Why Are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job Best Answers - Career Sidekick

Why Are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job Best Answers - Career Sidekick Why Are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job? Best Answers Interview Questions and Answers / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Job hunting while youre employed is a great way to advance your career and explore new opportunities.But your answer to, why are you looking to leave your current job? can make or break your job interview, and be the difference between getting a job offer and not hearing back from the employer.So Im going to share my favorite method to explain why you want to leave your current job and take a new position, based on what Ive seen works best during my time as a Recruiter.Lets get startedHow to Answer Why Do You Want to Leave Your Job?First- Mistakes to Avoid!Now it might sound like theyre inviting you to bad-mouth and talk about the negative aspects of your current job when they ask something like, Tell me why you want to leave your current position.But dont do it.Hiring managers do not want to hire someone who does this, and you dont want to sound like youre too eager to leave your current job anyway.You have a big advantage if youre job hunting while e mployed. Companies will want you more, and they know they need to put in more effort to attract you (since you already have a job that youre safe/secure in).So use this to your advantage when answering questions about why you want to leave your job right now, and dont badmouth or make it sound like you dislike your job right now.Heres what to do insteadInstead of Bad Mouthing or Complaining, Talk About What You Want GainWhat do you hope to gain or get MORE of in this job transition?It could be a certain work environment youd like to be a part of. A certain challenge youd like to tackle (like leading a team, leading project, working more hands-on, etc.)It could be a variety of things. But pick one or two things that you really want to do more of and make sure theyre things that this job offers.(You dont want to say youre looking for an opportunity to lead people if the job is an individual contributor role. Why would they hire you for a job that doesnt fit what you say you want to be doing?)But if you do this correctly, it will show them that youre not desperate and that youre looking for the RIGHT fit, not just for any job thatll take you.Thats a GREAT way to position yourself as a top candidate and someone they should hire.Theres also one more thing you should do when answering, why are you looking to leave your job? at the very start of your answerAlso Talk About What Youve Enjoyed in Your Current JobIf you feel its appropriate, you can also talk about how youre grateful for what youve learned in your current job. Or talk about how youve built great skills there, but its simply time for something new.Heres what this might sound like:Ive learned a lot here and its been great. I just feel its time for a move because I want more of an opportunity to do ____.Thats one way to begin an answer to the question of why you want to leave your current job.A few other examples/phrases you could use to start your answer:Ive learned a lot in this role, but after 2 years, I feel Im ready for ____.Ive enjoyed this position a lot over the past 3 years. I just feel that in order to grow my career further, I need to expose myself to new challenges, and your company caught my attention because ____.One word of warning:Be aware that if you say you want more of an opportunity to do something, the interviewer will ask if youve tried to get that in your current job.Example: If you say you want to be more involved in working with customers or clients, the hiring manager will probably say, have you tried to see if theres an opportunity to do this in your current company?So, be ready for that.Now lets look at some full example interview answersExample Answers for Why You Want to Leave Your Current JobSample Answer #1:Lets say your boss wont let you manage any projects right now. Instead of badmouthing, you could say this:Ive enjoyed my role a lot, but Ive been here for two years and think its time to challenge myself further. One thing Id love to do is manage pro jects, and I noticed thats mentioned on the job description for this role. Ive asked my current boss about this and its just not a responsibility that I can take on in my current role or my current team, and they dont have room to promote me right now, so thats why Im willing to leave my current job.Sample Answer #2:Maybe your job bores you to death. Theres no human interaction, and you just sit in front of a computer entering data into spreadsheets. Not fun, right? So you want a more exciting job.But instead of badmouthing and saying the job is too easy, boring, etc., you could give an answer like this:Ive gotten a lot out of my current position in the year Ive been there. However, I think to continue challenging myself and growing in my career, its time for a change. Right now my role doesnt involve a lot of human interaction, and thats a skill I want to build more of. I love that this job seems to offer a mix of data entry like Im doing now, but also some customer service work. I love interacting with customers and its something I did a lot of in my job I held three years ago, so Id love to get back to doing some of that. Can you tell me more about how Id help in your customer service efforts in this role?These two example interview answers assume youre actively searching for jobs and really trying to get out of your current job (even though youre not going to say that).So, to recap, its okay to say youre actively searching. Its great to name a few things that youd like more of in your next job especially if youre sure that this new job would offer those things!But never sound like youre miserable in your current job. Its not going to help you get job offers, plain and simple.Lets look at one more example now. What if youre not actively job searching AT ALL. Maybe a Recruiter called you, etc. Heres a good example for that scenario.Answering Why Do You Want to Leave Your Job? if Youre not Actively Job-SearchingIf you werent searching, but you got on the pho ne with a recruiter and they convinced you to take an interview with the hiring manager, the hiring manager still might ask why you want to leave your current job.So you need to be ready with great answers for the phone interview when they ask questions about this topic.You can be direct and explain youre not actively searching. But dont stop thereIf you just say that and stop, theyll be worried youre not serious about considering their job, and then they will NOT offer you the position.Its okay if youre on the fence and not sure youd accept their job anyway, but you want to get the job offer, right? Theres no point on getting on the phone and immediately eliminating yourself from contention.So you want to make it clear that youre not in an active search, but then name one or two things that might attract you to a new position and make it worthwhile to leave your current job.Heres an example of how this might soundExample Answer if Youre NOT Actively Job Hunting:Im actually not in a n active job search, however when your recruiter contacted me about the position, it seemed interesting. Ive been managing people for two years in my current job and would love to take on more leadership as I advance in my career. The recruiter I spoke with, Josh, mentioned there was an opportunity to build and lead a team of 5 in this role. Can you tell me more about that?This is a great answer because youre explaining your situation clearly and directly, while also showing them why you want their job or what might convince you to take it.Youre also ending your answer by asking a question of your own. Great tactic to set yourself apart in the interview!Answering Why You Are Looking to Leave Your Job? Quick InstructionsTalk about what youve learned and gained in your current job, and how you appreciate that (even though you may be ready to move on)Then highlight what you hope to gain in the next opportunityAlways sound positive and talk about what you want to do next, instead of ba dmouthing or talking about what you want to escape in your current jobNever badmouth or complainDont talk about performance-related issues, or an inability to handle the work in your current jobIf youre actively looking for jobs, be honest and say soIf youre not an active job seeker, be clear about that too, but give a reason why you might consider their jobThe times when you have a job can be the best times to look for jobs, because youll be more confident and have more bargaining-power/leverage.Now you know how to answer questions like, why are you looking to leave your current job? or, whydoyouwanttoleave yourjob?.If you follow these steps, youll impress the interviewer and boost your chances of getting the job offer.