Past Jobs, Future Opportunities

It’s a question you may dread–or look forward to: “Why did you leave your previous job?” 

While you might be tempted to either freeze up or bust out a list of complaints, when responding to this common interview prompt, look for the middle ground. Your response is another opportunity to show your potential future employer your professionalism. We’re here to help you come across as the confident, eager person your boss will love to work with. Instead of complaining, try out these:

• ”I needed a change in environment to better allow for my growth.”
• ”I wanted more of a challenge.”
• ”I am open to new opportunities that were not available there.”
• ”I was looking to take on responsibilities that the role did not offer.”

Make sure you’re not bad-mouthing. This is not the time to vent! And, after all, as the saying goes, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Speaking ill will get you off on the wrong foot with your future colleagues. Honesty may be an admirable quality, but even if you had a really bad experience with your previous job, you want to make sure that the way in which you are being honest isn’t off-putting to your potential employer. Your new boss isn’t going to want to take the risk that you’ll later do the same thing to them! 

The options above will wow any would-be employer by showing them that you are a positive person who is eager to explore new opportunities, the sort of person people will want to not only hire, but want to both keep around AND keep in mind for future permanent positions. We know that with these responses in your back pocket, not only will you rock your interview–you’ll be paving the way for your potential employer to see you as a rockstar employee.

This posting is brought to you by Contemporaries Inc., one of the best temp agencies in Boston MA. Also available for payrolling employees in Boston and Greater Boston