What do you say to your potential employer?

You are being interviewed by your potential new employer and they ask you why are you looking to leave your current job? What reason/s do you give them?

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NetworkNewb

I would tell them the reason why I am leaving...

Kinda specific to each job.

Usually it's because I'm looking to take on more responsibility and there is no room to move up at my current employer.

kohr-ah

My case I join companies that are unstable and stablize them and go.

So I tell them I have done xyz and am looking to move forward to grow and learn new skills with a company that can utilize what I specialize in.

E Double U

My reasons were specific to each company I left:

- 2006: Looking to move from contract work to a full-time, permanent role with benefits.
- 2013: Current employer is offshoring work.
- 2016: My wife is from Holland and wants to move back home.

I just told the truth.

EANx

The truth often works but if you've had several jobs in a short amount of time then you have to carefully craft your response so they don't think you're going to hop again in six months.

tedjames

Just don't ever tell them that you hate where you are and that the people you work for are idiots. Tell them that you've taken your current job as far as you can and that you're looking for new challenges.

Mooseboost

Be honest with them but do so in a professional way just like you would with anything else on the resume.

yoba222

It's easier when you are honest. If this isn't an option, the old temporary-contract-was-up excuse is fairly common in IT and shouldn't raise an alarm. This probably wouldn't fly if you were getting background investigated by OPM or for NSA or something.

EANx

And keep your answer at or under an 8th-grade level. I remember once thoughtlessly saying "ignorance" which any educated person knows simply means unknowing but I could almost feel the chill in the room once I said it and realized the person I was talking to thought I meant "stupid".

I didn't get that job

tedjames

EANx wrote: »

And keep your answer at or under an 8th-grade level. I remember once thoughtlessly saying "ignorance" which any educated person knows simply means unknowing but I could almost feel the chill in the room once I said it and realized the person I was talking to thought I meant "stupid".

I didn't get that job

I had a similar discussion with a co-worker. He has called people ignorant, and it came back to bite him in the you-know-what. All he really meant was that they just didn't know it. I pointed out to him that being called ignorant has a very negative connotation and suggested he not do that again.

NetworkNewb

tedjames wrote: »

being called ignorant has a very negative connotation

Exactly this ^

tmtex

Because my boss called me cracker

scaredoftests

Say you reached your potential at your current job..

pevangel

My current boss always makes a big fuss whenever I take the network down by accident. They were accidents! How was I supposed to know that replacing the line cards on a core router would cause an outage!? So I'm looking for a place that's more forgiving and also believes that production is the best lab environment.... Just kidding, I'm looking for better growth opportunities.

Try that, and let me know how it works out.