Why did you leave your last job?
This seemingly simple question will get asked in almost every interview. We all know why we left our last job- our boss was impossible, they fired us for no good reason, or the rest of the staff was incompetent. We usually have a pretty good reason for leaving a job, but yet it is easy to mess this question up. Interviewers are trying to gauge what type of employee you will be with this question, and the last thing they want is a negative employee. This is one of the many places we have to be tactful in our answers.
First off- don’t be negative. It does not matter how horrible the situation was at your last job, you do not want to talk about the bad aspects. Maybe you didn’t feel safe in your work environment, and when you brought this to your boss’ attention, he fired you. Here you can say something to the effect of “They had a dynamic workforce, but the culture of the company was hard for me to break into. After that experience I have become aware of what kind of work environment I work best in.” This, more or less, explains what happened- but without making your old company or you look bad. This is always the goal, to make both you and your old company look good.
Though spinning information is sometimes necessary, you never want to outright lie. If you lie about what happened and that lie gets exposed, you are pretty much guaranteed not to get the job. This is just not a worthwhile risk. Instead you want to be open about what happened and explain what you’ve learned from the experience. You want to remain positive, no matter what experience you are describing- especially if the experience is generally a negative one.
If you were laid off, explain the difficulties the company was facing. Being laid off is no fun, but can be a blameless situation- which makes it fairly easy to explain. Describe why the company had to cut the workforce, explain the larger forces at work (the economy, corporate restructuring etc.), and explain that you are excited to get back into the game.
If you left on your own accord you have a bit more work to do. Instead of explaining your issues with your last job, talk about your passion for going further. If you job was limiting your potential, explain that they didn’t have the resources for your job to grow in the way you wanted. If you are someone who prioritizes a quality product, and you were working for a company that was shadier in their quality control, explain that a high quality product is a priority and that you are looking for a company that will help you prioritize that.
This question is asked to find out what kind of relationship you have with your previous employer, and to find out what kind of work values you have. If you highlight the positives of your previous employer and the good qualities of your work values, you will gain a lot from answering this question!