Job interviews are a scary and long process. Finding jobs in the current market can be difficult, in fact, even just getting noticed can be notoriously hard. Everyone has to find a way to sell themselves in order to get a job. But, the job interview is a daunting process for both parties involved. So, do you know the best answer to a job change interview question? How does one go about answering this?
The answer lies within the question. No, literally! The answers you give to interview questions are the key to either your success or starting back over at square one again. There are all sorts of questions that commonly get asked. These questions are often practiced with friends and family so that you can provide a decent answer.
Some of the questions that many tend to get are “What are your strengths?” or “What is your biggest accomplishment?” These are all serious questions that need serious answers. The business needs to know if you are a fit for the company. But, no question gets more anxious than the dreaded, “Why did you change jobs?”
How do you answer that? Besides flat-out lying, there are no wrong answers when answering the question. However, there is just one answer that is considered best of all. But, before we get to that, we need to go over the interview question itself. So, let’s dig in!
Why Ask the Question?
One may wonder why a company wants to know the reason for leaving your previous job. However, it does make a lot of sense as to why they ask it. For example, if you left because your previous work said that you were late, disorganized, and did not work well with others, this tells the business that you are unreliable. In fact, they may just end the interview right there. Of course, no one expects you to be that terrible at a job, but the example is still right. The business has every right to know why you left the previous business and what were the reasons behind it.
Why Did You Change Jobs?
So, why did you change jobs? One could give a list of reasons or flat-out state untrue things to make your last job look bad, but the best answer to give to the question is quite simple.
Just be honest.
As the saying goes, “honesty is the best policy”. From startups to generations-old businesses, all of them need to know the importance of honesty. Many people value it and it can hold a lot of weight. Breaking away from honesty can be dangerous as it will divide you and others from each other should dishonesty rear its ugly head.
How Honest Is Too Honest?
Being honest is a good virtue, but being too honest can lead to trouble. While honesty is important in all walks of life, it is not honesty that leads to grief, it is how it is presented.
Often times people can be upfront or downright blunt when regarding certain subjects. This can lead to strife regarding others as one may have hurt feelings when blunt honesty is involved.
When applying this to a job interview and to the “Why did you change jobs” question, you need to be honest, but it is the tone and word choice that are going to matter. For instance, you may have had bad days at work, annoying coworkers, or even just idiotic bosses. While these are troubling things, it is how you present them that is important.
Here is an example. Instead of saying that you left your job because of an idiotic boss, say that you left because the boss was making poor choices that were affecting the workplace. With how you say it, the interviewers will notice that tone and will note that you are not bitter about leaving.
Conclusion
Honesty is a powerful tool at your disposal. Using honesty, both the employer and employee, interviewer and interviewee, company and customers, keeps the business world going. Sure there are bad-faith actors out there in the world, but you can rise above that and be better. If you exude honesty then interviewees will give you honesty as well.
That two-way street is what builds relationships. When a company builds honesty with its employees and customers, it creates meaningful relationships and loyalty that can last a lifetime.
So the best answer for a job change interview question isn’t some secret one-size fits all. Instead, it’s just being courteous so that that your potential employer can gain insight into who will be hired. Not to mention, honesty is a good virtue to have. Keep that with you for the rest of your life because you will find it to be a good answer to many questions.
