Mastering the Interview Question: Why Are You Looking for a New Job?

This article delves into the fundamental question every job seeker encounters during interviews: 'Why are you looking for a new job?' Explore the reasons behind why interviewers pose this question.

Pro Tip: When To Go Into Detail & When To Keep It Brief

When discussing your most recent position, go into greater detail. When talking about positions held earlier in your career, and your reasons for leaving, keep it brief.

Here are examples of how to summerize why you left positions earlier in your career:

Why Your Interviewer Asks These Questions

When a recruiter interviews a candidate, they are trying to find the best fit for the role. This is someone who they’ll consider a valuable asset, who will preserve the company’s reputation which they’ve worked hard to build, and who will effectively represent the interests of their company. So, every hiring manager has to approach every recruit as an investment. They’ll try to calculate a candidate’s professional worth by determining their experience and skill level, contrasted with how much they’ll have to invest in training and development, and how soon they’ll begin to contribute. They’ll also try to predict how long the professional relationship will last.

Hiring a bad candidate can have a negative domino effect. Someone who damages the company’s reputation, who does not have the skills or experience to do the job well, or is not motivated or excited about the opportunity, is likely to contribute to attrition. Long-term vacancies cause fatigue, burn-out syndrome, and turn-over among the rest of the team. Decreased morale undermines performance, company culture, and reputation.

Be Respectful Of What Went Into Making Your Interview Happen

At some point in the interview, they may ask how you heard about their job or their company. Or, they may ask what attracted you to what they have to offer. This is a great opportunity to subtly acknowledge all that went into their recruiting efforts, and to compliment their effective campaign. But before you can do that, you need to know all that went into making your interview happen.

What Does Their Model Candidate Look Like?

Go In With A Clear Understanding Of The Recruiter’s Job

It’s their job to find qualified candidates who will fit in with their company’s culture and who will get along with their teams. And, the sooner they find their model candidate, the less money they’ll have to spend. If an ideal candidate slips under their radar, they’ve failed at their job. If they hire the wrong person, they’ve failed at their job.

So now you know a little more about the interviewer’s motives, their pain points and gain points. They simply want to know whether they should hire you. But the truth is often nuanced, and explaining your reasons for leaving your job can seem tricky. It is rarely a black and white situation. How you answer may provide your interviewer with enough information as to influence their decision. Therefore, it is up to you, as a candidate, to determine how you want to present your story, and yourself as a professional.

How To Prepare For Your Interview

Do Your Research On The Company. Do Your Homework On Yourself.

Put Your Best Foot Forward To Get It In The Door.

It’s Not A Trick Question If You Know The Answer

Some assume interview questions are trick questions designed to fool a candidate into self-sabotage. But just because a question is sometimes tricky to answer, does not mean it is a trick question. In fact, very few interview questions are trick questions. Otherwise, they would call them job interrogations instead of job interviews, and they’d put every candidate on the defensive, undermining the interviewer’s goal. The interviewer needs to get to know each candidate, for who they truly are, both personally and professionally. So, they need to get you to relax, to be 100% yourself, and to be honest.

Take Your Time. Be Thoughtful. Stay Calm.

Communicate Like An Experienced & Confident Professional.

Answers That Work For & Against You

How well you perform in your interview not only informs them of how well you would perform at your job, but also how well you would get along with their teams. Therefore, so much of your interview is reliant on your confidence and your attitude.

Answers That Work Against You.

Answers That Work For You.

Pro Tip: Show, Don’t Tell

The last thing a hiring authority wants, is for a candidate to tell them what they think they want to hear, or to hear what they’ve posted on their careers site repeated back to them. Your interviewer wants you to tell them the truth of who you are, as a person, and as a professional. All you have to do is answer each question in a way that shows them who you are. This makes your goal quite simple.

Prepare for your interview as if you are preparing for the job. Get a head start on your orientation and onboarding now, learning everything you can, so that you can truly hit the ground running when you are hired. It will be self evident that you spent time preparing, while showcasing an above and beyond work ethic, and that you take this opportunity seriously. Identify with their ideal candidate and let the truth of how you’re aligned guide your answers. Doing this shows them that you are who you say you are. It’s your attitude and mindset that defines you.

What Your Answers Tell Your Interviewer.

What Your Answers Show Your Interviewer.

How To Answer: Your Truth Is What You Make It

It's important to be honest in a job interview, and remember that your interviewer is after the truth. Your truth is what you make of it. Your interviewer is not looking for the absolute truth, but for your perception of the truth. So, the way you frame your answer can make all the difference.

One’s truth, or reality, most often translates to their perception of their experience. Perception is reality. Your reality is your truth. Your attitude shapes your reality and offers them the facts they need to make a hiring decision. They are going to assess what your truth says about you as a professional. They’ll do this by attempting to extract the facts from what your truth tells them, and shows them.

It matters less whether you left the sector to raise a family or to start your own business, or whether you were laid off or let go. It is your attitude that will determine your success. Demonstrating emotional intelligence, accountability, and responsibility will showcase your professional experience. Aligning what you have to offer as a professional with what they are looking for in a candidate puts actions behind your words. These combined will assure your interviewer that you are sincerely telling them what they want to hear, that you are who you say you are… which is the truth.