How To Answer The Interview Question “Why Did You Leave Your Previous Job?”
One of the most dreaded interview questions by Kenyan job seekers is; Why did you leave your last job? Most people are not sure what to say because the answers given can change the interviewers perception of you either for better or worse.
No one wants to loose their chances at interviews because they did not know how to go about a certain questions. In this light, here is how you should go about answering the question.
How Best To Answer; Why Did You Leave Your Previous Job?
“The first thing you need to know when answering this question is not to lie. We always do a follow up with the previous company to confirm the grounds of a candidate leaving, so it’s best to always tell the truth.
While saying the truth is important in answering this question, people leave jobs because of different reasons and some could put you at a disadvantage and end up losing out on the job. It could be that you resigned because you hated your boss, or your job was too much or maybe the new manager made life difficult for you or you were fired for one reason or the other.
Whatever the reason, you will have to give a believable explanation if you really want the job and to guide you for your next interview, here is how you should go about answering this question.
How To answer If you resigned;
“I realized I had learned about everything in my position and was open to change. For this reason, I did not want to lose focus from my job so I decided it was best to leave and refocus on my career. I needed to find a job with more growth potential.”
This tells the interviewer you are not only applying for the job because you are jobless, but because getting that job now is part of your well laid out plan. Find here common interview Questions and Answers in Kenya
How to answer if you were fired;
“The way I envisioned my roles and the overall direction of the company was in contradiction to that of my manager/boss. So, after a number of meetings and talks, we decided that it would be best to part company.”
This answer does not lie, it tells that you were fired but also communicates that you know what you want in your career and are willing to work for it.
However you decide to go about this question, make sure it does not open up grounds for more questions from the interviewer. You do not want to say something you never planned to. Want to pass any job interview? This article demonstrates how.
