Looking for job search and interview advice

[dcmetrocrab]

Hi everyone!. I'm a long time reader looking to get some help from the collective wisdom of the board.

I recently made the decision to start on my exit strategy out of a toxic work situation. This is truly a newbie question, but this is the first time I've initiated a job search while still employed and I am not sure how to answer the, "why are you looking for a new job" question without letting my current angst seep through. The current work environment has taken my confidence level to a new low, and I know you are to NEVER speak ill of a previous employer. I'd love to hear of some good side stepping tactics or canned responses that have worked for you in the past.

TIA!

[marmar]

My interviewing experience is VERY limited, so I don't have much to offer. But you could try something like, "My previous employer and I have different management philosophies." Or maybe, "I'm looking for a new and exciting challenge to widen my knowledge base and provide a new avenue in which to offer my talents."



Good luck!

[Deleted]

I wouldn't even say management styles differed. I'd look more to 'moving in a new direction' if you are looking for something different, or in a different location, or 'advanced as far as the current situation will allow me'... something like that... or along the same lines, as marmar said, looking for new challenges...

When i was teaching once, i actually interveiwed with children and youth, and they asked why i would want to make such a move and i said i felt like maybe i could make more of a difference in that capacity... so sometimes it can be tailored to the specific jobs you had/are looking for...

[so1970]

the company i work for bought a rock yard from this guy 20 yrs. ago. the guys son comes over the next day walks into the office and says ..you mother#%*&s put me out of a job so i'd like to put in an application. how could they say no?

[Deleted]

Focus on the position for which you're interviewing and tell them why it would be so much better than your current position- the new things you'd be learning, the company culture- they always love signs that you researched the position and know it's right for you.

Are you in a position where any new employer would know that your current position is toxic (same town or small industry where everyone knows each other)? If an interviewer knows and asks about it, just give a wry grin and say, "yes, every day is a new challenge", or something that sounds natural to you, and don't go into details. They'll respect you for it.

[greeneyedchicka]

I agree with oped and would not say anything about indifferences. Simply say that you are looking for new challenges, have reached your ceiling there, have no clear career path, etc.

I have hired many people and typically shy away from anyone that would bad mouth previous employers, speak about past managers in an ill manner, and so forth. You don't want to come across as someone who can't get along with others or who will be seen as a trouble maker.

[thyme4change]

Don't say anything about not getting along with your previous employer, because the first thing I think is "Maybe this person won't get along well here, either." Even though I know there are definitely bad employers and mismatched situations, I never know if the problem is you or your employer.

That said, go along the lines of "new opportunity" but try to be specific. For example, When I left one company I said "I've loved my current job, but the corporate office is in another state, and the opportunities are limited unless I will relocate to that state." This was great for a company that was based in my current city. I also used it for another regional position, but I said "I'm not willing to relocate to {{State A}} but I would consider other places." I could get away with that because the locations are pretty different. I really wasn't willing to move, nor was I really changing jobs because I was being relocated.

Another example I used was "I've been working at this company for 5 years, and I would like to be in a larger company. I feel a company such as yours attracts great talent, and I really want to learn from the best." My boss at the big company was a huge narcissist, so I got that job.

You can also focus on specific job duties - especially if they have already reviewed the main points of the job with you. You can say "My job now has a broad array of duties. I do {{task B}} and I really enjoy it, and I'm hoping to find a job where that skill set will be more utilized." This will show a real excitement for the job you are getting.

[hbone373]

depending on what position you're applying for?

if its for a different position---say that you want to be challenged by doing something else.

if its for the same position---- say that there is no room for growth at that company. And that, is something that your looking for.





hubpages.com/hub/5-Helfpul-Tips-to-use-websites-to-look-and-to-find-work

[dcmetrocrab]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Sorry for the late response, I'm still getting used to the new board, I find it easy to lose track of a thread and the search feature doesn't exactly work the way I expected it to.

I agree with those about not mentioning anything bad of my current employer and focusing on the positives of what the new position could do for me. I guess I'm a bit worried that the interviewer won't respect polite dodges if they decide they want to get more detail. I work in a very small industry at a highly scrutinized company, so I am trying to be very careful. The real reasons I am looking:

- company is not doing well, high executive turnover rate
- morale is low, my office in particular is in "sinking ship" mode
- everyone is working 3-5 person's jobs due to multiple layoffs
- no raises, even after a promotion

And even more personal, my commute is a killer, the hours leave with me no personal life, and I report to a well meaning VP who is passive aggressively micromanaging his team into the ground. I skirted his radar for several months while he drove people to tears in meetings, but his sights are now honed in on me.

[Tennesseer]

As previously noted, never say anything negative about your current or any previous employer-it's a turn off for the interviewer.

Tell the interviewer you have learned all you could while working with your current employer and are now ready to take it to the next level and you believe the company you are now interviewing with has it.

You might be asked a number of hypothetical questions. Hypothetical questions are a waste of time-the interviewee tells the interviewer what they want to hear. If you are asked a hypothetical question try and answer it with a real live example.

Hopefully, you will be asked a question about something real in your current or previous workplace. Prepare for that possible question by thinking STAR. STAR stands for
S - Situation
T - Task
A - Action
R - Result

What was the Situation. What Task were you asked to complete. What Action did you take to complete the task. And what were the Results of your actions. Not all STAR examples have to be something with good results. There can also be bad results-but then that's the time where you show the interviewer how you learned from your mistake(s).

