Responding to "Why do you want to leave your current Employer?"

"Why do you want to leave your current Employer?"

Chances are, you're probably getting asked this question in some variation by not only Recruiters but also Hiring Managers as well.

Here's the deal: in the majority of cases where the Interviewer is asking you questions along this line, they're simply trying to understand what motivates you and drives you - at least from the perspective of what you desire from an Employer.

After all - if they're considering hiring you, they'd ideally want you to stick around at least for a couple of years ideally, right? Understanding what motivates you as a prospective Employee is one important part of this, which is why they ask "Why do you want to leave your current Employer?". So its crucial to keep this in mind while formulating a strong, logical response to these type of questions.

Here is one method for addressing these questions related to WHY you want to leave your current Employer:

Step 1: Establish why you joined in the first place. To set the stage, you first have to provide some context as to why you initially joined the Organization in question (again the point is to convey what motivates you). I would advise discussing this not just from your perspective but also from the Organization's perspective as well and speak a bit about what motivated THEM to want to hire you. E.g. "I initially took on the role because they needed a Project Manager who had in-depth knowledge of XYZ industry which I had been doing for 5 years prior to that. What motivated me to take on this role is that I'd be able to continue building my experience in this area."

Step 2: Discuss the "gap" or the "disconnect". What did you realize was missing? There's always something missing, or you wouldn't be considering leaving. Talk about the gaps here that are motivating you to want to look for other opportunities which will further help you grow in your profession/career. E.g. "Having worked in this role for about a year now, I'm not seeing much opportunity to work on XYZ projects which is taking away from my ability to grow further and strengthen my knowledge in this area."

Step 3: The Transition - show how the Organization you're interviewing with fulfills the "gap". We can't just leave it at the gaps - we have to connect it and make it relevant to the Interviewer's Organization. We now want to shift the focus back to the Organization you ARE interviewing with and leverage the gaps and motivation to establish why there appears to be a great mutual fit. E.g. "Which brings me to why I'm very interested in the opportunity to work with you. As your Team specialize entirely on projects in XYZ Industry, I believe its the best fit for what I'm looking for in my Career because [discuss reasons in a bit more detail]..etc".

So to sum it up - if you get asked "Why are you considering leaving your current Employer?" you can respond using the above framework:

"Initially I joined my current Employer because [list reasons]. What I've found after working here is that its lacking in a few areas [briefly discuss/list out those areas]. I believe the opportunity to work with your Team is ideal for me because I'd be able to further build on those missing areas currently, etc [discuss potential fulfillment of gaps]."

While this framework might seem like a lot of work initially, my advice is to practice responding to these type of questions over and over again in this format so its fluid and you're able to discuss your motivations for wanting to leave your current Employer and connect it with the opportunity to work with the Employer you're interviewing with.

I wish you the best at your Interviews!

Coming this week:

Live Stream: Tune in Wednesday @ 11AM ET for my weekly Live Stream. Visit my profile at 11AM ET and tune in!

From Last Week:

• Article: Reasons your Resume isn't getting you phone calls?!
• Live Stream: How ChatGPT will revolutionize Business Analysis - if you're a BA, you definitely want to watch this replay if you missed it. I had special guest Emal Bariali joining in to share his findings from using ChatGPT.
• Poll Results: Do you send "Thank-You" Notes after your Interviews? Check out the results for what most people are doing!
• Recruiters: does it make sense to screen for "culture fit"? View this post and share your thoughts!

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Dean Kulaweera