Transcript

When an interviewer asks why you're leaving your current job, they can tell immediately whether you sound like a junior level candidate or a senior one. You would think this question is about uncovering your reasons, but what they're actually listening for is whether you describe what went wrong for you or what you built and where you want to take it next. So here's what both a positive and a negative answer are going to look like in an interview. The junior answer is going to come across as a complaint. My manager micro managed everything and there was no room to grow. Now, that may be absolutely true, but it describes how you felt about the job without a single example of what you accomplished there in the impact you provided. Which makes the interviewer wonder how you're gonna talk about their company in the future. The answer that raises a different concern sounds polished but has no definitive proof behind it. I'm just looking for a new challenge. With no specific example attached, the interviewer is then left guessing whether there's another underlying reason that you're just not willing to divulge right now. The senior level answer leads with what you accomplished and why this role is the next step. Your answer might sound something like, I was brought on to fix our onboarding process and we cut our first year turnover from 30% to 18%. I've accomplished what I've set out to do here at this Company and the next problem I want to solve is at a larger scale, which this role offers. The answer is honest about leaving. It's backed by a legitimate result, and it points towards where you're going instead of what you're escaping, which is how senior people explain their motivations to make a move. My name is Natalie Lemons, and I have over two decades inside hiring decisions. As a recruiting firm owner, I teach you what recruiters know and job seekers deserve to hear. Download my Secret Language of Hiring Workbook, the links either in my bio or down below, depending on the platform. And if this helped you, save it for later, share it with your network and make sure you're hitting that follow button for more. How do you explain why you're looking to leave? And does it sound junior or senior?