I have given notice at a place I have worked 17 years. I am going to try to move into a different career, one which I have worked part-time in.
Job applications and interviews always ask why you left your previous employer. I don’t want to say the real reason - long commute, long hours, and massive stress led to heath problems and I felt I had to get out of there. But in a bad economy, massive layoffs (even where I worked), I’d prefer to say something along the lines of “layoffs” or “voluntary Layoff” rather than “I Quit” or “Couldn’t handle the stress”.
Are there implications of not being completely truthful if hired by another company? (My employer will only give work dates and salary for references, not why anyone left.)
Make it as positive as possible. The ever-popular “looking for new opportunities that more closely match my goals and talents” is good. Do not bad-mouth your former employer as it makes you sound like a malcontent troublemaker. Stress your longevity at your previous place of employment. If at all possible, get your interviews while still employed. You say you gave notice – how long are you staying? If you’re still there, you don’t have to say you’ve given notice.
It’s a bad fit. If asked to elaborate, explain that you’ve realized that the new career path you’re looking at is what you want to do, and your current job isn’t letting you do that.
It was a bad fit, yet it took him 17 years to figure it out? As an interviewer, that would set off major alarm bells and suspicion that the candidate was being less than forthcoming.
“After 17 years, I wanted to seek out new challenges” should do just fine.
(edit: of course, the natures of both your former and prospective employment make a difference. Can you elaborate?)
As my mama told me, it doesn’t always pay to tell everybody your business. Seems to me neither your current nor prospective employer will know everything that’s in your mind unless you blab it. Which leads me to ask, why are you concerned about not revealing everything? It’s not like they have any way to know your hidden thoughts.
That said, there are “acceptable” reasons to leave – more money, shorter commute, seeking new challenges, better long-term opportunity, etc. – and troublesome reasons – hated someone there, thought the work was too hard, felt they were screwing you over, etc. Reasons in the latter group may be true, but they don’t make you look good. And it is hoped they won’t be part of the situation at the new place, so they often aren’t even relevant.
Just as you put your best face on for an interview (don’t come in unshaven or un-made up, wear nice clothes instead of the torn jeans you do yard work in, etc.), put the best face on your reasons for leaving. They don’t need (or want) to know all the less flattering stuff.
ETA: Okay, they want to know if you can’t get along with anybody, or you’re lazy, or you’re a paranoid malcontent. But if it’s more about the job not being right/best for you than about you not being right for any job, let the sleeping dog lie.
I agree. The OP’s reason for leaving, to wit, “I am going to try to move into a different career, one which I have worked part-time in,” is a perfectly good one. However, it sounds like that’s not what you are doing. Are you are looking at full-time opportunities in the field that part-time job is in (and that employer has no current full-time openings). I also think it’s a bit unwise to leave a job in the economy (well, any economy, really) without having something else lined up.
I would not say “Couldn’t handle the stress” or anything that is not accurate, especially since the truth in your case isn’t really objectionable.
I can’t tell you how important it is to NOT give negative reasons for leaving. Even things like “I’d like a shorter commute” or “more money” is iffy. You’re not moving AWAY from the current job, you are moving TOWARD something – opportunity to move up, new challenges, a new career path you’re excited about, etc. My team at work just finished a round of interviewing for a new position, and the guy who was head and shoulders above the other applicants in terms of skill set didn’t even make it completely through the final round (in part) because all he talked about was how miserable he was at the current job and how he wanted to get out.
Talk about it only when asked. Keep the discussion short without seeming evasive. Be positive, to the point of praising the current workplace for the opportunities it offered and what it taught you if it comes to that. On the forms, just put “looking for better opportunity” or something else short and blandly positive.
Avoid making yourself look like a disgruntled or unsatisfied worker.
The easiest way would be to lie. Simply say you had a chance to go into business for yourself and investigated the possiblities, but unfortunately in todays economy the loan fell through, or some other excuse.
Therefore you look like go-getter, a risk taker and lots of other thing potential employers like, but you didn’t make it because of the economy, which is beyond your control.
Of course you have to think of a “fake business”
Bottom line is it’s an employers market and they feel you should be grateful they are even talking to you. (This will change someday but for now…), so you can’t look like a dissatisfied worker.
Posting here as a former attorney who dealth with employment law, and as a former department store manager who did hiring:
NEVER lie on the application. It is grounds for firing later, and can be used to justify what would otherwise be illegal decisions to terminate. And you never know when/how an employer will find out you’ve lied.
Never offer a negative reason for anything you do. No employer wants someone who can’t hack a job, who is incapable of doing something, etc. Always frame your reasons in positive terms: went back to school, wanted more responsibility, needed to relocate, etc.
If you are terminated, do not lie about it; frame it in the most positive way you can. You can cite irreconcilable differences, for example. Make it short and sweet and move on to positive things you can say. (Having been terminated once, I know how awkward this question is to answer) Markxxx I cannot stress too much how important it is NOT TO LIE.
“I felt that in this economy & job market that I might be better off job hunting sooner rather than later.”
Could be interpreted a few different ways, none of which reflect poorly on you. Not strictly a lie, either.
You could also cite long commutes & fuel pricing, maybe in an offhand manner. (Oh, yes, the drive here today was a breeze - So nice after having driven an hour each way for the last 17 years - $4.00 a gallon can really start to cut into the bottom line…)
What if a person walked out on their previous employer because the employer was involved in some very serious criminal activity—stuff you could potentially get 30 years in the slammer for—how should that person broach this subject with a potential future employer?
IF the question came up in interview, I’d explain what happened. On the job application, I’m not sure how I’d phrase it. I suspect that’s pretty rare.
Agreed. But we aren’t talking interview so much as application, here. An application needs to be something that doesn’t have red flags, so that you can make it to the point of being asked for an interview.
Once in an interview, a good employer is interested in what you can do. But if there are things the employer thinks are worrisome in your past, they may ask to allow them to assuage those worries.
I think that you could spin the layoff angle, too - even if you weren’t personally involved in the layoff, you could say something like:
“My current company just had a large reduction in force, with rumors of more to come in the future due to the shaky economy. I’m looking for something that offers me more job security while allowing me to grow professionally by blah blah blah.”
IANAHiring Manager, but I think anyone interviewing you could understand that, especially if you mention that second part: that you want to have more growth opportunities in something you’re more passionate about.
