"My spouse and I are looking to relocate to this area. Her job is transferring here, so I am getting a head start on transferring my skills and getting a fresh start with an organization whose values and culture align with my own. As you can see, I am currently working in the private sector, and I love my current employer and the relationships I've built there. But we all saw this coming. So, I am ready to start something new. Since I had to make this move anyway, I decided to pursue something more rewarding, something that might give me more purpose in what I do. So, I figured, why not get to know my new community by serving that community and getting a real feeling for the neighborhood in the most grassroots fashion possible?"

The best approach for answering this question is to focus on your career goals and your professional pursuits. If your last job wasn't the best fit, accept responsibility for not further exploring whether it was the right fit before you took the job. Then detail what you did learn from the experience. If you didn't get along with your coworkers or leadership as well as you liked, then explain how you're looking for a better culture fit elsewhere, and an organization whose values are more aligned with your own. Focus only on the positives and what you gained from those experiences while expressing gratitude. You want to be a bridge builder rather than burning bridges behind you.

For example, if you previously or currently held a public works position elsewhere, spend time comparing and contrasting these two agencies and these two positions. Then identify what you find most attractive about the opportunity you are interviewing for and how it is a step forward in your career. If you previously worked in the private sector, then explain your motives for pursuing a job in the public works sector, such as desiring a more altruistic or personally rewarding job where you feel like you are giving back to the community. Then express how you are looking forward to this next exciting stage of your career journey.

Avoid badmouthing or casting blame on those you worked with. Taking that approach will lead your interviewer to assume you are not a team player, have issues with those in positions of authority, and are likely to bring those same personnel issues with you wherever you go.