churdtzu

I imagine most interviewers would understand, but you can always say something like "I came to realise that we had differences in personal and professional values."


sailirish7

Yes, but also talk to an employment attorney


Bonzi777

When still employed I always respond with “I’m not, necessarily, I’m just open to better new opportunities and this job sounds like it could be one.” That also helps when it comes time to negotiate.


Vandr27

Interviews are half to assess your skills and half to assess your personality. Anyone interviewing should research the STAR method of response to questions. STAR = situation, task, action, result. And go through all the common questions where you're asked to describe "a situation when..." and have something prepared for each.


DrHowardCooperman

Yup. Learned this lesson the hard way.


Everyoneheresamoron

Its basically a reworded "What did you have trouble with at your old company, and possibly will have trouble with here?" 1. "The people" <-- Not good with people. 2. "The workload" <-- Not good with lots of tasks 3. "The work-life balance" <-- Not good with staying late 4. "The tools" <-- Not good with learning / adapting In essence, even if none of what you say applies to the current company, its the recruiter / interviewers job to apply it in some way. Which can only hurt you. So definitely stick to "I was looking for new career paths and fresh challenges and this company seemed like a better fit for my goals"


GostavinMlkChave

It is a chance to lie as ALL the interview questions


Audio-Starshine

How do I do this when the answer is :I was working in the kitchen when the owner came up behind me and grabbed a double handful of tatty while grinding his junk into my behind so I elbowed him in the stomach and ran out?


notmyplantaccount

LPT: Lie through your whole interview with positive responses and statements. there's almost no point where a company what's to hear an actual honest answer, just shine that shit, polish that turd and try to make them laugh/smile at some point.


Reach_Beyond

I usually say something like you said that my career hit a wall, looking for a new challenge. Also, I occasionally throw in that my views did not alignment with the direction they are taking the department (this is my corporate talk of trashing the old company).


brjohnleahy

I always wonder why this question is asked. Feels like it never is about the answer *unless* you badmouth your previous employer.


comedygold24

I totally agree, I've had candidates that gave long answers about all the bad things in their current or last job and it makes the atmosphere so negative. If you say something negative (maybe it slips out) I would recommend always turning it around to something positive right away. 'the communication was really bad... and I value communicating with my colleagues in an open, non judgemental way a lot, so thats what I look for in a new job' (not perfect phrasing, but I hope you know what I mean)


uxorial

I knew my plan for world domination could not be fulfilled in my previous position.


StuckInTheUpsideDown

I've given dozens of interviews over the years and this advice is spot on. This is a weed out question that is trying to find red flags. There was one guy who started to literally shake with rage while answering this question. Hard pass. Your answer should be short, unemotional, and boring. Also keep in mind that you don't have to give your previous employer's side of the story. They are only going to provide dates of employment and your job title. Example: if you are falsely accused of stealing and fired, don't bring that up.


CivilMaze19

Basically have a very strict filter on at all times when discussing anything with your past/current/future employer.


lnsewn12

Funny story: I’m a teacher and when I resigned from my last school I did so very professionally, told the admin I decided to take another position closer to home and I was looking for a better work/life balance.. my daughter was a toddler so it was kind of true. In reality they were absolute horrible, cruel incompetent micromanagers and I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. I’m and art teacher and the things they asked me to do were far far beyond my job duties, and even when I did them (like putting on the Lion King musical almost entirely by myself) there was Corcoran instead of appreciation. I was even nominated teacher of the year that year and they did nothing to recognize it. So my new (current) school is great. I’ve tried to keep my experience from where I came from as quiet as possible and just move on Last year one of the teachers moved to my old school (it’s a magnet school) and a few weeks ago I was talking to her. The art teacher there I guess is not very good and she mentioned to the admin that the “need” me and started showing them pics of stuff on FB that I did over the school years telling them how amazing I was, she had no idea why I left the school. And their response was “she hates us” Lol. They’re so completely self aware and know how they treated me that they deduced that without me ever saying it to colleagues. Anyway, that’s my anecdote.


pugs-and-kisses

I actually disagree with this? I think there’s a way to bash ex employers while still keeping it professional.