Why are you Looking for a Job Change
Stagnant is death: what applies in business, technology, and life in general is no different in your own professional career and the most important question you might get asked Why are you Looking for a Job Change.
Gone are the days of permanent employment for life, job changes are becoming more and more in the order of the day.
And yet the question of changing jobs leaves the applicants sweating. Here we’ll show you how to efficiently justify your job change and what you definitely shouldn’t say.
“Why do you want to change jobs?
Human resource managers call this “change motivation” in technical jargon, and there are always personal goals behind it.
Anyone who formulates this as positively as possible and perhaps even relates it to the job being advertised in the interview will score points with HR managers.
Take a look at the future: what excites you about the new one, what in particular are you looking forward to? What do you associate with changing employers?
On the other hand, people who make negative comments about their current or past employer are viewed negatively – so-called “slipping downs”.
Come across as unprofessional in job interviews and cast the applicant in a bad light. also puts.
Why you couldn’t afford it any longer with your old employer or what problems arose with your job change is not part of your future strategy – and is therefore irrelevant in the application.
Good reasons to change jobs include:
“I want to advance my professional development”: In some jobs, the limit reaches a point where you can no longer learn anything new.
A new job may be just a matter of expanding your own professional field and gaining additional professional qualifications.
It’s important to state exactly what you expect from this next career move – and how the advertised job fits in with it.
“I want to get to know a new industry”: Sometimes just a job change isn’t enough, it has to become a new industry.
Ideally, you already have previous experience, whether from your personal or professional environment – and you can clearly state which of your skills can be transferred to the new industry.
“I want to know a different working environment”:
Are you looking to switch from a small business to a large company? Or would you like to try yourself in a start-up? It doesn’t matter whether it’s about new forms of hierarchy, other associates or a new corporate culture:
explain why you really chose this company – and how you would fit into it personally.
“I want to work more internationally”: Think outside the box, learn new countries or build an international career: Explain what really interests you about working abroad and what qualifications you bring with you Huh.
“I’m interested in new challenges”:
Even though it sounds like a cliché, there may be a grain of truth behind this statement.
Perhaps you’re interested in new tasks you’ve never done before, bigger projects, or even a managerial position? Give concrete examples.
Why your personal experience, special knowledge, and strengths are a good fit for both the new job and the new company.
Name the challenges specifically, then your counterpart can more accurately assess whether you can find them in the job advertised.
“I want to change because of family reasons”:
Adjusting to a newborn in a 60-hour job isn’t easy. If the partner moves to a new city, this can also be a good reason to change jobs.
This motivation for change should be communicated as openly as possible – after all, the employer must be able to adapt to the personal circumstances of their new employee.
Do you want to change your job because you are being bullied by the boardroom? We’ll show you how you can deal with bossing and maybe keep up with your old job.
What You Shouldn’t Say After Changing Jobs
A thoughtless comment can ruin any job interview, no matter how successful.
The basic rule is this: Personnel managers are looking for candidates who have already completed the tasks of the advertised position to the satisfaction of their employer.
And who can reliably demonstrate that they are also in a new company. Will do the same.
Therefore the following justifications for change of job are not clear:
“I want more pay”: Changing jobs can mean higher pay – but it’s not mandatory. Anyone who offers a higher salary as the sole reason to change jobs will quickly get lost with HR managers – after all, they are looking for someone.
I’m not looking for the dirty mammon.
Not all activities are necessarily exciting – it depends on what you do with them. If you’re looking for a new job just to avoid boredom, you can easily become dissatisfied with your new job – no one with staff responsibility likes to see it.
“I used to work a lot of overtime in my old job”:
If a good work-life balance is more important to you than overtime, you should frame it positively in the conversation, otherwise you will get the impression that you are leaving your work at 5pm:
The pens are sharp and are never available for evening appointments.
Therefore, clarify your working hours in the context of your personal life and show some degree of flexibility, for which you can definitely expect your potential new employer to be friendly in return.
