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How to talk about the reasons for leaving a previous job

Whatever job you are looking for - a psychologist in kindergarten or a sales director, you will almost certainly be asked at the interview why you broke up with your previous employer.

Obviously, in answering this sensitive issue, it is important to demonstrate your strengths and make a positive impression on the recruiter. But how to do that? Read Superjob.ru tips.

Professionalism, motivation, character ...
Many job seekers tend to view the interview as a minefield: tense atmosphere, tricky questions. We advise you not to perceive the HR manager as an enemy, because the HR specialist acts in your common interests, however, it is better to think over the answer to the question about the reasons for leaving your previous job in advance. This moment is one of the key in the interview. According to your answer, the recruiter will judge both your personality traits, your motivation, and professionalism.

How to show yourself from the best side, without deceiving the employer? Experts advise in answering such a question not to concentrate on the minuses of the previous work, but to focus on what you plan to do in the future. “I would like to develop in the field of direct sales, but my previous place of work did not give me such an opportunity, since most of the time I had to spend on working with documents,” such an answer is much better than, for example, the phrase: “I I spent all days sitting on papers, but the authorities didn’t appreciate this. ”

Leave criticism
Thinking through the answer to the question about the reasons for leaving the previous job, remember three simple rules. First: you can not criticize the former authorities or complain about colleagues. Otherwise, it is very likely that the recruiter will consider that you are from that breed of people who are always dissatisfied with everyone except themselves. Naturally, no one wants to take such a candidate for work - what if he sees in the new place in the boss of the enemy, and in his colleagues - envious people?

Be generous: do not criticize the former boss "for the eyes", especially since this will not bring any benefit to your career. It is better to keep silent about the shortcomings of colleagues and the boss, focusing on the content of the work and on what you really would like to do. Instead of talking about “unprofessional colleagues” who “themselves do not know how to work and do not give others”, diplomatically say: “I am grateful to the former bosses and staff, because I learned a lot from them. But now I would like to move on, grow professionally. In our small company, this turned out to be impossible, so I am looking for work in a large company. ” A similar answer will demonstrate to the recruiter that you are a non-conflict person with a high internal motivation to work.

Do not complain about harassment from the head, even if this is the true reason for your departure from the company. Think three times before giving this type of recruiter details. Such frankness is more likely to alert the HR manager: didn’t you provoke the boss to harassment? Will you become an apple of discord in the new team?

Money is not important
Rule two: do not say that you left the previous company just because you were not paid enough. Such an answer will make the recruiter think: what is your motivation primarily composed of? A candidate who is motivated only by a desire to increase his income, obviously loses to a candidate who is inspired by sincere interest in the cause of labor exploits.

In addition, the recruiter understands that companies often meet valuable employees by periodically increasing their remuneration according to their contribution to the common cause. If this does not happen to you, then you are not a sought-after professional or have inadequate requirements, ”says the personnel officer.

Therefore, before you name a small salary as a reason for dismissal, think carefully. And if you still decide to mention low earnings, then be prepared to argue your position: tell us in detail about your contribution to the common cause, refer to the average market salary indicators for your specialty (you can find such information in the journal “Salplatomer” published by Superjob.ru) .

An exception to this rule may be the situation when the candidate worked, for example, in a budgetary organization, that is, where he could not influence his income by negotiating with his superiors. “I got a nurse in a kindergarten, where my son goes to spend more time with the child. But she soon realized that with such a salary she would have to deny herself in many ways, ”this explanation from the lips of the applicant applying for the post of nurse in a commercial clinic sounds quite reasonable.

Phantom of crisis
Rule three: be careful with phrases like: "I was fired because of the crisis", "The company was reduced, and I lost my job." Personnel officers are well aware that companies are in no hurry to part with good specialists even in bad times, and even more so now, when it comes to the “phantom of the crisis” rather than the crisis itself. And staff optimization is unlikely to directly affect a valuable employee.

If this really happened to you, try to explain to the potential employer why the reduction affected your position. “The economic conditions were such that our small company had to save on everything. Among other things, they decided to sacrifice an event manager, since the budget for seminars and conferences was reduced to a minimum. The circumstances turned out to be stronger, but I am grateful to my former colleagues for the experience, ”this kind of explanation will suit the most picky recruiter. If the company has changed ownership, after which the new director decided to change the whole team, it will be even easier to explain the situation to the recruiting manager.

When preparing for an interview, keep in mind that an experienced recruiter will probably recognize an outright lie, while a calm and sincere answer, on the contrary, can draw an interlocutor to you. Be honest, but stick to the rules we talked about and remember: diplomacy can work wonders.

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