Learn all about the company or business you are to interview with. Try to find out all the job duties for the position you are applying for. Learn what their product is. Learn how long they have been in business. How did they start up. Know the names of a few past and present CEOs. Try to find out the various divisions or departments within the company.

If you know anyone in the company and are friendly enough with them, ask him/here these questions. Ask the person out to lunch or dinner and ask your questions then. Tell the person a head of time the reason for meeting for lunch. Don't tie up the employee at work by calling them and asking these questions. They might resent being taken away from their work.

After your interview, send the interviewer a thank-you note. Try not to use email to send the thank-you note. While practical-not always personal. If you do have email, give the interviewer your email address and tell him/her that if they have any additional questions for you that you might answer for them to send it to you by calling you or send via email and you can either send back your response by same or call them back if they wish.

At some point (if the interviewer is serious about you as a candidate) the interviewer is going to have to contact your current employer. You can ask the interviewer to please not contact your current employer at this current time unless they are seriously considering you for further interviews or to offer you a position.

Most employers will not give out a lot of information when an another employer contacts them to verify your current employment. Most employers will only give out out dates employed and current job title.

Finally-don't mention to anyone at your current place of employment you are seeking a position outside the company. It will be the kiss of death for you-especially is they are currently laying off people. In fact mention it to as few people in or outside work. You never know what might get back to your employer. And keep any discussion about you seeking other employment off of any internet social networks (Facebook, etc.). Some employers look for stuff like that-disgruntled or unhappy employees can be marked for future layoffs.

Good luck.

[Cookies Galore]

My BF has a job interview with my company on Monday and I'm glad to see that a lot of the advice I gave him is being said on this thread. He's trying to get out of the printing industry and there are many, uh, interesting characters where he works right now, so he has to be aware of his wording when talking about his work environment. I don't think that mentioning the drug addict that the owner won't fire (even after he passed out naked on the toilet?!!?!) would help BF.
He is trying to break out of a dying industry and has decided that as he gets older, he wants to work for a company that offers a stable work environment and appreciates their employees contributions.

[shanendoah]

dcmetro: Given what you said about your company being highly scrutinized, if the interviewer doesn't respect polite "dodges" then they aren't interviewing you for you, they're trying to dig up dirt on your company. No matter what the interviewer thinks they may "know" about your company, someone who is seriously considering you for a position will respect that you are not willing to go negative and not dig.
If your commute is killer and you're applying to jobs with a much easier commute, I'd feel free to mention that as part of why you're looking. If its a company that's known for (or is trying to promote) work/life balance, you can mention that. If it's a place that wants you there 60-80 hours a week, well, that's easier too, if you don't have to spend 2 hours on the road each way to get there.
My standard "why are you looking for a new position" answer is "I'm looking for new challenges and growth opportunities."

As a hiring manager, let me give you a couple more pieces of advice on applying for jobs:
1)Read the whole job description. Just because it has a title that seems right to you, make sure you have the experience and skill set that that particular posting is looking for
2)It's ok to apply for stretch positions. However, you MUST alter at least your cover letter to highlight why you think you could do the job. Call attention to the skills you have that you think build in to this position. (You can also have multiple versions of your resume and use one that also highlights the type of skills they are looking for.)
3)Even if its not a stretch position, personalize the cover letter in some way.
4)Do NOT blanket apply to all openings a company has. Hiring managers will notice, and they won't take your resume seriously

I work in healthcare and we are currently hiring for a couple communications positions. If people would read the job postings, they would discover that while healthcare experience is nice, we care much, much more about communications experience. And yet, I have received multiple resumes where the cover letter says "I have healthcare experience and I want to work for your company" and I read the resume, and its whole focus is on knowing healthcare regs. There might be some communications experience buried in there, but if they don't at least point me in the right direction, I'm not digging. ie If you didn't bother to read my job posting, I'm not going to bother to read your resume.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

DH his current job because I helped him word that the reason he wanted out of the printing industry is because it is a dying art form and he wanted to get into a growing industry and food QA is certainly one of them.

He then drew parrallels between how his QA experience doing printing can be translated into food quality and he got the job.

He was totally making it up as he went along, but it worked.

So I'd go along the lines of while you enjoy what you do you are seeking new challenges and a way to grow and your current job is not providing that for you.

If you are looking to get out what you are doing entirely see if you can draw comparisions between what you do now the job you are seeking and how your current skills can be translated into this new job.

[Small Biz Owner]

As previously noted, never say anything negative about your current or any previous employer-it's a turn off for the interviewer.

Thats for sure. Does not sit well with me.

If you are looking to get out what you are doing entirely see if you can draw comparisons between what you do now the job you are seeking and how your current skills can be translated into this new job.

Sums it up best. I want to see what someone can do for me, not necessarily exactly what they have done previously.

[daylight]

I know it's already a stressful task not to badmouth your current firm in an interview, but I'd suggest that you try to be enthusiastic about your current job as well (unless it's a small town etc. or the interviewer would know about your situation anyway). It's asking a lot, I know, but honestly, if I was interviewing someone who was on staff somewhere else, I'd really like to see some sign of enthusiasm towards the current job. Forget about the manager. List your skills. There must have been new skills you learned here, irrespective of him. Imagine that he quit. What do you like about your job now? If your current job is addressed, try to focus on how much you learned here and forget about the rest.

You were given very good advice by the above posters, hope it works out. I'm glad you decided to make a change.