“I’ve always wanted to work for a well-known company”: Sure, big names do well on a resume.
But those who join the company simply because of the brand sometimes feel bitter disappointment if the business does not match their interests. Better:
Look carefully at the job profile to make sure it matches yours, and if in doubt, apply for a position that matches your long-term qualifications.
“I would like to delegate responsibilities”: unfortunately, resigning from a managerial position still raises eyebrows.
To prevent a job change from taking a step back, you need to be able to provide specific reasons for your desire for less responsibility, such as why you want to be more involved in project implementation.
Job change in the application form
In the application form, the motivation for change should always be communicated actively and looking to the future.
HR managers don’t want to read long justifications, but rather why you chose this particular position and what skills and competences you bring with you.
Turn your gaze from the past to the future – and instead of dwelling on the “distant” topic, prepare yourself for the so-called “goals”. Do you also send confidential requests? We will show you which formulations are correct.
State the reason for the change in the application form with the following sentences:
- “This position allows me to use my core competencies. Both your advertising work and technical attention represent exactly the challenge I have been looking for for some time.”
- “I have been working in the XY region for several years and have already achieved great success in my field. Now I would like to use my professional knowledge in your industry for the benefit of your company.”
- “Coordination, team spirit and working together on a project are important to me. I believe these values reside in your company and therefore I would be happy to strengthen your team. “
- “Particularly for the XY region, I look forward to great prospects and growth opportunities from a move to your company.”
- “I have honed my professional interest in your industry for some time and have already achieved initial success as part of Project XY.”
- “The advertised position would be the perfect opportunity for me to use my previous XY experience and skills in a new industry.”
Change of job after dismissal
Stop it – now what? Experts recommend keeping the card face up on the table, even if you have been fired by your employer.
So, as you inquire about your previous job, be sure to notify the HR manager of the termination. However, without justification, or worse, taking the side of the old employer.
A calm “I was fired because …” doesn’t hurt and clears the mood.
Even if you have been fired due to poor performance, clear words can create clarity: What have you concluded from the dismissal for yourself and your future?
Perhaps you can point to your weaknesses as growth potential in your new job: what you will do with the next employer.
Basically, it’s nobody’s job because you got fired or left your previous job. If you don’t want to talk about it, you have every right: in this case a simple
“These are personal reasons I don’t want to talk about it” or “It just wasn’t good.”
Are you about to leave and have you already moved in? We’ve summarized the possible counter-measures for you.
Justify frequent job changes
Three jobs a year? Have you ever worked for more than 5 months? Anyone dealing with unusual work biographies should expect important questions.
Frequent job changes bother hiring managers because they cannot be sure how long the candidate will be in the new job.
These apprehensions need to be allayed both in the job interview and in the application form. We will also show you the most common Interview Questions for good preparation.
How the number of job changes affects your chances of applying also depends on your professional experience:
Five to seven years after starting your career, frequent changes are still in the “orientation phase”.
Are recorded as So, however, it is important to give the new employer confidence that you are now professional and to know where the career path next should go.
Do you have to justify a job change in English? Then use our English vocabulary that we have summarized for you.
Skilled workers as working hoppers
Experienced specialists, specialists who move like workmen, have bigger problems, but not always. In some industries, such as the creative industry, frequent job changes are common:
Whether it is project work, seasonal jobs or in the start-up sector, no one here wonders why time with an employer was so short.
Experts in other fields can also benefit from this: for example, if thematic works are already marked in the CV and thus a red thread appears.
To do this, you collect and list similar jobs and projects over a long period of time. Different keywords also explain different situations:
It creates consistency and calmness in the CV. When asked about this in job interviews, experts recommend transparency:
Explain what you’ve learned at different stages of your professional life and what might be useful to a new employer now.
Even if you can’t overcome all your fears, you still appear to your counterpart as an honest person who knows many companies or industries and therefore has a lot of experience.
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