Good 'reason for leaving' for prospective employers

rmelly said:
Agreed, but this approach won't succeed if he bad mouths previous employers as Purple suggested - which was my point.
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I suggested that it would not be a bad thing to talk about why he left his last job. I did not suggest that he bad mouths anybody.
 
ClubMan said:
You said that this bias was universal. A single exception (e.g. me) disproves that hypothesis. And I know that I am not the only exception.
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Point taken. I should have said that there was a general bias, there are always exceptions.
 
Purple said:
I suggested that it would not be a bad thing to talk about why he left his last job. I did not suggest that he bad mouths anybody.
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my apologies, I should have said 'reinforce an anti public sector bias'.
 
The advice to convey a general impression that the current post is not satisfying without going into the details (especially not to raise issues about individuals or polictics) is the right way to go IMO. But I take the point that the applicants head is so "done in" that he's not sure he can hold this line. He should plan and write out how he will deal with these questions and stick to his script however tempting it might be to download on an apparantly sympathetic ear.

BTW I've worked in both private sector (now) and public sector (previously for many years) and have come across very similar situations in each - politics, lazy staff and bad management in both - dedicated and passionate people in both also.
 
Never a good idea to be negative about current job when going for a new job. Remember that the interviewers usually dont know you personally, so you could inadvertantly come across as either a generally negative unhappy person or someone who finds it difficult to fit in.

You are always better taking the approach that the new job you are after is a better one than the job you are leaving and that is the reason for seeking the job. You can always find a reason why it is better e.g. better pay, more suited to qualifications, better prospects, more interesting work, more challenging work etc. etc. etc.
 
He should plan and write out how he will deal with these questions and stick to his script however tempting it might be to download on an apparantly sympathetic ear.
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Yes. Always a good idea to anticipate potential difficult questions that may arise in any interview and plan responses. I prefer writing out a few key words or bullet points on a piece of paper that can be memorised easily and delivered naturally in a variety of ways rather than learning a full script. Always stick to the plan. Remember that the plan is put together after consideration over several days, whereas the instinctive response is put together in a fraction of a second. So as more thought has been put into the plan, it will in 99% of cases be a much better answer than anything decided on the run in the interview room. Dont be tempted to deviate from the plan no matter how tempting it may seem in the stressful interview environment.
 
putsch said:
BTW I've worked in both private sector (now) and public sector (previously for many years) and have come across very similar situations in each - politics, lazy staff and bad management in both - dedicated and passionate people in both also.
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Hear, hear - Those who know little of the realities of the 'other side' seem to revel in inaccurate trolling. I'm beginning to think that the "don't feed the trolls" approach is the best option.
 
RainyDay said:
Hear, hear - Those who know little of the realities of the 'other side' seem to revel in inaccurate trolling. I'm beginning to think that the "don't feed the trolls" approach is the best option.
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If that's aimed at me then no fair; I was just pointing out the bias that you people have to put up with. Sure I think yer all great
 
RainyDay said:
Hear, hear - Those who know little of the realities of the 'other side' seem to revel in inaccurate trolling. I'm beginning to think that the "don't feed the trolls" approach is the best option.
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I think your statement is probably fairly accurate RainyDay but I don't see much evidence of trolling in this thread. My own comments BTW in the original post just reflect what my friend has said - from his own experience.

Thanks again to all for the feedback - spoke to the guy last night. His main concern is that his current role required very specific training/quaifications (which he happened to excel in) and to leave after 'only' a year, he feels will look quite obvious to other employers that he simply couldn't stand it. That combined with leaving the security of the sector he thinks will make employers suspicious.
 
Caveat said:
One year in a job rarely sounds good.
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Not necessarily. If someone is not happy in a job then it's good to leave after one year. However, if a person has been in six jobs in six years... then that sounds bad.
 
Gautama said:
Not necessarily. If someone is not happy in a job then it's good to leave after one year. However, if a person has been in six jobs in six years... then that sounds bad.
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Can't disagree with that. One year or some other short stint in a job does not, per se, impute anything untoward. It all depends on how it relates to the overall scheme of things.
 
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